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CONTRA AND SQUARE DANCE PLAYING
©1998 Phil & Vivian Williams
Tune To Match Dance Moves. The tune played should match the dance to the greatest extent
possible. Contra dances have just a few basic footwork moves. These are walking, balance, and
swing. When there are balances in the dance, it is nice to use a tune with accents when the
balance occurs. In particular, at the point where the balances occur, it is nice to have a quarter
note figure in a jig or a heavy accent in a hornpipe or reel. For example, a couple of tunes that
have accents where balances are likely to occur are Crooked Stovepipe and the first part of
Sailor's Hornpipe. When the dance has a smooth, striding walk down the hall, long note tunes
work best. The second half of Crooked Stovepipe is a good example. Another contra dance
move having smooth footwork is the "Hey." This can be treated the same way as walking down
the hall. The general rule is to use bouncy tunes for bouncy dances and smooth tunes for smooth
figure dances. Crooked Stovepipe is bouncy in the first part and smooth in the second. Most
jigs are bouncy throughout. Road to Boston is smooth throughout.
For beginner dancers it is nice to have lots of contrast between the first and second part of the
tune so the dancers can easily identify the top of the tune, and therefore the start of the dance
pattern repeat. If the dancers get lost, they can wait until the tune comes around again, and get
restarted.
Lasting The Evening. If you are playing the lead by yourself with no other lead player to share
the duties, pick tunes that are not too strenuous to play or you may tire yourself out before the
dance is over. This means playing tunes that are not too notey, in demanding keys, or using
strenuous bowing. If you are just one of several lead players, you can all share the duties and
play more strenuous tunes. An example of a strenuous tune which is best used at the end of a
medley is Big John McNeil.
Source of Tunes. Tunes suitable for contra and square dancing come from many sources. One
source is learning from other musicians. Another source is recordings. A major source is the
published fiddle tune collections. It is desirable to learn to play by ear first and learn well the
musical tradition of the type of tunes you want to play. Once you have become familiar with this
tradition, tunes read from music will make more sense to you and have more life. It is within the
New England tradition to play from music at the dance, and many New England type bands use
music stands, as do traditional Scottish violinists.
Important collections of fiddle tunes include: Cole's 1000 Fiddle Tunes, Ryan's Mammoth
Collection (the original and more complete version of Cole's), Mel Bay's Don Messer Anthology
of Favorite Fiddle Tunes, Donna Hinds' The Grumbling Old Woman (Hand to Mouth Music,
P.O. Box A, Bedford, MA 01730), Phil Williams' The Mandolin Player's Pastime, Voyager
Publication's Brand New Oldtime Fiddle Tune Collections, various English country dance
collections. Scottish and Irish tune collections also contain useful tunes, as do Canadian fiddle
tune books. Many of the collections of tunes suitable for contra dancing can be obtained from
Country Dance and Song Society of America, 17 New South St., Northampton, MA 01060;
Andy's Front Hall, P.O. Box 307, Wormer Road, Voorheesville, N.Y. 12186; Alcazar, Box 429,
Waterbury, VT 05676, and Fiddler's Crossing, if they are not available at your local music store.
Backup Playing. The backup has a major role in shaping the spirit of the dance. Dancers need
good rhythm. The first duty of backup players is to provide solid rhythm, rather than
demonstrating their range of pyrotechnic skills. The most effective guitar backup for a straight
time tune is simply a flatpicked bass note on the down beat followed by a dynamic brush across
the chord on the off beat. A solid, dynamic off beat actually will give the dancers a greater "lift"
in most cases than a heavy accent on the down beat. Being conscious of bass lines and
developing moving bass lines appropriate for the tune is a major rolefor guitar and piano players.
Piano backup is best with just a bass note or octave on the down beat, and the treble chord on the
up beat. Piano players sometimes like to syncopate their playing or use other ornaments. These
should be used with a high degree of discretion. Not only can this throw off the lead player, it
can stall out the forward momentum of the music and thus of the dance.
