Editing Contra dance (section)

==Music==
[[File:Money Musk at Youth Dance Weekend 2019.webm|thumb|upright=1.5|thumbtime=60|Calluna plays [[Money Musk]] at Youth Dance Weekend 2019 in [[Weston, Vermont]]]]
The most common contra dance repertoire is rooted in the Anglo-Celtic tradition as it developed in North America. [[Folk music of Ireland|Irish]], [[Scottish music|Scottish]], [[French-Canadian music|French Canadian]], and [[Old-time music|Old-time]] tunes are common, and [[Klezmer]] tunes have also been used. The old-time repertoire includes very few of the jigs common in the others.

Tunes used for a contra dance are nearly always "square" 64-beat tunes, in which one time through the tune is each of two 16-beat parts played twice (this is notated AABB). However, any 64-beat tune will do; for instance, three 8-beat parts could be played AABB AACC, or two 8-beat parts and one 16-beat part could be played AABB CC. Tunes not 64 beats long are called "crooked" and are almost never used for contra dancing, although a few crooked dances have been written as novelties. Contra tunes are played at a narrow range of [[tempo]]s, between 108 and 132 bpm.

Fiddles are considered to be the primary melody instrument in contra dancing,{{sfn|Ledgin|2010|p=17}} though other stringed instruments can also be used, such as the [[mandolin]] or [[banjo]], in addition to a few wind instruments; for example, the [[accordion]]. The [[piano]], [[guitar]], and [[double bass]] are frequently found in the rhythm section of a contra dance band.{{sfn|Holenko|2010|p=6}} Occasionally, percussion instruments are also used in contra dancing, such as the Irish [[bodhran]] or less frequently, the [[dumbek]] or [[washboard (musical instrument)|washboard]].{{sfn|Holenko|2010|p=5}} The last few years have seen some of the bands incorporate the Quebecois practice of [[Podorythmie|tapping feet]] on a board while playing an instrument (often the fiddle).<ref>{{cite web|title=Podorythmie / Quebecoise Podorythmie|date=30 May 2014|url=http://slowplayers.org/hold/|access-date=29 May 2018|archive-date=11 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511191144/http://slowplayers.org/hold/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Until the 1970s it was traditional to play a single tune for the duration of a contra dance (about 5 to 10 minutes). Since then, contra dance musicians have typically played tunes in sets of two or three related (and sometimes contrasting) tunes, though single-tune dances are again becoming popular with some northeastern bands. In the Celtic repertoires it is common to change keys with each tune. A set might start with a tune in G, switch to a tune in D, and end with a tune in Bm. Here, D is related to G as its dominant (5th), while D and Bm share a key signature of two sharps. In the old-time tradition the musicians will either play the same tune for the whole dance, or switch to tunes in the same key. This is because the tunings of the five-string banjo are key-specific. An old-time band might play a set of tunes in D, then use the time between dances to retune for a set of tunes in A. (Fiddlers also may take this opportunity to retune; tune- or key-specific fiddle tunings are uncommon in American Anglo-Celtic traditions other than old-time.)

In the Celtic repertoires it is most common for bands to play sets of reels and sets of jigs. However, since the underlying beat structure of jigs and reels is the same (two "counts" per bar) bands will occasionally mix jigs and reels in a set.

<!-- Please do not add bands to this list unless they are of comparable popularity as established by referenced gig stats. -->
Some of the most popular contra dance bands in recent years are [[Great Bear (band)|Great Bear]], Perpetual E-Motion, [[Buddy System]], [[Crowfoot ( contra dance band)|Crowfoot]], Elixir,<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.elixirmusic.com/about/| title= About the Band| year= 2022| website= elixirmusic.com| publisher= EHW Design| access-date= 2022-09-29}}</ref> the [[Mean Lids]], [[Nor'easter (band)|Nor'easter]], [[Nova (American band)|Nova]], [[Pete's Posse]], the [[Stringrays]], the [[Syncopaths]], and [[Wild Asparagus]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kaufman |first1=Jeff |title=Festival Stats |url=https://www.jefftk.com/news/gigstats |access-date=16 September 2018}}</ref>

===Techno contras===
[[File:Kingfisher at Spark in the Dark 2022-08-27- BusStop.webm|thumb|upright=1.3|A BIDA techno contra dance in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., in 2022]]
In recent years, younger contra dancers have begun establishing "crossover contra" or "techno contra" – contra dancing to techno, hip-hop, and other modern forms of music.<ref name=Forbes>{{cite news|last1=Forbes|first1=Jeff|title=Asheville and WNC folks helping grow 'Techno contra' dancing phenomenon |url=https://mountainx.com/arts/art-news/asheville_and_wnc_folks_helping_grow_techno_contra_dancing_phenomenon/|access-date=15 June 2014|work=Mountain Xpress|date=17 September 2011}}</ref><ref name=Neff>{{cite news|last1=Neff|first1=Erin|title=Contra Dance, Then and Now|url= https://portlandcountrydance.org/newsletters/footnotes_2010/2010-07%20Footnotes%20web.pdf |access-date=15 June 2014|work=Footnotes|issue=July–August 2010|publisher=Portland Country Dance Community}}</ref> While challenging for DJs and callers, the fusion of contra patterns with moves from hip-hop, tango, and other forms of dance has made this form of contra dance a rising trend since 2008. Techno differs from other contra dancing in that it is usually done to recorded music, although there are some bands that play live for techno dances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buddysystemband.com/|title=Buddy System|access-date=12 Sep 2017}}</ref> Techno has become especially prevalent in [[Asheville, North Carolina]], but regular techno contra dance series are spreading up the East Coast to locales such as [[Charlottesville, Virginia]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://contracorners.com/clubcontra|title=Club Contra|access-date=12 Sep 2018|archive-date=29 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229063619/https://contracorners.com/clubcontra|url-status=dead}}</ref> Washington, D.C.;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsgw.org/contra-sonic|title=ContraSonic|access-date=12 Sep 2017}}</ref> [[Amherst, Massachusetts]]; [[Greenfield, Massachusetts]]; and various North Carolina dance communities, with one-time or annual events<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mountainx.com/arts/after-midnight-leafs-late-night-lineup-is-worthing-staying-up-for/|access-date=12 Sep 2018|title=After midnight: LEAF's late-night lineup is worth staying up for|date=8 October 2014 }}</ref> cropping up in locations farther west, including California, [[Portland, Oregon]], and Washington state. They also sometimes appear as late night events during contra dance weekends.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.technocontra.com/events/|access-date=12 Sep 2018|title=Full Spectrum Contra|archive-date=25 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125204928/http://www.technocontra.com/events/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In response to the demand for techno contra, a number of contra dance callers have developed repertoires of recorded songs to play that go well with particular contra dances; these callers are known as DJs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushfestcontra.com/|title=Rushfest|access-date=12 Sep 2018}}</ref> A kind of techno/traditional contra fusion has arisen, with at least one band, Buddy System,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buddysystemband.com/|title=Buddy System|access-date=12 Sep 2018}}</ref> playing live music melded with [[synthesizer|synth]] sounds for techno contra dances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buddysystemband.com/live-electronic/|title=Live Electronic - Buddy System|access-date=12 Sep 2018}}</ref>