Accordion in contra dance band Main Ballroom Acoustic and group training sessions Friday, March 09, 2019, 4:30 PM

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1 Aordion in ontra dane band Main Ballroom Aousti and group training sessions Friday, Marh 09, 2019, 4:30 PM Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni College Station, TX wwwmusiforaordionom/evelyn and Workshops desription: Contra dane is a popular soial ativity in Texas, having its roots in New England The musi onsists of reels and igs, usually from the traditional Irish, Sottish, New England, and Frenh-Canadian repertories, but with opportunities for new sounds, as well This workshop will be a hands-on exploration of these topis: musiianship (tempo, beat, rhythm, and phrasing), instrumentation (aordion and friends), seleting tunes for ontra dane medleys, mathing tunes to dane steps, following the aller, and omposing desants and harmony lines for a flexible instrumentation Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni plays aordion with the Central Texas ontra dane band Jalapeño Honey, and arranges and omposes the band's repertory of more than 30 tunes Speifiations: Intermediate to advaned players who are omfortable with sight-reading reels and igs Partiipants need their instrument and a musi stand Sheet musi will be posted beforehand and distributed on-site emonstration, then partiipants repeat the demo Presenter: Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni has played aordion sine 200 with the Central Texas ontra dane band Jalapeño Honey, and arranges and omposes the band's repertory of more than 30 tunes She studied onert aordion and musi theory with her father, Robert S Tiffany, Jr, who was a student of Frank aviani, Sr, and teaher in his shool She also studied lassial pedal harp with ayel Panke ibson and Laurie Buhanan, and mandolin with Marilynn Mair Her ompositions for mandolin ensemble have been performed by the Austin Mandolin Orhestra, and the New York Mandolin Orhestra Her aordion transriptions and arrangements are published by wwwmusiforaordionom Her 3 large olletions of trios for mandolin and most C instruments are available from azonom Evelyn reeived a BS degree in Biology from the University of Texas-El Paso and a Ph in Human enetis and Cell Biology from the University of Texas Medial Branh- alveston Outline of workshop: I esription of ontra dane: Contra dane is a type of traditional dane with a aller to teah the steps and ue the daners It s origins in New England were likely Sottish ountry daning and English ountry daning The daners dane in two long lines faing eah other, suh as men in one line and women in the other faing their partner (proper formation, rarely used; usually the lines are alternating men and women) However, steps are simply walking steps, rather than ig steps, et The interest is in the pattern of interweaving daners as partners progress up or down the set It is a soial dane, rather than a ouple s dane, so

2 eah ouple will dane with every other ouple in the ourse of the entire dane by progressing either up the hall or down the hall II The Caller The aller prepares a dane program and teahes the steps to the daners He or she may show the danes to band ahead or time to hoose musi Contra danes are usually about 3 hours long and onsists of -11 danes The aller works with the band in some ases if partiular musi is needed, suh as for the speialty dane Wizards Walk III The band Jalapeño Honey onsists of lead aordion, flute, C larinet, and guitar The band should provide live musi that makes the daners want to dane Band provides 4 potatoes (beats) to set tempo when aller is ready to start dane Band needs to be responsive to any tempo hanges requested by the aller Band an sometimes get the dane bak on trak with musi if daners get off ane tempos are typially 1-11 beats (steps) per minute IV The musi Jigs (//), reels (4/4/or2/2), and waltzes form the band s repertory The igs and reels must be square, meaning they onsist of an A part and a B part, whih are related Eah part onsists of 1 beats, or steps, and is repeated twie So, a omplete dane goes A, A, B, B, and onsists of total (32 measures) The A and B parts are usually speified A1, A2, B1, B2 The musi is phrased in -beat setions, and to a lesser extent, in 4-beat setions A typial figure takes up 4, or 1 beats of musi Waltzes are used at break halfway through the dane and as a losing after the last ontra dane aners waltz free-form V Putting it all together We will examine the urrent Jalapeño Honey playlist, on whih I noted the harater of eah reel or ig medley This list has about 0 medleys Examples of one ig medley for smooth steps and one very flexible reel set that ould be used for bouny steps are inluded in this paket for us to play through VI Examples of aller s dane ard arden of Life by Ron T Blehner Improper A1: LLFB () Star L 1x ()* A2: N Alle L 1x () Ladies Alle R 1x () B1: P Star Prom** () PS*** () B2: Lady s ive and Take Neighbor () NS**** () Small Potatoes by Jim Kith Improper (new nbr) A1: Nbr BS () A2: Cir lft A2: W hain B1: W sd () B1: Ptnr sw B2: Cir lft ¾, pass through to new neighbor B2:sd new neighbor VII Making servieable sets of 3 tunes (keys, rhythm, mood) enerally, the band needs about -11 sets for a 3-hour dane and should have a large enough playlist to selet musi that mathes eah dane The tunes should sound good to your band when played as a medley Fators to onsider are key signature and rhythm One an make medleys that are all in minor keys, all, maor, or a mixture of maor and relative minor orian and Mixolydian modes (many Irish and Sottish tunes) often provide nie ontrast Consider rhythm, key, and texture and whether

