Okay, so...

[sorcyress]

There has GOT to be someone on my flist who is both spifty enough to know dancing and cultured enough to know Tom Lehrer.

Is "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" a waltz?

~Sor

Comments

[quadrophenic86.livejournal.com]

I've never really thought abou it, but I do believe you're correct, it is a waltz.

And now, coffee. ::Trudges off::

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

I feel quite clever then.

*huggles tiredSherman*

~Sor

[ksatyr.livejournal.com]

http://ballroomdancemusic.info/Domestic/VienneseWaltz.htm - seems to indicate yes.

[lunaticvermin.livejournal.com]

First you get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosary, bow your head with great respect AND- Genuflect, genuflect, genuflect...

[scooterbird.livejournal.com]

Wrong one. But yes, "Poisoning Pigeons" is indeed a waltz, in 3/4 from the beginning of the song.

Sorcy, where'zat script?

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

In your inbox, of course.

~Sor

[scooterbird.livejournal.com]

Ah, well, of course!

[lunaticvermin.livejournal.com]

I know the 'Vatican Rag' isn't about Poisoning Pigeons, I'm just celebrating Lehrer...

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

*how* much trouble did you have saying that?

And Masochism Tango totally is the best dancing one he did.

*revels in the fact that she gets e-mails sent to her*

~Sor

[mikethegirl.livejournal.com]

I've heard a barbershop quartet singing Masochism Tango. Just thought I'd add that in.

[la-vie-cynique.livejournal.com]

Tom Lehrer = awesome. Waltzing to Tom Lehrer? Out of this world coolness.

[leiacat.livejournal.com]

I don't think we routinely waltz to that - not sure if it's because our recordings are not too good, or it's not even tempo. We do, of course, tango, as well as one-step and swing.

[la-vie-cynique.livejournal.com]

Dancing to him at all is amazingly awesome! I thought I was the only one who did that!

[leiacat.livejournal.com]

If you're local, you should come dance with us!

For that matter, Sor, you should come dance with us too - transportation can be provided, at least to the Oella side of things.

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

la_vie is realitivly local. We SHOULD both come out to Oella, damnit!

~Sor

[la-vie-cynique.livejournal.com]

If it's in Howard County, I will gladly make my way there! *salutes*

[leiacat.livejournal.com]

Technically, it's in Baltimore county (Oella, MD), but it's just about indistinguishable from Howard, being right next door to Ellicott City.

The dance is on 1st and 3rd Sunday nights of every month (which means it will be this Sunday coming up). Starts at 7, the first hour is an informal lesson if one is wanted. Ends at 10. Free (but donations are accepted if you're inclined). It's at Westchester Community Center (http://www.oella.org/), directions can be provided if need be. :)

[la-vie-cynique.livejournal.com]

*grins broadly* I will try to make my way up there if possible! It sounds like killer fun.

[ancientsong.livejournal.com]

And hey there is always tangoing to Maschoism Tango. (if you'll recall, that was one of the tangoes we played at our wedding.

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

I don't, sadly. I wasn't there. :(

It is an *awesome* tango though. I've danced to it, way back when.

~Sor

[lunaticvermin.livejournal.com]

One of the very best ones he did, I think.

[shadowcaptain.livejournal.com]

most of it is a perfect waltz -- but it's lehrer, so he wanders around a bit in a couple of places, stretching out the end of the bridges ("try'n'hide," "cyanide," "religion," "pigeon," "merriment," "experiment") especially depending on whether it's the live version or the orchestral.

as always, follow the melody and not the lyrics, as the music keeps the time throughout, but lehrer's stresses wander all over the place:

and regardless, expect chaos theory incarnate on the dance floor as some people stay with the song even when it slows and pauses, and some people stay with their inner cowbell, fully expecting that next ONE-two-three to just BE, there, damnit.

[marcmagus]

Well, this has eliminated any need for me to respond to the original post, so I'll just respond to what you said.

The chaos issue is often a drawback to using vocal music on the dance floor. Although I've run into it with purely instrumental, too . . . it's just a risk when you're doing social dance and your music doesn't do anything to signal that it's about to slow down.

It's almost worse with something like Lehrer which a lot of people know well. At least when nobody knows the song, everybody has that moment of, "WTF just happened there? Gotta recover the beat/phrase now." When some people know it, they know it's coming even though there isn't a signal, so the group response is less consistent. Combined with a good mix of dance skill, things get . . . exciting.

That icon is beautiful. What's it from?

[shadowcaptain.livejournal.com]

thanks. icon is handmade, from a more cowbell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_cowbell) clip i acquired online at some point, back when they were all over the place. nbc has done a pretty good job of purging the net of illegitimate copies, but they still turn up from time to time. (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=71770844627024590)

[artemisfowl2nd.livejournal.com]

Bah, I'm only half spiffy...

Boom chuck chuck.

[mysticturtle.livejournal.com]

I know everyone has pretty much said everything, but I want my two cents, too!

It's definitely in 3/4, but it's missing the bum ba ba drum line that you usually think of as being in a waltz, so it's possible to waltz to it but requires a tiny bit of rhythm.

Hi! *waves*

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

Amusingly, one of dglenn's QOTDs was about people waltzing to hip-hop.

[thorog.livejournal.com]

*pokes*

These pokes are to remind you of essteeanjay!

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

Ha! I was right.

Cool.

~Sor

[thorog.livejournal.com]

:D