As I have nearly finished two months of decorating,I thought I would rejoice the moment by starting a new topic.
This was going to be "Another time another place" and I was going to launch into how nice it would be to play my concertina for Ballroom dancing to follow in both of my Grandfathers footsteps who both played music for ballroom dancing,but not on concertina.
A strange thing has happened on TV however a programme that invites celebraties to join a dancer and then perform in a strict dancing contest has taken off in a big way and suddenly ballroom dancing is starting to catch on.I just wonder in a few years if I may get my chance after all.
Al

If not, you are welcome to come round and try the decorating which I should have been doing for the last few years!

- John

First, congratulations on finishing the decorating.


So, what songs are played for ballroom dancing? What would you do on concertina, play along with those songs, or do something more typical of the 'tina?

Well Wendy the Ballroom dance tunes are endless but three tunes I love playing on the concertina are
I can`t give you anything but love baby (Quickstep)
Love is the sweetest thing. (Foxtrot)
Blue moon (Foxtrot)
Lovely to play and lovely to dance to.
My love of ballroom dancing started in a mixed way,I originally started to go to Ballroom dancing lessons to learn the Tango,but this formed part of the silver medal for dancing and I had to learn the bronze bit first ,which consisted of Waltz,Quickstep and Foxtrot.I moved out of the area a week after I passed my bronze and never did learn the Tango.I must admit being young at the time I cannot tell you why I was initially so keen on my dance lessons ,it was a mixture of the fact that I fancied my dance teacher, she was lovely to look at and a dream to dance with.Whatever it was it was an enjoyable experience and something which you never forget.
Al

I got to this place (Concertina.net), and to playing the concertina through ballroom dance. I know that most people here are interested in Irish music. But I wanted to play Victorian Ballroom music. The concertina (Anglo or English) is exactly that, a Victorian age musical instrument.

It frequently amazes people when they find out that the concertina isn't much older than it is. Or that it didn't originate in Italy.

No Waltzes Mr Day? Mind you, you won't find me complaining about Foxtrots, I like them, too.

Russell Hedges
"Aquarussell"

Ballroom dancing.... I started out in 7th grade (against my Mom's wishes, but now I wish I had paid more attention!). I got back into it in the 80's when "vintage" dance was the rage around here. Mostly turn-of-the-century stuff. Lots of "animal dances" such as the foxtrot - which was invented around then so technically that dance wasn't Victorian, but originated (at least the dance did, though tunes in that tempo were around) after the Victorian time period.

The foxtrot is pretty sedate compared to a lot of the others: turkey trot, buzzard lope, bunny hug, grizzly bear (one of my favorites!), lindy hop....

I forgot to mention "A Nightingale sang in Berkely Square"(Foxtrot) probably my all time favourite.
I cannot say Russel that any Waltz tunes stick in my memory it was very much Daisy Daisy,Save the Last Dance for me etc but not anything I would recommend for you all to play.
How about the young Frank Sinatra very early songs a fantastic Dance band singer.
All lovely music.
Al

Russell, I note your interest in Victorian ballroom music. This interests me too.
Schottishes, polkas, quadrilles, varsoviennes?
Ezra Read? Felix Burns? Theo Bonheur?
I would be interested to hear if you, or any one else, has any information on the above composers.
Regards
Malcolm

Ignoring the total difference between Victorian Ballroom dancing and Modern Ballroom dancing.
My grandmother was and my mother still is a ballroom dancing teacher so I was forced to to ballroom (gold) and latin (gold bar). I never did any since, but by chance I ended up playing in a "proper" dance band (on accordion, not concertina) so knew all about the dances and tempos required.
Although the band were all dot-readers, they usually busked from books just with song titles in - a page of waltz titles, page of foxtrot titles etc.
Ballroom, Old-tyme and Sequence were a big thing in Yorkshire in the 70s as there were so many Working Mens Clubs with musicians (around 250 just around Doncaster), so on nights-off, I used to go and listen to organists playing for Old-Tyme and pinch their tunes.
Dancing has not died out in the pit-villages BUT the problem is, they will only dance to their tunes. One village will happily Veleta to Merry Widow, but the next village will not get up, so you need local knowledge. You also need a huge repertoire as you will play 3 veletas they don't like and you are just about to stop, and someone decides to get up - very fickle!!
Usage seened to be three tunes then stop. If people stopped on the floor, play another three tunes.

I suppose Duet concertinas or exteneded English concertinas would be fine for playing for modern ballroom dancing - don't know about Anglo?

I think that the Anglo is fine for trumpet parts,the triple toughing is a little bit more difficult.
Al

You know, just last week or so I picked up a great songbook at a rare/used bookstore out in West Brookfield, Massachusetts, because it was all melody and chords with chord substitutions, and really GOOD chords -- edited/written by a pro. I think it had one of the tunes you mention -- I'll have to take another look. If I can find any web info re my 'find,' I'll give a link....

Since I like to sing along, I've decided to concentrate on chords on the concertina (rather than melody as much). I'm trying to memorize little two- and three- move progressions.

So, gee, maybe I'll get a little repertoire of ballroom dancing tunes included! That would be fun.

