Rhythm & The Key

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 19 Jun 2009 10:53 pm

Funny story from my gig yesterday night:

Played a Boogie Woogie dance gig last night (four piece band - piano, drums, guitar and me on bass) with mostly mid-aged people coming to dance and have a good time. We played some slow ones, but also a lot of boogie and jive. We also did a short (intended to be) comedy intermission called the "All Wrong Boogie" - one or two verses of a regular boogie pattern, with all of us playing in different keys (Lead Guitar in E, Piano in B and bass in G). We started and to our surprise, the dance floor filled up immediately!

After stopping we asked the crowd if they noticed something special about this one and one lady replied "Yeah, it was too short." $:\$

Don't worry too much about rehearsing details of arrangements, breaks, endings etc....Most of the audience won't notice that you're in different keys... $:\$

Kind Regards, Walter

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 20 Jun 2009 9:18 am

I think Dancers only listen to the beat. Good music is a waste on them. I believe the onset of line dancing in the 80's was a major negative to the future of traditional country music.

Go ahead and flame me, but I've noticed the audiences change to where they were not satisfied in hearing good music and singing, to where they wanted "play something we can dance to". There's nothing wrong with dancing, but this has evolved to a band being nothing more than a human jukebox........ and this has evolved to the clubs just using a DJ instead of a band. This is not true everywhere, but I do see more of it.

I can't confirm it, but I heard that George Jones told some people to sit down when they got up to dance at one of his shows.

Again, I'n not against dancing, but they need to leave room for the some good old ballads and not let everything be an upbeat fast dance tune.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 20 Jun 2009 9:55 am

Rick you're right,real music is wasted on line dancers,If you play Boot Scooting,or even worse ACHEY BREAKY all night long,they are happy. I love to play ACHEY BREAKY,gives me a chance to take a short nap,just rock back and forth between A and E don't even have to think about it. DYKBC.