Probably been asked before. All ye Olde timer types, how long do you play a tune? Not set! Just a tune. AABB, or ABAB.
When I record, I watch the counter and stop as close to 4 minutes as reasonable. But I noticed at a jam, with no dancers, we went for. . . . .I dunno? All different times.
? ?
Exactly.. Context.. At a Contra dance you may have to play the tune for 5 minutes or more.. At a Festival jam you may have to go for OVER ten minutes...I've seen 15 minutes...When busking I stop playing as soon as the passersby are gone and I get a break.. At our Tuesday jam we may play a tune for 3 minutes... Accounts may vary... I'm guessing that the average respondent here on the Hangout will say that 4 minutes is long enough.........We shall see Cheers.. PS.. GREAT TOPIC...
Edited by - TuneWeaver on 04/25/2025 14:53:49
Context is everything!!
Performance set - maybe three or four time MAX!! You lose most audiences after three times.
Square/Contra dance - 15-20 minutes or until the dancer fall over from exhaustion
Open jams - 5-10 minutes depending on the group. Many jams with experienced players may only go 4-5 minutes. Inexperienced players tend to go longer in my experience.
By myself - for a recording for practice - 2-3 times is all that is needed to assess trouble spots.
quote:
Originally posted by FiddlerContext is everything!!
Performance set - maybe three or four time MAX!! You lose most audiences after three times.
Square/Contra dance - 15-20 minutes or until the dancer fall over from exhaustion
Open jams - 5-10 minutes depending on the group. Many jams with experienced players may only go 4-5 minutes. Inexperienced players tend to go longer in my experience.
By myself - for a recording for practice - 2-3 times is all that is needed to assess trouble spots.
You may have forgotten that when one is Learning a tune....100 times through is still not enough..
quote:
Originally posted by TuneWeaverquote:
Originally posted by FiddlerContext is everything!!
Performance set - maybe three or four time MAX!! You lose most audiences after three times.
Square/Contra dance - 15-20 minutes or until the dancer fall over from exhaustion
Open jams - 5-10 minutes depending on the group. Many jams with experienced players may only go 4-5 minutes. Inexperienced players tend to go longer in my experience.
By myself - for a recording for practice - 2-3 times is all that is needed to assess trouble spots.You may have forgotten that when one is Learning a tune....100 times through is still not enough..
YUP!!! I usually needed at least 117 times through to get a tune down.
As a listener, usually 3 minutes for a tune is plenty, unless its exceptionally interesting or well played. Same for a live concert audience. Songs can be a little longer.
Jams are different, where you're playing mainly for your own enjoyment, and can go longer, especially if you enjoy a kind of "trance" state.
Dances, you're at the mercy of the caller and fate.
One of the most enthusiastic entertainers of people I've ever known was the late Carl Martin. One year at the National Folk Festival I saw him on a little grassy area, by himself, playing "The Green, Green, Grass of Home" to a little group of people. I went on and did some other things, and when I came back by 15 or so minutes later, he was still playing - the same song, but to a different group of people. He was an inspiration.
If you're genuine old Georgia-born stock, you issue from the womb playing Leather Britches if you're male, and Cluck Ol' Hen if you're female. The doctors have what they call an "audio-sound" to tell the sex prior to birth. Baby plays the tune until you teach it something else. Could be a long time if you're lazy.
They have some all-fired gender reveal parties.
If you don't believe me, ask the devil. He went down there to a contest. Knowing him, he'll probably lie.
Edited by - Flat_the_3rd_n7th on 04/25/2025 15:52:36
quote:
Originally posted by Flat_the_3rd_n7thIf you're genuine old Georgia-born stock, you issue from the womb playing Leather Britches if you're male, and Cluck Ol' Hen if you're female. The doctors have what they call an "audio-sound" to tell the sex prior to birth. Baby plays the tune until you teach it something else. Could be a long time if you're lazy.
They have some all-fired gender reveal parties.
If you don't believe me, ask the devil. He went down there to a contest. Knowing him, he'll probably lie.
You remind me of the 'estrogen jam' held annually at Clifftop.. While I've never attended, many a man has donned a dress in order to get into those jams... 50 or more musicians... I may take a dress and do it this year..!
Our bands usual rule is 4 times round - once mando+fiddle, mando, fiddle and last time together in harmony, most times. Less times round if its a 3 parter. We don't perform 'sets', each tune is its own. Songs are different, we try to keep them under 4 min.
The longest I've played one tune was once, a long time ago, playing a huge square dance w/Jay and Molly and the caller wanted Turkey in the Straw and only Turkey in the Straw, for like 40 minutes. Jay said 'Your gonna learn every variation there is!'.
At FIddle Hell, occasionally the Old Time jam can run 10 minutes or longer on 1 tune, if its a good tune and theres a lot of players. In '20 they did 'Yellow Rose of Texas' what felt like forever!
At home, I might play a tune for 4 - 10 minutes if I'm really finding the nooks and crannies in it. Gigs, we tend to pass it around and then finish, bluegrass style. Dances, who knows? I regularly played for a caller who might start with a dance that lasts 20 minutes. Brutal if you're not warmed up. Contest, depends on the set up. At Clifftop you just play the one tune. In that case I'll play as many solid variations as I can and then get out. At the traditional, timed, 3 tune contest I'll play less of the waltz to have extra time for the other tune variations.