Okay, here's the book I got --

Dick Hyman's Professional Chord Changes and Substitutions for 100 Tunes Every Musician Should Know. Ekay Music, 1986. ISBN: 0943748143.

And here's a link to a site selling it (though, I paid about $5.00 for my used copy!):
http://www.goodmusic.co.uk/pages/product/p...cookie%5Ftest=1

Here's a list of the contents, copied/pasted from the site above:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ain't She Sweet

Alone Together

Am I Blue

Angel Eyes

Anything Goes

April In Paris

April Showers

As Time Goes By

Autumn In New York

Avalon

Begin The Beguine

The Birth Of The Blues

Blues In The Night

Body And Soul

But Not For Me

Can't We Be Friends?

Can't We Talk It Over

Caravan

Charleston

Crazy Rhythm

Dancing In The Dark

Day By Day

Days Of Wine And Roses

Do It Again

Dream

Embraceable You

Fascinating Rhythm

Fine And Dandy

Fools Rush In

Get Happy

Halleujah!

How Long Has This Been Going On?

I Can't Give You Anything But Love

I Cover The Waterfront

I Get A Kick Out Of You

I Got Rhythm

I Know That You Know

I May Be Wrong

I Only Have Eyes For You

I Thought About You

If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)

I Want To Be Happy

I'll See You Again

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

Indian Summer

It's Only A Paper Moon

I've Got A Crush On You

I've Got The World On A String

The Japanese Sandman

Jeepers Creepers

Just One Of Those Things

Limehouse Blues

Liza

Love For Sale

Lover, Come Back To Me

Lullaby Of Birdland

Lulu's Back In Town

Mack The Knife

The Man I Love

Misty

Nighy and Day

Oh Lady Be Good

Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone

Poor Butterfly

Round Midnight

S Wonderful

Satin Doll

Secret Love

September In The Rain

Skylark

Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise

Somebody Loves Me

Someone To Watch Over Me

Something To Remember You By

Sometimes I'm Happy

Soon

Strike Up The Band

The Summer Knows (Theme From Summer of '42)

Sweet Georgia Brown

Tea For Two

This Love of Mine

Thou Swell

Three Little Words

Time After Time

A Time For Love

Too Marvelous For Words

The Very Thought Of You

What Is This Thing Called Love?

What's New?

When Your Lover Has Gone

With A Song In My Heart

You And The Night And The Music

You Are Too Beautiful

You Do Something To Me

You Go To My Head

You Make Me Feel So Young

You Took Advantage Of Me

You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me

You're The Top

Yours Is My Heart Alone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are any of these titles familiar to you, Alan? Or, to any of you?
Just wondering...

edited to spell Alan's name correctly!!! Sorry....

Wendy I know nearly all of them and have played nearly all of them but not on my concertina.
The lovely ones I would choose
I only have eyes for you
The very thought of you
Time after time
Sweet Georgia Brown
Satin Doll
Misty
Mack the Knife.
You will recognise them as soon as you start.

Tell you what Wendy put the concertina down and would have the next dance with me?
Al

John as far as your decorating is concerned send me your paintbrush and I will pull the bristles out one by one.
Al

Sure!! The world needs more comedy...and the sight of me doing ballroom dancing would definitely be just that!

But, I'd probably try it, anyway, for the fun!

"Russell, I note your interest in Victorian ballroom music. This interests me too.
Schottishes, polkas, quadrilles, varsoviennes?
Ezra Read? Felix Burns? Theo Bonheur?
I would be interested to hear if you, or any one else, has any information on the above composers.
Regards
Malcolm"

Alas, I am a newcommer and ignorant. I can research locally though, and with your list of names as a starting point I have a head start.

I have the book "The Concertina and How To Play It" by Paul de Ville, "Including 250 Patriotic and Sacred Songs"! It has the Lancers Quadrilles, all five! The Boston Hop Waltz, which is a Polka. Three Schottisches, too. But, oddly I think, no Mazurka or Mazur, and no Redowa.

And no credits, not even for the Blue Danube Waltz.

It is written for the Anglo, and some of the music is out of my Jackie's range. I guess I could find a program to fix that. . .

There is a dance that is danced the same, Victorian to Modern age. The Viennese Waltz, the basic for which has remained unchanged for about a hundred-twenty years now. Or so they tell me, it was mostly before my time.

Russell Hedges
"Aquarussell"

Sorry - I need it to brush the dust out from my bellow folds

- John

Wendy,

Dick Hyman is an extraordiary and nearly legendary jazz piano player who is still alive and playing regularly. What a wonderful book you have there. I have had the pleasure of seeing Dick play at "Jazz Holidays" here in Florida with pick up band that included the likes of Ruby Braff, Dan Barrett, the Pizzorelli's (father and son).

Yes, I'm glad I did decide to buy it. When I first picked it up and looked it over, I wasn't convinced that I'd manage to really do anything with it, thought maybe I shouldn't buy it.....

But, I could see that he was no ordinary chordsmith, and so I figured it was worth it!

Now I'm working on one of the songs, 'Get Happy' (though I am not and shall never be much of a jazz player), and I'm convinced I made the right choice.