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Second Saturday Contra Jam Sessions
Note: There is no jam before any contra at West Hartford Town Hall, nor before the August jammer dance.
Jam admission is free for jammers who stay for (and pay to attend) the contra dance; otherwise, we appreciate contributions toward the hall rental (suggested donation: $5).
The HCD contra jam
sessions
provide a
great opportunity for new and
experienced musicians to learn, play, and enjoy the
contra dance
repertoire. We play a mixture of standard contra tunes -
mainly reels,
jigs, and waltzes. Players of all instruments are
welcome (keyboard
players should bring their own instruments). The jam is
most
appropriate for "intermediate" skill levels; we don't
play slowly, but
we're not at full dance speed either. We use an "around
the circle"
system to ensure
that everyone has a chance to pick tunes. We'll
play anything a
jammer wants to play - except "The Irish
Washerwoman" and "The Devil's Dream," which are
forbidden. We honor
the tempo of
whoever selects the tune, even if others could play
faster.
Tune Lists
Participants
can
use sheet
music or play by ear.
Our basic references are:
- Susan Songer & Clyde Curley's "The Portland Collection" Volumes 1 & 2
- Bill Matthiesen's "The Waltz Book" Volumes 1 & 2
Click here to enter the Contra Jammers' private area (userid and password required).
Jammer Dances
The
contra
jammers provide the
music for two contras each
year - the August contra in Wethersfield, and the last
contra before
Christmas in Branford. The jammers have also
stepped in to
provide music for other dances where a band has failed
to show or has
at the last moment cancelled.
Here
are some cell phone videos Peter Ohring took of the
December 2011 Jammer Dance in Branford:
- Jamie Allen
- On the Road at Dusk (a waltz by Isaac Ohring)
Rules For Ensemble
Playing
- Everyone should play the same piece
- If you play a wrong note, flash a nasty look at
one of the other players
- The right note at the wrong time is a wrong note (and vice versa)
- A wrong note played timidly is a wrong note; a wrong note played with authority is an interpretation
- A wrong note played once is a wrong note; a wrong
note
played twice is jazz
- If everyone gets lost except you, follow someone who is lost
- If you are completely lost, stop and tune
- To win the admiration of sessiun players, strive
for
the maximum NPS (note per second)
- If a passage is difficult, slow down; if it's easy, speed it up - Everything will even out in the end
- When everyone else has finished playing, skip
any extra notes you have left over