Have I gotten your attention yet?
Which affects your life the most??
Guess what I think? Music, sound and I suppose you could tie dance to that because it is your body’s interpetation or reaction to the sounds it hears! I call it the “rhythm of our souls!”

Since you can only eat a few times a day, that can only take up to a hour or so unless your name is Vinnie or David and then you’d eat 23 hours a day or at least want to. And I forgot about Speedo, he does a good job too.

Sex, you may think about it a lot but over a years time how much time is spent in actually participation?

Now music? How often do you listen to music? This could be on the radio, on the TV, sounds around you that you enjoy listening to. My bet is that sound and music affects our lives more than we realize.

Through music we can make you happy, sad, energetic or plain bore you to sleep.

How often has a dj played too many slow songs in a row, only to find out that the dancers have started to go home. That he has given them a chance to sit down, feel their aches and pains and look at the clock and say, I’d better go home its late

Lets analyze a day of music in our lives. First, many of us are awakened by alarm clocks with radios attached. We listen to those morning songs that pep us up, and the news and weather
reports. Once were up some of us turn off the alarms and turn on the TV. Then we listen to voices and watch the shows, but very often are greeted by music in the show or commercials.

As we get in our cars to go to work we turn on our radios. Many if they ride public transportation carry walkmans, cause I see these little ear pieces stickin in their ears.

In the work place they play music to motivate you to do the work they want. If they are really good they will match the rhythm of the music to the rhythm of the workers and their work.

If you go shopping they greet you with songs that fire you up and make you want to spend money.They play the music for the clientele they want to attract. Go to a place that sells clothes for young people and see what they play?

Restaurants play music to eat to or drink to. If they want you to eat fast and get out, the music is more up tempo, if they want you to cool down and stay a awhile it is a slower tempo maybe even jazz.

It all gets down to what I want to call the rhythm of our soles! A new hillbilly terminology. The rhythm of our souls is that clock that ticks within each of us. That one that says right on man, this is cookin!

When it comes to dance it is that one special slow song to dance to that is not too fast or too slow, but that one which is just right, guess what time the bpm of the song, time your heart rate, bet they will match. When you have that special line dance that cranks, odds on it has a high enough energy to it to get your heart rate up to match the bpm of the song. Thats when you are in sync with the universe by which all time is recorded. Thats when the tiny inner workings and hidden mechanisms of your internal chronometer are in exact accordance with the great celestial movement by which all time is recorded.

If you would equate music to love making, you might try a slow song to get the contact going. Then the heart gets excited and you might try, “I think we are alone now and the beating of our hearts is the only sound”. Then the tempo increases to “do you wanna make love?” Then at the time of climax, you might play burnin love to match your heart rates. Check your heart rate next time and see how close it gets. Then a song as your heart rate comes down could be
“after the lovin.” Do you see how it works.

As a dj you need to do the same thing on the dance floor, play the music and create the mood that you want, help the dancers achieve that happiness and fulfillment that they want.

Be careful how often you play a slow song and how many slow songs you play back to back. Late at night slow songs can be a killer, but even later they can help you clear the floor so they don't have to kick everybody out.

I think as I said earlier that music affects our lives about as much as anything or at least more than you realize, What I see today is too many dancers who look like robots, who don't have
smiles on their faces. They are going through the action because the dj’s and instructors have programed them to. Please release them from this addiction. Help them to have more fun.

Addiction? Yes I said addiction, they are line dance addicts! In a simple manner when you continue to play the music in a repetitive manner and don't show them how to have fun, they concentrate on the dance steps instead of the fun. When they concentrate on the dance steps it gives them a release from todays pressures. This coupled with the physical activity probably creates endorphines. These endorpines are a chemical substance created for the brain that makes it high so to speak. Try not teaching them any new dances for a couple of months and hear how they start talking about all their problems, quit showing up and start going home early.

When I help to produce music, I target it to a specific market. I can usually forecast exactly who is going to respond to a particular song and why.

As a dj you can probably do the same thing. In the future as you go through the day and you hear music try to figure out why and who they are playing that music for. And what response they want to get out of it.

The other night two young dancers whom I didn't know and who didn’t know who I was, came up to me after I danced Swamp Thing and said congratulations mister you looked like you were having fun. Wow was that music to my ears. Can you say the same thing of your dancers? Take a look and then figure out what to do about it.

As always if I can help you in anyway please contact me at
“Hillbilly Rick, R 2 Box 150 A, Haubstadt, In 47639 USA, ph 812-867-3401, fax
812-867-1082, email HillbillyR@aol.com - web site www.hillbillyrick.com

“Keep it fun!” or loose!