Backup players also need to be aware of the chord and inversion or position that best
compliments the lead. The music sounds best and supports the lead best when all the backup
players agree on the chords to use. Generally, using straight ahead major chords in a major key
tune and minor chords in a minor tune will provide the greatest sense of forward motion. The
substitution of "modern" chords for basic chords often is detrimental to the mood and movement
of the music and must be done with caution.
Lead players sharing the lead duties with other lead players need to learn how to provide
effective backup when they are not playing lead. For a fiddler, this usually means playing drone
notes, offbeat "chunks," harmony, or nothing. It is better to have nothing than a counter-melody
which adds to the clutter. For an accordion player, backup means playing bass notes and chords.
Flute players can play harmonies and obbligatos, but really need to watch it as the high pitches
can clutter the sound fast. Mandolinists should play off beat chords. Above all, the lead player
who is not currently playing lead needs to be aware of when they might be cluttering up the
sound and interfere with the lead player's ability to play effectively or to be heard. Unison
playing can be quite effective. It helps if the band uses musical arrangements that minimize the
clutter and maximize the ability to hear the lead clearly and provide strong rhythm. If you do
your arranging on the spot, keep your eyes and ears open and be prepared to jump in and play
lead or jump out and play backup on verbal and non-verbal cues from the other band members.
Shaping the Dance. The music has a lot to do with the dancers' perception of energy and fatigue.
Spirited playing with a well defined, punchy down beat and a "chopped" chord up beat right in
time will give dancers a lift. So will playing the tune simple with lots of drive, as will straight
ahead unison playing by the lead musicians. Sloppier timing, syncopations in the backup, letting
backup chords ring, getting away from the melody into less distinguishable variations, playing
softer and with less drive, all will give the dancers somewhat of a "let down" feeling and permit
them to dance more relaxed with less push. The change from one style to the other can be an
effective tool to shape the dancers' perception and give them a chance to relax when they might
be getting tired, but bring them back to full energy by the end of the dance. Start the dance with
spirited, straight ahead playing, right on the beat, right on the tune, and uncluttered. In the
middle of the dance, disintegrate the playing slightly with the lead playing variations, longer
sustained chords in the backup, a few syncopations, and more relaxed playing. Done right, you
can see the dancers relax, start smiling, and realize that they don't have to exert themselves quite
so hard. After letting them cruise for awhile, tighten up the playing, get back to the basics of
good, simple, on-the-beat backup and straight ahead lead. Done right, you will see the energy
come back to the dance for a wind-up that leaves the dancers breathless and excited. When the
dancers start whooping and hollering, you know you have pulled off this trick just right.
Getting Along With the Caller. It is essential for a good dance that the musicians get along with
the caller. Personal preferences or feelings can get in the way of delivering the music that the
caller desires and needs to be most effective. In a sense, the musicians are the backup band for
the caller. Arguing with the caller at the dance, or working to undermine the caller's efforts with
inappropriate playing just because you may not like something the caller is doing, detracts from
the dance. A caller has a hard enough job without static from the band. Let the caller know that
you are prepared to work with them closely to give the dancers a good time. Let the caller know
that if they don't think a tune is working for the dance, it is alright with you if they stop the dance
and ask you to play another tune. If you can, get together with the caller before the dance and
find out what kind of tunes the caller likes and whether there are any problems with different
keys. It is most effective when the caller and band have time to plan the entire dance and really
match the music to the dances.
Medleys. For long contras or square dances, medleys of tunes can work well and provide variety
for the musicians. In a contra dance with long sets, the change in tunes can vary and build the
energy of the dance. In a square dance with a change to a new figure in the middle, a change to a
new tune can affirm for the dancers that a change in the dance has occurred. Medleys need to be
thought out well to accomplish a purpose related to the dance. Just changing tunes for the sake
of playing a new tune can be detrimental to the dynamics of the dance. If a tune is working well
with the dance, and the dancers are being stimulated by it, a change to a new tune may not be
desirable.
