Mostly, I make up the figures on the fly. I have a handful of memorized figures which I'll use on a brain-dead night or when nothing else seems to be working right, but for the most part, I improvise at MS and Plus.
The singing calls I'm looking for are selections of music which have the standard seven blocks of 64 beats and:
aren't overtly offensive in nature (not misogynistic, homophobic, racist, etc.);
aren't excessively hokey (admittedly subjective);
are in my vocal range;
are somewhat professionally recorded (no cheap Casio keyboard, aural clarity, good musical balance);
have no background singers/lyrics (I don't want to complete to be heard);
aren't already signature pieces of our other club callers (this is a tough one).
Almost all of the records I do use were pressed in the past 15 years; it seems that most recordings made before 1990 were done with a single microphone 20 feet away from the musicians: they lack depth and even occasionally have background sounds which shouldn't be there. Poor quality sound and poor quality instruments are a big turn-off for me as a dancer so I'm trying my damnest to keep up the standards as a caller.
Of course, since we're new kids on the local block, the other established local callers have their own selection of preferred pieces which, although they meet my quality requirements, are so associated with individuals that I can't realistically use them myself without inviting comparison. I could never use "Eastbound & Down," "I Love New Orleans Music" or "For What I've Been Thinkin' About You" locally as they're solidly associated with Dayle's club nights. (Not that I'd particularly want to... they're not my style anyway.)
Anyway, the quest continues. New issues are available monthly, there's still a vast inventory of older recordings to audit and every now and again, I change my mind & attempt to redeem a recording I had previously rejected.
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Date: 2005-10-19 05:46 pm (UTC)The singing calls I'm looking for are selections of music which have the standard seven blocks of 64 beats and:
Almost all of the records I do use were pressed in the past 15 years; it seems that most recordings made before 1990 were done with a single microphone 20 feet away from the musicians: they lack depth and even occasionally have background sounds which shouldn't be there. Poor quality sound and poor quality instruments are a big turn-off for me as a dancer so I'm trying my damnest to keep up the standards as a caller.
Of course, since we're new kids on the local block, the other established local callers have their own selection of preferred pieces which, although they meet my quality requirements, are so associated with individuals that I can't realistically use them myself without inviting comparison. I could never use "Eastbound & Down," "I Love New Orleans Music" or "For What I've Been Thinkin' About You" locally as they're solidly associated with Dayle's club nights. (Not that I'd particularly want to... they're not my style anyway.)
Anyway, the quest continues. New issues are available monthly, there's still a vast inventory of older recordings to audit and every now and again, I change my mind & attempt to redeem a recording I had previously rejected.