We feature a Saturday night dance as part of the weekend program with a surprise caller calling to the Fiddle Retreat OPEN Band.  The Open Band will give new and seasoned musicians a chance to work together to provide music for dancing… in a fun, non-threatening atmosphere.  There will be room for about 6-8 musicians to have microphones, but others can join in when needed to create a magnificent "wall of sound" to enliven the dancing.    Our caller's lively, energetic calling and clear instructions are great for getting started on the dance floor too.

Participating in the Open Band:

We encourage students to participate in the open band.  Sign up for a section of the dance (so that we know we have enough musicians to make it work… and that they have a familiarity with the medleys and tunes we'll be using and can play them at dance tempo (important!).  There will be a sign up sheet for sections of the dance for band leader (fiddle), and assistant (rhythm) as well as melody (fiddles, mandolins, accordions…) and rhythm (guitar, banjo, piano, dulcimer…) sections to insure a good balance to the band and to minimize the chaos.

     Here are a few of the medleys that people have chosen as favorites…
 
Medley #1  Reel de Montreal (G), Saut de Lapin (G), Pays de Haut (D)

Medley #2   My Love She's But a Lassie Yet (D), [aka Sweet Sixteen, aka. She's
too Young to Marry], Rakes of Mallow (G), Reel de Ti-Jean (D)

Medley #3   Jigs - St. Lawrence Jig (D), Jefferson and Liberty (Am) [aka The Gobbie-O], and Aunt May's Jig (D).

Medley #4  Growling & Grumbling (Am), Maggie in the Woods (G),Dancing Bear (Em)

Medley #5  Robertsons Reel (A), After the Battle of Aughrim (Am)/The Wren (B)

Medley 6 Dedicat a jos (Bm), St.Antoine (A)

Medley 7 Idlewood (D), Indian Point (G)

Do you have a favorite medley for dances that we should list?  Email me… and I'll post it… then we can use your favorites too.