Hi

I have been doing "ballroom" dancing since the end of last year. Of course I've been doing it all my life as well as my father. We just called it dance music and were playing the standards.

But now there seems to be some differences between dancing American standards and ballroom music.

It now appears to me there is some confusing info out there in regards to what is the right beat and speed to play to some rather vague terms. One term I googled and asked some people in music around here and there were many different answers.

In short I need to know what to play for West Coast Swing and East Coast Swing mostly.

The first request I got for a West Coast Swing, I could tell they knew they were talking to a "musician" and not someone that's taken ballroom dancing. So they said Mustang Sally is done to that. Well I did that and they all went absolutely ape. BUT, what the heck does Mustang Sally got to do with Swing music????

I also went to youtube and checked out west coast swing. They were doing a dance to something that would be under the Dance catagory of styles on a Yamaha. I was a very modern beat. Again, no swing. Looked it up on the wifi whatever the encyclopedia is and there it is talking it came from swing music in the big band days.

So, I am now assuming that west coast swing is more to do with a dance step done at a certain speed, (which I see is between 112- 128), rather than it being swing music. It appears any beat or song will work.

So what do you think.
What can I safely play as west coast swing or east coast swing.

I have no info on east coast swing other than that's what they want. Then I look up online and there is a triple 136-152, doulbe 152-176 and single 176-192.

The above are my biggest question. I am wanting to have something ready for this for Tuseday nite, which means I have to have it ready Monday night.

Then there is the Quick Step. I have a sense what this is and what I could play to it. It shows the speeds to be 188-208. I figure I can take any fast swing, fox, dixie and the like song and go with that.

Does the quick step always stay as a 2-beat or is it ever done as a 4 beat?

My partner that sings and plays trumpet that has been doing ballroom dances at least weekly for at least a dozen years says to me, "what's a quick step"?

Now for foxtrots. Again, assuming people know what they are talking about and not summing all kinds of things together, fox trots were always 2 beat songs, like Guy Lombardo, Lawrence Welk. Usually played medium slow to medium fast. I'm assuming that's what this is, but , the same thing, in ballroom dancing, do they expect it to be a 2 beat, or will 4 beat work.

thanx.

Scott

Here's a site that lists all styles and tempos. Your keyboard surely contains ballroom styles, so it should just be a case of picking out some tunes/songs to suit. Hope this helps.
http://www.dancemetonight.com/dc_tempos1.htm

thanx, that is a site that I currently use. Here's another good reference site:


http://www.bobjanuary.com/ballroom.htm


I wish it was as easy as just playing all the styles in the Ballroom section of my Tryos 2. That covers a lot of it. Those I'm pretty good on.

I'm all set for the usual Boleros, Cha Cha's , Mambo's, Meringue's, Polka's, Rhumba's, Samba's, Tango's, Waltz's and Viennese Waltzs. That pretty much covers everything except, my main question:

What songs can be used for the east coast and west coast swing, what type of styles, swing apparently doesn't mean it's going to be a swing beat. That would almost be too easy now wouldn't it

That and the couple questions I had on Quickstep and Foxtrot, which should be no trouble as it is, but I'd like to hear anything that I am not aware of.

Thanx



[This message has been edited by Scott Langholff (edited 10-05-2009).]

Here's some info I've gotten together on West Coast Swing. Some from here and from other sources:

West Coast Swing 112 - 128

a slow "Sweet Home Chicago"......

Night Train, St. Louis Blues, Streeper, The Blues in the night, A closer Walk with the....
Some of my friends do also Kansas City, Big Spender,

Give Me One Reason

Addicted To Love 113

Mustang Sally 114

In The Midnight Hour 115

Chain Of Fools 117

Watermelon Man


Correct styles and speeds would be helpful. Sometimes it seems tunes are mentioned that when they were popular years ago, they were a different speed, not to mention a different beat in some cases.

So what does west coast swing have to do with SWING music. Talk about let's see if we can confuse the musicians, lol

Is this a pretty accurate list for East Coast? Sometimes I think the instructors don't even know for sure
http://otter.covblogs.com/archives/007252.html

Taking a crash course with google. Seems to be some vague info out there. But some ideas are shaping up as to the meaning of some of this. See what you think so far.

If I had no other info at this time, I'd play the following:

East Coast Swing
InTheMood
KansasCity
ShakeRattle&Roll
TeddyBear
Wipeout
WoodchoppersBall

Seems to be basically fast swing and 50's music.

West coast swing still seems a little hard to define. It was interesting to see one DJ who listed a lot of experience with this for older and younger crowds as follows: no specific tpe of music, but a mix of anything and everything, but mostly R&B/pop songs.

Here is what I think will fit the catagory of West Coast Swing:

West Coast Swing
BeBopALula
Mustang Sally
LovePotion#9
WatermelonMan

So, what do you think of this, so far? All input very welcome. Unless, it confuses me more

[This message has been edited by Scott Langholff (edited 10-05-2009).]

Hi Scott:

Song selections are fine, just a piece of advise, all I have been doing for the last 5 years in the Arizona area, 98% Ballroom Dances, key word "SENIORS", I mention this because of the tempos, those web sites have ranges of those, again, keep in mind that is most likely that you play for Seniors, so, keep it a notch slower, I am aware that each area is different, even here, when I play in the certain areas, people like the more Upbeat, other areas, prefer slower tempos, this is a "happy" average, Examples:

Polkas Between 108-112
Rhumbas 105-112
Tangos 114-120
West Coast Sw 113-117
Fast Foxtrots 145-170
Swings 150-175
Slow Waltzes 98-105
Viennesse Wltz 158-164
Chacha 120-129
Samba 102-116
Slow Fox 92-110
Medium Fox 118-140

HOpe it helps.

P.S. Other examples of West Coast Swing are:
Isn't She Lovely (Steve Wonder)
Louis Prima Basin Street Blues
Just a Gigolo (Slow it to 114)
Why Haven't I Heard From You by Reba McEntire
one of my favorites....!!

------------------
mdorantes

Sorry, Scott, I wish I could help you out more. But I can't get my head around any of those titles as 'swing' numbers.

I guess with arrangers we can re-jig any song with any style and, for ourselves, we could get used to it. But hitting an audience with, for example, Mustang Sally as a foxtrot for the first time I think might jar a few ears.

That said, I used to do the Beatles "Can't Buy Me Love" as a quickstep, and that used to work out well. Remember that Paul Anka CD from a year or two ago where they took a bunch of rock standards and 'swung 'em up'? I guess that worked as well, though it never sat well on my ears.

Good luck.




[This message has been edited by 124 (edited 10-05-2009).]

I for one like to hear a song played in the genre it was written, unless it is like something from the Great American songbook which can be played as a bossa, etc.

I really can't stand it when I see people dancing on "Dancing With the Stars" and they are doing a cha-cha-cha to something like 'Hound Dog' ?!?!? .....

BTW, where is the "King of Ballroom", Dnj on this ???
t.

Hi mdorantes


Thanx for the input. I guess everyone has different ideas as to the tempos.

Thanx for the input 124. It seems the term swing here has more to do with a dance step rather than type of music, especially with the west coast swing.

As far as east coast it seems it refers largely to swing and 50's music. In the Mood would be one.

I don't think Mustang Sally would ever make it as a foxtrot

I'll have to admit that Beatles tune as a Quick Step is hard to imagine. I may have to try it to see what it sounds like sometime