WhoMe

Do you like drums that beat faster than the men's fancy dancer's can dance?

Does your drum beat at 200 rpms for fancy dance contests?

Is faster better?

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"Today, recognizing and respecting the origins of powwow aids in our Cultural Survival. If enough people break the rules because they are not satisfied...."We will have no culture."

WhoMe

SmokeEater

You mean while singing gourd too? lol, JK.

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***Edited for explicit content***

WhoMe

Okay. Go ahead and throw that into the mix because there is a current trend with southern singers to sing almost every gourd dance like they are the final four songs.

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"Today, recognizing and respecting the origins of powwow aids in our Cultural Survival. If enough people break the rules because they are not satisfied...."We will have no culture."

WhoMe

TKMJ Productions

200 rpms (revolutions per minuite) or 200bpm (beats per minuite) LOL! Got ya!

First of all, I don't think a powwow drum can consistantly do 200 bpm. Maybe 120 or 140 bpm but not 200.

200bpm is more then 3 beats per second. Almost a rumble! That's faster then smoke dance!

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suthernwaterbird

wow..ya dood....lol.. But I think a good fast speed torwards the end should suffice..but not TOOO fast because who can dance to that...Ol' skool style...and as for the gourd dance, shoot most of the time people sing that last set right in the beginning of the dance anyway...goofy.

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superndngyrl

What about singing like that to a southern straight or tradish? Can you imagine? *L*

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LSS

Its a pain in the butt...thats what it is!

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RedShield

This brings up a good thought that I have tossed around with my singers over the years... I think personally, most singers should dance, whether a little or a lot, they need to know what it feels like when the beat gets uncomfortable to dance to... and unless they have been there, they don't think about it.

One pretty common problem with new groups is the tendency to rush the beat, the "oh boy, I'm actually drumming" takes over and they get faster and faster, to the point that they lose their dancers.

I always thought a good rule of thumb was to watch your dancers, if they are dancing, you're doing it right, if they are just walking or shuffling around the arena, you might be needing to slow down!

I know when you're a singer that's your main responsibility, but when you get the opportunity to dance, do it... it'll make you a better singer!

Just my 49 cents on the subject...

Paselo~

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Mud_Woman

faster is not always better . . . but if it makes my heart skip a beat . . . bring it on. besides, anything "Fancy" is great

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chazziff

OK .. i saw this happen last yr at dakota dunes powwow (faster than the speed of light for sr mens traditional) ... it was one of the host drums to boot - should have known better. honestly ... the MC's could hardly keep from laughing ... after the song was over LOL. then the dancers ... ya can tell they was ... unamused

i had to leave ... i couldnt stop laughing LOL ...

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Ivanasnagu

I've been typing this complaint for a while. It seems SOME younger southern groups sing everything fast and faster. lol. Gourd dance (they tend to sing all sets at same pace), war dance, contest singing including golden age, etc. Its hard to keep up with them that's for sure. I prefer ol' style singing but we have some impressive composers right now and I enjoy the new songs and the energy these young guys have. I just wish they would slow it down a bit.

hobbs49

I'm wondering if this maybe isn't coming from the popularity of drum groups and singing competitions. It seems that maybe you had one southern drum (head singer) and maybe a northern drum or two. Everybody got to sing and the head singers could build a powwow's tempo and energy level over time. But with so many drums showing up, the chances to sing are fewer and so everyone's out there constantly trying to outdo the others and be noticed. Of course this doesn't necessarily explain the gourd dance complaints. Though one could argue that those same young guys who are out there trying to get noticed also sit in for the gourd songs as well. But I would still think the head singer should have something to say about that.

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50cal

yea, faster is not always better.....unless you're running late for a contest, you need to speed it up.....LOL!!!!

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WhoMe

hobbs,

If it isn't, then it is certainly a major contributor.