May 10, 2006, 12:31 p.m. (Message 45216, in reply to message 45214)
Sorry, Martin, I should have been more precise. One can not use recordings of "The Montgomeries' Rant" or "The Sailor" or "Red House" (even if the alternative tunes are suitable) because the original tunes are so well known and identified with their dances. Iain Boyd Martin Sheffield <xx.xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xx> wrote: Iain Boyd wrote: > ..."We can't dance to that - the music is putting us off." > Well, obviously, if you play a waltz or a slow march, you may well get such a comment. Or if you use a recording dating from the 40s & 50s, when dancers apparently had more energy than they do today. But I fail to see how a jig, a reel, or a strathspey, with accepted tempo and standard length, can put dancers off performing a jig, a reel, or a strathspey, whatever the tune. > ... tunes (although good) that are not suitable for the dance. Could you give us an example, please? > Malcom wrote that he sometimes used "what might be an inferior > recording, just because someone bothered to make a recording for a particular dance. " > That seems an unfortunate choice. What is dancing anyway? It's just something to do while listen to nice music. Although I too devise dances and think am critical/appreciative of poorly-compiled/pleasing sequences, it is the music that is the most important, imho. There are so many good recordings, why use anything else? Martin, Grenoble, France. Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com