dance music tempos

[Hunted By a Freak]

http://www.qbds.ca/tempo.htm

this might be helpful to anyone who will ever have a gig playing on a cruise ship/formal affairs/dance band/cover band/wedding band/etc

it shows you common tempo ranges for a wide range of styles (some more useful and common than others) but it shows them in "bars per minute" though this is easy to convert to bpm with a little multiplication

so go practice making your sambas mambos and jazz waltes sound and feel good at these tempo ranges and you'll be sipping cocktails and playing soulless covers with class

[We_Love_Lime]

Oh tight
I've always wanted to play on a cruise ship.
I might audition for one with my friend in 2 years when I finish High School.

[Retarded Chipple]

This is awesome.

I've recently been thinking about playing on a cruise...

How would you find out what it is in BEATS per minute though?

[We_Love_Lime]

I assume you multiply by 3 (if it's 3/4)
Or 4 if it's 4/4.
Etc....

[Hunted By a Freak]

math.com

[Aaron]

ie.
4/4 has 4 beats per bar. 30 bars per minute'd be 120.
3/4 has 3 beats per bar. 30 bars per minute'd be 90.
Unless I'm fail at maths.

[-TGP-]

Getting a gig on cruise ships is alot harder then it sounds..

[Hunted By a Freak]

really

i have had a couple friends who did it

they said as long as you can read decently and play time somewhat convincingly in different basic styles it is easy to get a gig like that

its mostly about them finding someone to make the commitment for being at sea for a few months

[-TGP-]

Oh damn, well I guess I didn't think of a basic dance groove.. My buddy does it for jazz and he's incredible and still hasn't gotten in.

[DrummerJonny]

with cruise ships, its mainly being able to give the time away from home....

i've got a mate who did lighting on ship....

[mattsmith]

really

i have had a couple friends who did it

they said as long as you can read decently and play time somewhat convincingly in different basic styles it is easy to get a gig like that

its mostly about them finding someone to make the commitment for being at sea for a few months

All the above is true. My Dad used to be a musical director at Norwegian Cruise Lines, and he says what he most looked for in a drummer was the ability to play many different styles at appropriate tempos. Knowing how to nail tempos is a real advantage because there are so many dance acts and others who need comfort zone tempos for their routines. And yes, you need to read decently, but you don't have to be spot on like the horn players. He also said that if you don't know your Latin rhythms don't apply.

A lot of cruise lines are also one of the last venues that allow you to send a demo for consideration. They want 5 minute clips of you playing 3-4 different styles. Usually you get your first call when one of the regulars asks for a 2 week vacation. When you get that call, Dad says you say yes or they never call you again. Then if you do a good job, you're up for the next open gig on the line, and yeah they want comittments of 2 months or more. Everybody wants to play 2 or 3 weeks during the summer. If you give them only certain times that you can go out, they just throw away your contact information.

[-TGP-]

How do you go about getting in touch with someone about this?

[Hunted By a Freak]

google man

http://www.proship.com/

this is one of the companies i hear talked about most often

i checked out the reading drum set audition music sample on their website

looks pretty fricken easy