3 you want to make a ontrast and hange the dane mood in the middle or keep the same mood For beginner daners it is nie to have lots of ontrast between the A and B parts of the tune so the daners an easily identify the top of the tune, and therefore the start of the dane pattern repeat Work from lower to higher energy tunes with a set Seasonal tunes: Jalapeño Honey makes speial sets for ertain danes (spooky tunes for Halloween, traditional tunes about Christmas or New Years for these days, marhes adapted as igs or reels for July 4 VIII Musi to fit Smooth, bouny, and other steps The general rule is to use bouny tunes for bouny danes and smooth tunes for smooth figure danes Common Smooth steps (Allemande, Hey, Ladies hain, irle, star) Common Bouny steps (Balane and swing, Long lines forward and bak, balane the wave, Petronella Other ypsy (minor is nie) own the hall in lines of 4 (elegant, marh like rising phrases are nie) Speialty danes with their own musi (Wizard s Walk, Levi Jakson s Rag; there is a dane alled Petronella that requires the Sottish tune Petronella as the first tune in the set) More allemande 1/2 allemande 1/2 allemande 1 1/2 allemande twie balane balane swing irle right or left irle right or left 3/4 irle right or left 1/2 do-si-do down the enter and bak forward and bak full hey from 4 to 12 beats; use a tune with aents, hords, or a high or long note at the point where a balane ours, it's nie to have a quarter note figure in a ig or a heavy aent in a reel 1 beats to walk down, turn around, and ome bak up; use smooth musi or marh-type musi, making the musi get softer as the daners dane down the set and louder as they return 1 beats; a long smooth sixteen-beat phrase or musi that suggests the hanging form of this figure

4 gypsy ladies hain pass through smooth, sinuous musi; a minor key works well aross the set: ; aross and bak: 1 beats petronella turn ; with a lap-lap on beats 3-4 promenade usually 1 beats right and left through 1 beats roll away with a half sashay star right or left swing to go around one 4 to (or longer); use a driving rhythm or tempo that math the pae of the swing wavy line balane ; igs work well Soure : More information about dane figures for individuals, ouple, and four or more daners may be found here: Contra aning and Matries AN Wikipedia: Contra dane horeography Evelyn s aordion publiations are available from azonom Evelyn's Big Book for Mandolins 201: A Colletion of Tunes for 3 Mandolins $19 Convention disount prie with oil binding inluded: $12 Evelyn's Big Book for Mandolins 201, Vol 3: Colletion No 3 of Trios for Treble Instruments $19 Convention disount prie with oil binding inluded: $12 Evelyn's Big Book for Mandolins 2017: A Colletion of Tunes for 3 Mandolins $19 Convention disount prie with oil binding inluded: $12 Aordion Sared Classis$1200 Convention disount prie: $