In a contra dance, the place to change the tune is when a new head couple, who have just worked
their way up the set as inactive and have sat out one time through, rejoin the line as an active
couple. Depending on the usual habits of the caller, half way through the dance may be when the
first couple has worked their way to the bottom of the line and is about to return as an inactive
couple. This may be a good place to change tunes in a two-tune medley. Sometimes in contra
dance playing three or four tunes are used in the medley, with the change to the next tune taking
place somewhat arbitrarily. Arranging a medley so one tune flows from another and each
successive tune augments the mood of the dance is a real art. Tune changes with impact can
include switching from a jig to a reel, going from a "notey" tune to a simpler one with lots of
drive, switching mode (major to minor, minor to major), or switching keys. The transition from
one tune to the other must be done in a manner that does not break time. Sometimes the caller
will signal tune changes. Other times the caller leaves this to the band. The band should be clear
on who makes the tune switch decision and gives the signal. An alert caller often will signal the
band that there are two or three times through a tune before the tune change or the end of the
dance, to give the band time to prepare and for and build to the change or end.
Tuning. Take time to tune up everyone in the band. If you are playing with a piano or accordion,
forget about "standard" pitch and tune to the piano or accordion.
Charting. If you do not know a tune that the band is going to play, chart it prior to the dance. If
another backup musician knows the tune, ask them to help you. It is desirable for a band to chart
all tunes in which the chord changes are not intuitively obvious or well known to all. This
establishes the chording the band will use for the tune and prevents musical clashes by backup
musicians all playing different chords. Many tunes have more than one way that they can be
chorded. When the band settles on the chording it will use, the music will sound better. If the
band reads music and uses music stands, the chord chart can be put on the stand. The chart also
can be put on the floor and referred to as needed.
Stage Decorum. Socializing, running through tunes, and obtrusive tuning while the caller is
trying to conduct instruction or a walk-through can be very distracting, both for the caller and the
dancers. Try to be as unobtrusive as possible until it is time to play. Talk only as much as
necessary to get set up for the next dance set.
Tune Announcements. Some callers like to announce the names of the tunes played and the
composer, if known. Sometimes this is done before the dance, and sometimes after. Dancers
often include a lot of musicians who appreciate information about the music. They also get a
kick knowing that they are dancing to music written by someone they know or have heard of.
Band Physical Setup. A band can stand up or sit down. By convention, it seems that a lot of
bands sit for a contra dance, but stand for a square dance. If you are unsure of whether to stand
or sit, try to find out what is done conventionally at the dance you are playing. For example, a
band sitting down to play a Federation square dance probably would give the dancers an
immediate negative impression about their capabilities. How to sit or stand relative to each other
needs to be worked out in advance so that everyone is comfortable and can hear other musicians
they need to hear to play as an ensemble. It generally works best to have the backup players
close to each other so they can keep together. Fiddle players need enough room for bowing.
Often standing or sitting in a semicircle enables everyone to hear each other better and pick up
visual cues.
Sound System. The caller probably will want a sound system for voice protection, though a
fairly good sized dance can be called acoustically with a megaphone. In a small hall, the band
may not need a sound system. Use the best sound system you can afford. There is lots of
variation between sound system components, especially mikes and speakers. If you are
assembling your own system, take time to try out different components, if they are available to
you. Plan for a system with monitor speakers. Monitors help the band hear itself and stay
together.
Get to the dance in plenty of time to do a sound check. Take time to get the monitor mix right
first. Usually the caller is left out of the monitor so the band can focus on its sound. Have
someone check the band balance in the hall, and the balance between the band and the caller.
Some callers like to shout into the mike. This can overload the system and cause distortion of
the whole sound. Pay particular attention to the mike preamp input level controls, if your mixer
has them, to be sure no one (and especially the caller) is overdriving the mike preamp stage.
Also check as the dance progresses to see that the overall level has not been increased to the red
line on the meter or LED's. Most systems have plenty of power and gain to fill the hall without
overloading and distorting, but one must be sure no stage of the system is being overloaded. For
callers who simply cannot resist shouting and always want more volume, judicious use of a
compressor/limiter can work wonders in cleaning up the sound. The compressor/limiter also can
considerably improve the sound and punch of an acoustic bass.