Open Band Leading

• Logistics:

  • The dance is at the Cambridge Masonic Hall: 1950 Mass Ave Cambridge MA.
  • We're opposite the Porter Square stop on the Red Line if you're coming by transit. If you're coming by car you can park in the lot next to the hall or (since the dance is on Sunday) in any metered or residential space for free.
  • The dance runs 7:30-10:30 with a ~20min beginners workshop ~7:05-7:25 and a ~25min break ~9:05-9:30.
  • The hall opens at 6:00. Please plan to eat dinner before you arrive, and be ready for sound check at 6:45.
  • The hall closes at 11:00.
  • Pay is $125 for an open band leader, plus potential profit sharing.

• Anchor musicians:

  • Generally open bands go best when there's at least one strong rhythm musician and one strong melody musician.
  • Often that means the bandleader will anchor rhythm/melody and we'll book another anchor musician for the other, but we're opening to having two anchors if you feel like that would let you concentrate more on leading.
  • Typically the leader chooses an anchor they like working with, but if you would rather we could find an anchor for you.
  • Anchor pay is $100/each for one or two people, again plus potential profit sharing.

• Leading:

  • Your role is to make the band sound like something. Think of them as an instrument. You have so many more options with fifteen people than you do with a trio, but you have to give them directions.
  • Call moods, chords, hits, give solos, give things to sections, conduct!
  • Being cheesy and over the top is fine, it's an open band, no one has a serious musician reputation to maintain.
  • If you just play your instrument and try and sound great, the band will be boring. Don't do that.
  • More on leading: Jeff's advice, more.

• Tunes:

  • We have a tune list (bidadance.org/open-band-tune-list) and generally expect to play all those tunes plus a few others picked on the fly.
  • If there are tunes on that list you don't want to play, let us know ahead of time what you'd like to do instead and we can include that in the publicity.
  • Try to pick repertoire tunes. It's ok if not everyone knows them, but if someone works up a tune to play in the open band it's much better if that's then a tune that they'll get to play with other people.