Walking The Floor Over You - speed

I've had a few requests in the last couple years for Walking The Floor Over You. Thought I'd add it to my play list. I only heard that song a couple times a few years ago. I was going on memory and set it up both as a 4 beat jazz swing at 168 and also as a country Pickin' Swing at the same spped. Thought it sounded pretty good and figured the speed was good for the seniors.

Then I go to youtube and listen to Tubbs do it at about 218. I also saw Skeeter somebody do it at about 180.

I'm wondering what would work best for both dancing and recognition for the 55+ crowd.

Thanx

Scott

The thing I'm driving at here with this question is I know 168 for sure is a danceable speed for the seniors, but the thing I don't know and am wondering is if there is a dance step that could be done not at break neck speed but rather where they are dancing half fast, haha, and if the speed of 218 would then work for them.

I like I think most musicians really don't know how to dance so short of just trying it out I don't have a clear idea on this one.

Anybody have any input on this????

Scott
This is a 2/4 song counted 1-2,1-2. The steps are half the count. So you would dance to the down beat.

Bernie

Hi Bernie

So you're saying in essence they would really be dancing at half speed 0f 109 and this should work for the dancers.

Hi Scott
The trouble is I don't know what beat you are using. I just picked a 4/4 country on my G-70 at 151 bpm. This is plenty fast for this song because-yes, they are dancing half speed. I don't want to confuse matters but this is a 4/4 with a 2 beat feel. You would dance one step for every two beats. I would use a 141 4/4 for this song, and they are stepping to half of that. I can't see how you came up with 218 bpm.

Here it is, 218 bpm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFVR7cPbbA

I guess it depends on how you feel the pulse. I got 109 bmp but I guess that would be counting in half time.

So I think Bernie's 141 bpm would be too fast (or slow)

Wow, I have 500 posts!

Depending on a 2 bt or 4 bt,218 or 109, it is fine and I have heard it at different tempo's through the years. I don't play it quite so fast at senior dances, but either doesn't make it wrong.

Regardless of your choice, the dance steps are 1/2 the 218 or whatever.

You really can't go wrong.

Bernie

Yes, I guess it would depend on you feel it. The keyboard shows 218. That to me seems right. Fast to me would be 218, 109 I think of a slow song.

Scott,

Depending upon the crowd's age, I would use the Country Two Step at a tempo of 115 to 126. If they're great dancers and relatively active, the 126 tempo works perfect. If they're a bit unsteady at that tempo, something in the range of 115 to 120 seems to be a bit better.

The other style that seems to work very well with it is the Country Sing-Along. Use the third intro, "C" variation and first ending--same tempos.

For the more active crowd, the "C" Variation seems best, while for a bit more romantic feel, the "A" variation will do the trick. For these particular styles I play my own intro, or just use the #1 intro on the keyboard and go right into the vocals.

Hope this helps,

Gary

Scott,

I had a few minutes this morning to do a quick recording of the two styles and how it would sound. Nothing special, just me, the keyboard and the recorder. No mic--no effects. I'm sure I'll read some wild comments about wrong key, chords, or something, but I've been there before.

Walkin' The Floor Over You

Gary

ET did it slower on the original recording than he did it live.
It was somewhat faster than Gary's version. I would pick a speed at which I'm comfortable playing it or singing it.
DonM

I agree it's a 2/4 beat. You can do a 2-step to it, but most dancers would be a bit too busy. I don't consider this a good dance song. Plenty of much better country dance songs. And it's not a crooner song, it's die-hard country. If you can't sound like Ernest Tubb, skip it!

I always thought Ernest Tubbs was a sincere place to take a bath.

I put this together last year on the T2. See if it will give you any ideas:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/67bDf6iH/Walking_The_Floor_Over_You.html

Dick

Gary's was fine although perhaps a bit too slow.
Dick's was a perfect tempo, and it's how I remember it.
Either way, I agree with Bill, it's not the greatest song to dance to...at any age.

Here is another version:

Scott-

I think Gary's were both right in the wheel-house for this tune. I could see my crowd dancing to either. The first version Gary did I can see the dancers doing that kind of lazy stroll around the dance floor thing. The second would be more of an actual dance.

I thought Dick's sounded a tad fast..

The styles Gary used were spot on, but I think the Country Shuffle style could be used at a slightly faster tempo for a more hardcore Country crowd who like to line dance...

Or, combine one of Gary's and then the Shuffle to give the tune some lift and a bit of an edge...

Its one of those tunes, its pretty elastic, you could play it as a rhumba and get away with it.

Cheers,

Well, haha, you got a point! But, believe me, I love die-hard country. Yet, last Saturday, at the local dive, I played on the jukebox...

Rolling Stones
Dwight Yoakam
Moody Blues
Hank Williams
Creedence
B B King
George Strait
James Brown
The Raspberrys
George Jones

How 'bout them apples?

Thanks all for the input. The guy that had requested this song is around 80. Upon listening to the Tubbs recording I wondered how they would dance to this. I thought that there may be one of those 1/2 speed trots they might do.

The seniors I'm playing for are quite active and like a lot of fast songs. They always want more fast songs than slow. I have slowed things down a bit from my concert days on a lot of material, but I do play up to 178 and they dance to it. Some who do the Quickstep want me to play around 200 but they are in the minority.

You guys have indicated that almost any speed could work here. I may test some different speeds out, but I'm thinking I will play it at 168, the speed I use pretty much for almost all east coast swing, (I don't consider this song a ECS) which fills the floor. The people I play for are in dance clubs, not retirement homes so they're in pretty good shape.

I'm about to add Jump, Jive and Wail. The recordings are at 200. I'm thinking I'll give 180 a try.

P.S. Having great fun working out stuff on my new T4