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In this age of technology, dancers at National and All World
Competition Levels must have their individual set dances played at or
above a minimum metronome speed as approved by An Coimisiún Le Rincí
Gaelacha, the official governing body of Irish Dancing throughout the
world. Those standards were strictly adhered to throughout these
recordings, with all final speed selections based on personal music,
dancing and competition experience. As a former Dancing Champion, I understand all too
well the amount of hours rehearsing and the years of lessons required to compete and win at the
Championship Level. Having played for Regional and National
Championships, I also understand how critical it is to pick your music
correctly, for the speed to remain constant, and the
unfortunate consequences of when the music is not "right". With those
facts in mind, I know how invaluable it is to practice repeatedly to the
"right" music.
The orchestration of these CDs is simple and was designed that way intentionally.
The button accordion is the featured instrument, providing the simple melody that
has not been overly embellished with triplets or sound effects. Piano and very light
acoustic guitar have been added as background to emulate the feel of competition.
Should you opt to order a customized CD, the instrumentation or tonal quality will not be
altered, only the speed.
"The Official List" set dances on these CDs are all Digitally
Recorded. While every metronome setting or individual dancer's speed
preference could not possibly be accommodated on these CDs, Digital
Technology makes it possible to customize them to your individual
speed(s). The stated metronome speed is constant throughout each set dance,
hence, there is virtually no slowing down or speeding up. Should the
speed be customized, the set dance will still play in the original key it was
recorded. You can order and receive within a few weeks your own Set
Dance(s) of choice "customized" to the precise metronome setting you
request. All the dances have a full "step" introduction to simulate the
feel of Championship competition. Details are in the Order
section of the site.
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