Music History Class is now replaced by completing Mike Walter’s Music History Videos.

Intention of the class: To give you a sense of the depth and range of music that is available for us to play at events, and give you the beginning keys to creating playlists and sets that can move and inspire the crowd.

In order to understand the music we play, we need to know the history that has built the foundation of the song.

1920’s – Ragtime

In the 20’s, jazz and ragtime were brand new and it saw the very beginnings of what would become the dance clubs, disco’s, and all other forms of musical venue.  It also saw the very beginnings of Blues which would later spawn rock and roll.  Though you’ll rarely meet a guest old enough to want any ragtime or early jazz, it’s a great place to start our study!

1930’s – Big Band

Moving away from classical music, the orchestra’s began employing more modern instruments and playing more modern tunes.  This created the basis for what would become swing music and of course set up the sound for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and contemporaries like Michael Buble.

1940’s – The Crooners

Not much needs to be said about this amazing time in music history.  The focus began falling on the vocalists and their superb singing ability, as well as their charisma and sex appeal.  This was not limited to men, as women like Etta James, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald created amazing hit after amazing hit.  Much of this music is still around today and Fits within the Genre title Adult Contemporary.  Very good dinner music!

1950’s – Rock and Roll and Country Western

The 1950’s brought about what many would consider the modern era of music.  The record labels, the singles, the image, the hype, and of course, Hits Hits Hits.  Rock and roll got its start with literally hundreds of cookie cutter bands all cranking out feel good, rock em sock em tunes to play on the nation’s airwaves and Soda Fountains.  This era and its continuation into the 60’s created a strong basis for most of the popular music today.  It is still great dance music enjoyed by most everyone.  Also Country western music started at this time and has continued and evolved into what country is today.

1960’s – Singer Songwriters and Motown

The age of the singer songwriters brought about a depth to music that was lacking in the years previous.  Though not as instantly accepted as the rock and roll was, this music gained fans that were lasting and that still love their music today.  Some artist would include the rolling stones, the beetles (later), The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The mama’s and the Papa’s and many others.  Also at this time, Motown, a record label, began producing its own
variety of dance music.  It wasn’t quite rock and it wasn’t quite disco (pop).  It was a unique sound that eventually fed into many genres like R and B, Disco, and Hip hop.

1970’s – Disco, Heavier Rock

Not much needs to be said about disco.  It was the beginnings of pop music.  Going even farther than early rock, it created pure dance beats with upbeat melodies, perfect for dancing the night away.  Much of it still remains popular today.  Also, Rock and Roll flourished into many sub genres at this time, ranging from Neil Diamond (light rock, to the Sex Pistols (punk).  It was a very formative time.

1980’s – Modern Pop

Synthesizers and drum machines made it possible to crank out songs without necessarily needing a band.  Pop single were the name of the game as well as very poppy forms of rack like Glam.  It was a bombastic age of almost adolescent exuberance.  Much of the modern DJs dance repertoire is found here.

1990’s – Hip-Hop

Among many other types of music formed at this time.  Hip – hop and urban styles of music exploded.  With the true advent of MTV and the music video, pop came of age as did the roots of R&B.  Again, many sub Genre’s came out of this but you need only look at a list of the 90’s most popular songs to see which the dominant one was.

2000’s – Homogenization

As we move out of the 2000’s and into the 2010’s we can look back and see how genres are being blended.  So much music is becoming DIY and the hot single rules the roost.  To be sure, pop, hip hop and urban forms of music are still at the top of the list.  But rock is still making its dent and Country continuous to draw huge dollars and attention.


Set Construction

Set construction is a very simple art but does require some care.  You must pay attention to the factors that go into determining what kind of set you will create.  Who are you playing for?  What time are you playing at and how long?  What kind of event are you performing at?  What restrictions are placed on you?

Who are you playing for is simple.  You must determine what your guest’s desire.  Are they Pop fans?  How about country?  Are they older or younger?  Are they reserved or party animals?  What music you choose should fit with those factors.  Say you have 30’s year old hard partying folks from the country.  Most likely you’ll play a lot of country and rock with some older selections thrown in.  Now maybe some young reserved folks from a trendy portion of town.  They may be more into newer pop that is lyrically clean and possibly more adult contemporary.  This is by no means an exact science and their will be trial and error, but you will be able to better construct your set if you pay attention to these facts.

When are you playing?  Is it day or night?  Most people are rather inhibited in the day time compared to the night.  This will play a major part in how they will react to more risqué forms of music.  How long are you playing?  If you’re playing short, you’ll want to pack your set with hard hitting, guaranteed winners.  If you’re playing long, go for more of a wide selection featuring many guest requests, even if they are slightly eccentric, (within reason).

The kind of event is pretty self explanatory, just remember there is a difference between a middle school and a College, and between a twenty something wedding bash and a forty something family wedding.

And of course you must follow all restrictions placed on you by your clients.  It is their day and you don’t want to wreck it because you just wanted to play that one song.  Or worse yet, you forgot to omit that selection from your playlist!

Basic rules:

1. 1. Flow

1. 1. Transitions

1. 1. Vary your genre’s

1. 1. Remember the time

1. Be ready to change

Flow:  Your sets of music must flow, not just from one genre to the next, but one tempo, feeling, even subject matter.  To be sure, not all of these will work every time.  But you will have a better chance of keeping people on the dance floor if your set’s flow.

IE: Celebration > We are family > Billie Jean > I love Rock and Roll > Stroke

Up beat disco Disco  strong 4/4 4/4 rockish Strong Rock / Pop 70’s Rock

Now these five songs are all heavy hitters and may not always be usable together.  But it illustrates the point about flow.

Transitions: When you change from genre to genre and from fast to slow, etc.  You must mid how your transitioning.  If you’re in the middle of a fast crazy song, you shouldn’t just drop to a slow song.  Same with Heavy rap straight into country.  Choose a filler song that attempts to bridge the two.

IE: You shook me all night long > Sweet home Alabama > When you say nothing at all
Start A slower country rock tune A country slow song

Vary your Genre’s: Not just in your sets, but throughout the night, it is important to try and hit all the genres that the people like.  Just because their dancing hard to disco doesn’t mean they want the next seven songs to be disco!  Usually two to three songs of a genre in a row is the maximum you’ll want to play until much later in an evening.  Of course there are exceptions to this rule, IE Schools and Late night weddings asking for rap.  Though you can still vary what you play, hip hop, top 40, 90’s, etc.

IE:  2 disco  >  1 80’s pop  >  2 rock  >  1 country  >  2 slow  >  1 70’s rock  >  2 country

And on and on it goes throughout the night, as you take requests and get a feel for your clients.

Remember the time: You must be aware of how much time your sets are taking and where you are in your night.  Don’t get stuck playing older music and realize it’s 10:30pm and you’re losing guest’s due to boredom.  Also, prime leaving times are at the top and the bottom of every hour.  Try to be playing or doing something exciting to cover those portions of the hour to keep people around and dancing.

Be Ready to Change: The most important tenant I have on the subject is, be ready to change at any time.  If you’re set in sinking fast, pick some new music and make it work!