Varying tempos and song styles through an event

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Nate Dogg
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#16 Post by Nate Dogg » Fri Apr 18, 2003 7:39 am

Kind of timely topic, I was talking to one of our teachers last night. She is a newer teacher and she taught without her normal partner last night. Based on a casual conversation we had early in the day, she bumped up the tempo of the music last night. She was happy with the results. They were using "Ruby Mae" for intro to six count swing ( or jitterbug, ECS, etc..., not lindy) and I am happy she moved away from that song. I think it is good for new Lindy dancers, but too slow for six count.

Our intro lessons are supposed to be six count oriented. The teacher has the option of teaching with or without triple steps. The triple step oriented teachers tend to teach with slower tempos.

I think locally, our teachers and DJs need to work better together. The intro lessons are supposed to be basic, with enough information to get people who have never danced before on the floor. The DJ should play music that assists in that. Once the night progresses, the music will broaden.

As DJs when the room is filled with new dancers, fresh out of an intro lesson, we need to be aware that a lot of the guys are very intimidated and nervous. The more we can do make them feel comfortable the better, that will increase the chances that they will come back.

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yedancer
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#17 Post by yedancer » Fri Apr 18, 2003 9:04 am

Nate Dogg wrote:As DJs when the room is filled with new dancers, fresh out of an intro lesson, we need to be aware that a lot of the guys are very intimidated and nervous. The more we can do make them feel comfortable the better, that will increase the chances that they will come back.
I agree. It helps, though, when new dancers have learned something like ECS or Charleston, as opposed to lindy. There's no way they can really pick up lindy in a one hour lesson. They just end up feeling embarassed and intimidated.
-Jeremy

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CafeSavoy
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#18 Post by CafeSavoy » Fri Apr 18, 2003 3:57 pm

GemZombie wrote:
GuruReuben wrote:Does anyone really play "obscure scratchy swing-era songs?"
Not sure about "Obscure", but if you play anything from a "Laserlight" disc, then yes ;)
which is unfortunate cause some of their sessions are great, like the
Earl Hines live broadcasts from the late 40's. although the recordings
on the nat king cole trio recordings aren't that bad.

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GemZombie
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#19 Post by GemZombie » Fri Apr 18, 2003 4:07 pm

CafeSavoy wrote:
GemZombie wrote: Not sure about "Obscure", but if you play anything from a "Laserlight" disc, then yes ;)
which is unfortunate cause some of their sessions are great, like the
Earl Hines live broadcasts from the late 40's. although the recordings
on the nat king cole trio recordings aren't that bad.
I agree, but they do nothing to clean up their cuts. Oh well. I have that Earl Hines disc, it's great stuff.

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Lawrence
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#20 Post by Lawrence » Fri Apr 18, 2003 4:49 pm

CafeSavoy wrote:
GemZombie wrote: Not sure about "Obscure", but if you play anything from a "Laserlight" disc, then yes ;)
which is unfortunate cause some of their sessions are great, like the
Earl Hines live broadcasts from the late 40's. although the recordings
on the nat king cole trio recordings aren't that bad.
Exactly what I thought when I read that comment a few months ago. I bought my first Laserlight disc long before I learned to dance and loved it from the start: Basie live in the late 50s, with GREAT sound. So I also don't have such a negative association with Laserlight.
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main_stem
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#21 Post by main_stem » Sun Apr 20, 2003 8:14 pm

Greg Avakian wrote:
That's very general. I like the idea of DJing little "sets' of 3-4 tunes and seguing to another set.
I've been doing this for the past few months and find it helps keep me out of a rut. It also alows me to do more abrupt seagues, which I find fun.

-K
"We called it music."
— Eddie Condon

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Lawrence
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#22 Post by Lawrence » Sun Apr 20, 2003 8:28 pm

Greg Avakian wrote:
That's very general. I like the idea of DJing little "sets' of 3-4 tunes and seguing to another set.
Not to be redundent, but that's what I have always tended to do as a default. I actually think in terms of 2 songs in the core of the "mini-set," and the songs one either end as segues, making it more seamless. Sometimes when I play one song too many in a mini-set, I realize the mistake immediately: "Shit... I just played 2 songs exactly like this one...."
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Roy
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#23 Post by Roy » Thu Apr 24, 2003 6:58 am

Lawrence wrote:
Greg Avakian wrote:
That's very general. I like the idea of DJing little "sets' of 3-4 tunes and seguing to another set.
That's what I tend to do. If I know a crowd likes a particular style or tempo I will use that style or tempo for a mini-set, then segue into another set, then segue back to the original style. For example Fizz in Chicago people tend to like music around that is either groove or blues around a 140 tempo. An example is I will play one mini-set like that then go into a faster Big band set, then back to the original, then play a slow blues then back to the original. When there are a lot of begginers at an event which can happen at StudioX or LBTL in Chicago and if I have a problem getting them onto the dance floor my base music for mini sets Changes to early R&B around 150 tempo. I move in and out of that music until the crowd changes later with usually more experienced dancers. If a particular style or tempo seems to be particuarly effective on a given night or time of night then I may change my base mini sets mid evening.

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