Party Theming 101, Music - Part VII

Perhaps these guidelines seem obvious, but I cannot number the times we’ve witnessed them violated by unfortunate musical choices, or simply by failing to think about what’s being played. I can recall an occasion at our home where dancing came to a screeching halt for 20 minutes because of a single song selection that seemed inspired at the time, but did not work with the rest of the music at all.  Only a temporary break in the party momentum, perhaps, but worth noting – a number of such unfortunate musical choices, even mixed in with otherwise good songs, can still disrupt the energy of a party and effectively kill dancing for the rest of the evening.

When you have listened and re-listened to your mix and fine-tuned it – shifting songs around to improve the flow of the music, moving songs that sound strange when played consecutively into the company of songs that they sound good with, and adding more songs if your playlist doesn’t seem long enough (on the average, if you’re talking modern popular music, that will come to roughly 16 song tracks per hour, but this can vary widely … for instance, if you’re working with 50’s oldies, you’ll need more like 24 tracks per hour, as popular songs back then were usually timed to be able to fit on a single side of a 45 record, a restriction that no longer exists) – you should be ready for party time. Make sure your music device is fully charged, set it to play the songs on the list consecutively from the first song on the list – then plug it in, crank it up, and walk away from it!

Once you have arranged a list of music you like that you think is about the right length (on the average, if you’re talking popular music, that will come to roughly 16 song tracks per hour, but this can vary widely) playtest it, to make sure the playlist plays as long as you want it to, and while listening, check that the songs all flow together well when they are actually played. If you here any song combos that sound awkward as one song transitions to the next, make a note and shift a song or two until it sounds better.

  

You should now be ready for party time. Make sure your music device is fully charged, set it to play the songs on the list consecutively from the first song on the list – then plug it in, crank it up, and walk away from it!