To swing or not to swing that is the question?

Sounds better swung but is harder....

any advice as I have 2 pupils doing it and I really am unsure...not being a cha cha expert myself lol




Thanks!

I think this piece needs to be played exactly as written and not swung.

There are also no dynamic markings but from bar 8/9 to bar 15/16 it sounds better if played slightly louder.

For articulation the first pair of quavers in the right hand in virtually every bar may be slurred.

The teaching notes for this piece suggest not delving below the surface, but just playing what is on the page.

Thanks rosemary!

Any other thoughts from any other people?

I am telling my own pupils to play this without 'swing'. To me, the 'cha..cha..cha' queavers (5the to 8th quavers) indicate this.

It never occured to me to swing this piece. As I sit here listening in my head to a 'swung' version, the effect is not right.

I teach students to play this piece as written, even quavers.

Yes, even quavers are right in this one.

Maggie

I agree with the view that this piece should not be swung - it is not appropriate for the style of this dance. The very nature of the music itself lends a sense of the fun and humour of dance idiom.

As an aside, I think it's quite a hard piece for Grade 3 and although I've offered it to all my candidates as a possible choice, they've all chosen to do something different, including pieces set in the alternative syllabus.

I haven't been able to sell it to anyone yet, but I have a likely candidate for next term who may be about to tackle it. We'll see how it goes!

M

Many thanks

I shall stop the swinger pupil (lol)


It's a bit like the Grade 2 Get in Step question ( I thought that was better swung...)


Cheers for replying all

Oh i had a go at this the other day. The new grade 3 pices seem harder than the older ones. Anyway I think you should just play it normally cos it's a cha cha so it wont sound as cha cha-ish if you do.

Eeeek. It never occured to me to swing this either, but playing it in my mind, swung sounds quite attractive. And, guess what? I can't find my copy of Teaching Notes. Actually, I never can find my copy when I need it; I fall over it all the time when I don't need the wretched thing.

So, Get in Step. Swung of straight. What do you guys think?

my pupil did it straight last term and scored I think 26.

Thanks frumpybabes. That's a help.

Straight.

Thanks sbhoa

Yes, I think straight for Get In Step and Cha Cha, they sound like they are made to be played that way. The Cha Cha dance is definitely not swung. But swing for the Grade one piece In The Pink, most definitely.