5 Jalapeño Honey Play list Otober, 201 Reel Sets 1 After Battle Aughrim Storm Wind that Shakes the High energy, BS: A, minor Barley 2 Whalen s Breakdown One Hundred Year Flood Over the Waterfall BS: A,B; leisurely 3 ubuque Cold Frosty Morning Whiskey Be4 Breakfast BS A,B 4 Rakes of Mallow Mississippi Sawyer 2 bar phrases Jak Point* Jester s Tale Blakbeard s Return Petronella: A,B Jaybird Kithen irl Pretty Little Cat Lively, erian, o-si-do 7 Evit abriel King of the Fairies aning Bear Smooth, high energy, Jakie Tar o and List for a Sailor Sollay s Reel (from 22) BS: A,B 9 Indian Quadrille Réel de Montreal Old Man Old Woman BS, Petronella: A, B Country Lasses alopede Woman of the House BS, Petronella: A, B 11 irl with Blue ress Reel des Boules des Neige lise a Sherbrooke BS, Petronella: A, B 12 ranny Will og Bite Waiting for the Federals June Apple osido LFB BS B 13 enis Murphy polka Maggie of the Wood John Ryan s Polka BS A,B Miss MaLeod s (in A) Old rey Cat Tipsy Parson BS: A 1 Saket s Harbor The ale Tam Lin Smooth, high energy 1 Petronella Nany Hanks reen Mt Petronella Petronella 17 Red Haired Boy Old Frenh Morpeth Rant 1 River Elves* Armadillo ane (from 22) Wood Elves* BS: A,B; gypsy A; H B 19 Belfast Polka Star Polka ark irl in Blue BS: A,B 20 Pleasures of Home Blair Atholl (from set 19) The Wind Up m BS: A 21 Spanish Ladies Waves of Tory Over Waterfall (from 2) Marh-like 22 Armadillo ane Sollay s Reel Wind Blew High Tornado dane 23 Wizard s Walk Levi Jakson s Chorus Jig / Opera Reel Speialty danes 24 Reel Eugene (from 1) Snowshoer Reel Pay de Haut BS: A 2 Rosie s Rag Reel Around the Rag Hull s Vitory Rags, speialty tunes Jig Sets 1 Abbott s Bromley or Jump at the Sun oblins at Midnight* Spooky et Lost Jig 2 Newmarried Couple Nuptial Knot Maggie Brown s Favorite BS A, H 3 Balomie House Sailor s Wife Stool of Repentane A: BW ; note-y, breathless 4 Bundle and o Come in from the Rain Indian Point Smooth, lively Fair Jenny s Lanigan s Ball Cavehill BS A,B; H; BW Canty Old Man Chasing the Storm* Belling the Cat* Minor,driving, builds energy 7 arret Barry s Wild One Lilting Banshee Minor, smooth, driving Nothing Like ood Thng Not a ood Thing raemsey Jig BS A,B or smooth 9 reensleeves Abraham Brown Avon English B: BS, BW Humours of Nairnshire olden Valley obby-o BS A,B; H; BW a Old Favorite White Pettioat Kesh Jig Smooth, relaxed, tuneful 11 Mukin o eordie s Byr Road to Lisdoonvarna otor s Cat BS A,B, Smooth, relaxed 12 Ken Hillyer Pettioat Otter ane BS A,B H, edgy B 12a Fiery Clokfae Feathers Nights of ladness BS AB; H; lively 13 Lady s Plaything Lady Elizabeth Cole One Evening As I Lost BS: A; own Hall; stately Marhioness in Time s a Tell-Tale Munster Buttermilk) A,B: BS, BW, H 1 Maple Leaf Jig Bolt the oor Blakberry Quadrille own the Hall 1 Marh of the nomes Three Trolls Lafadio Spooky; driving; B:BS 17 Bellman s Jig Bonnie undee All in the Wrong Happy, smooth, energeti 1 Roaring Jelly (from 12a) Oyster irl Moon and Seven Stars BS AB; H; lively 19 Pantheon The Tempest St Lawrene Jig BS: A,B; H; happy 20 Shepherd s Wife, The Sbrando As I Walked Rd to Sligo Balane the Wave 21 Skunk in the Alley Crabs in the Skillet Night Crawlers Spooky 22 Tim the Thather Connaught Man s Rambles Coleraine Sub Rory O More Irish 23 Up the River Muirland Willie (BW) Full Rigged Ship BS: A, high energy 24 Top of Cork Hill White Pettioat Tobin s Favorite Irish, note-y, breathless 2 igue des Sures Howlet and Weasel Jak s Alive BS AB; H; lively, happy Waltzes

6 Jig in E Minor Arr E Tiffany-Castiglioni J J J J J J J Bm 1 2 Bundle and o J Bm J J J Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni All rights reserved Traditional Irish

7 Jig in E orian Arr E Tiffany-Castiglioni E m E m B m E m E m Come in from the Rain B m Traditional Irish C 1 E m 2 E m B m 1 E m 2 E m 201 Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni All rights reserved

8 Reel in E Minor Arr E Tiffany-Castiglioni Bm J J C J C J Bm 2 J C J Indian Point J J J Bm J J 1 2 Used with permission Arrangement 2017 Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni All rights reserved Rik Mohr

9 Reel in E Minor Jak Point Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni (August 2, 2012) C Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni All rights reserved

10 Reel in A Minor m 7 The Jester's Tale E7 E7 1 2 Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni (July 13, 2012) m E7 m E Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni All rights reserved 2

11 Reel in E Minor 1 2 n Blakbeard's Return Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni (Marh 17, 2013) J Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni All rights reserved