Memories of leading the band for the first time....
Memories of leading the band for the first time....
Following on from Miog's thread, what do you recall about your first gig when leading the band for a dance?
I'm still cringing with the pain and embarrasment from the memory of my first effort, Lord, if only I had known how little I knew. Fortunately I had a very kindly and encouraging caller who got me (and the rest of the band) through it and we're still friends amazingly.
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
I remember that I was uncomfortable because I am more used to accompanying the other musicians because I am the piano player. I remember desperately trying to think of tunes that I could lead which the other musicians might halfway know and could play with me. Then, just to make the situation worse, a dancer showed up who wanted to show what she could do. We survived and we muddled through somehow.
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
llig, I would have thought better of you, for my money there is a difference.
Caller decides what dance and what sort of tune to with it - you ever play a jig or reel with the wrong sort of pace for it? You watch 'em dancing and you're thinking 'This isn't working, I sure got that one wrong' and the rest of band are looking at the back of your head and you know it. Or how about you've decided on a set of tunes and when it comes to the change you just can't remember how it goes or how to get into it? Mental blanks, wrong tune etc.
Anyhow that's how you learn, no? Or were you able to start off note perfect?
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
I've always avoided leading a band, except for the most informal of events, with no commercial obligation. However I do call, which is an entirely different matter.
If you are leading, the great idea is that you can vary things as you go along - get the rhythm right, by adjusting during the dance if possible, change a tune to buck up the atmosphere, feed off the dancers' enthusiasm and excitement. meanwhile the caller should have a range of signals/gestures/words for the basic controls; speed up/down, once more through, stop it NOW!.....
Oh, and llig started off note perfect and has never put a foot wrong since - NOT.
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
In a former life, I played for old time & modern & sequence dances and we were pressed into doing a barn dance for a youth club for free.
We got a dance book and I swotted up and I called and played box. That was hard work.
Anyway, it was the youth clubs centenary and they had invited all the methodist youth clubs from the county. First the various youth clubs started booking us, then the kids eventually booked us to play for their weddings and things snowballed.
Thirty years later, we do no sequence dances, very few old time & modern and it is all ceilidh - every weekend.
I have never forgotten the excitement in getting a room-full, all dancing at the right speed and all obviously enjoying themselves (as well as the compliment of re-booking) - that is probably while I am still playing for dancing.
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
It certainly is hard work to call and play at the same time, I have the privelege of working with just such an individual from time to time and it is a pleasure to watch and my hat is certainly off to you. I find it difficult enough to shout 'change' whilst playing never mind keeping the dancers going.
I hope I know my own limitations now and am very backward in coming forward, like GP, these days. But it is a great buzz to have the room obviously having a good time, have the dancers come and compliment afterwards and best of all to ask for a re-book! I would say the feeling when you get it right is addictive whether you're leading the music or as part of the band.
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
John Knoss, having been there and done that more times than I can remember after being a musician (using the term very loosely) for approximately forty years, I completely agree with your last sentence:
"I would say the feeling when you get it right is addictive whether you're leading the music or as part of the band"
Memories of leading the band for the first time....
Memories of leading the band for the first time....
Following on from Miog's thread, what do you recall about your first gig when leading the band for a dance?
I'm still cringing with the pain and embarrasment from the memory of my first effort, Lord, if only I had known how little I knew. Fortunately I had a very kindly and encouraging caller who got me (and the rest of the band) through it and we're still friends amazingly.
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by john knoss
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
If you had a caller, you weren't really leading were you.
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
I remember that I was uncomfortable because I am more used to accompanying the other musicians because I am the piano player. I remember desperately trying to think of tunes that I could lead which the other musicians might halfway know and could play with me. Then, just to make the situation worse, a dancer showed up who wanted to show what she could do. We survived and we muddled through somehow.
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by fauxcelt
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
llig, I would have thought better of you, for my money there is a difference.
Caller decides what dance and what sort of tune to with it - you ever play a jig or reel with the wrong sort of pace for it? You watch 'em dancing and you're thinking 'This isn't working, I sure got that one wrong' and the rest of band are looking at the back of your head and you know it. Or how about you've decided on a set of tunes and when it comes to the change you just can't remember how it goes or how to get into it? Mental blanks, wrong tune etc.
Anyhow that's how you learn, no? Or were you able to start off note perfect?
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by john knoss
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
I've always avoided leading a band, except for the most informal of events, with no commercial obligation. However I do call, which is an entirely different matter.
If you are leading, the great idea is that you can vary things as you go along - get the rhythm right, by adjusting during the dance if possible, change a tune to buck up the atmosphere, feed off the dancers' enthusiasm and excitement. meanwhile the caller should have a range of signals/gestures/words for the basic controls; speed up/down, once more through, stop it NOW!.....
Oh, and llig started off note perfect and has never put a foot wrong since - NOT.
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
Now, now, GP, I'm sure llig is only human; well I hope so, or is there something we should know?
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by john knoss
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
In a former life, I played for old time & modern & sequence dances and we were pressed into doing a barn dance for a youth club for free.
We got a dance book and I swotted up and I called and played box. That was hard work.
Anyway, it was the youth clubs centenary and they had invited all the methodist youth clubs from the county. First the various youth clubs started booking us, then the kids eventually booked us to play for their weddings and things snowballed.
Thirty years later, we do no sequence dances, very few old time & modern and it is all ceilidh - every weekend.
I have never forgotten the excitement in getting a room-full, all dancing at the right speed and all obviously enjoying themselves (as well as the compliment of re-booking) - that is probably while I am still playing for dancing.
# Posted on July 4th 2008 by geoffwright
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
It certainly is hard work to call and play at the same time, I have the privelege of working with just such an individual from time to time and it is a pleasure to watch and my hat is certainly off to you. I find it difficult enough to shout 'change' whilst playing never mind keeping the dancers going.
I hope I know my own limitations now and am very backward in coming forward, like GP, these days. But it is a great buzz to have the room obviously having a good time, have the dancers come and compliment afterwards and best of all to ask for a re-book! I would say the feeling when you get it right is addictive whether you're leading the music or as part of the band.
# Posted on July 4th 2008 by john knoss
Re: Memories of leading the band for the first time....
John Knoss, having been there and done that more times than I can remember after being a musician (using the term very loosely) for approximately forty years, I completely agree with your last sentence:
"I would say the feeling when you get it right is addictive whether you're leading the music or as part of the band"
I couldn't have said it better myself.
# Posted on July 6th 2008 by fauxcelt