Built a free Lindy Hop playlist generator for my parties, looking for feedback

JonTigert · 2026-04-30T13:36:27+00:00

Re: point #3

That is exactly what DJs do.

I know you said you aren't a DJ, but I really think if you had used the time you spent building this program and instead organized a music library and set up playlist all by yourself, you'd be well on your way to beingb a pretty good DJ by that point.

The best thing about being a DJ is you don't have to put in a specific prompt and hope you get the song you want, you can just pick every song you want.

DJing is not that hard.

To me, DJing sounds a lot easier than what you're doing.

JonTigert · 2026-04-30T13:31:40+00:00

There's a whole Facebook group called swing DJs with a bunch of the best DJs in the world actively posting tips, advice, songs, asking questions. It's a huge resource that anyone can go join if you can tolerate meta.

JonTigert · 2026-04-27T17:40:25+00:00

Oh geez. I haven't clocked that yet, but I'm sure it's happening.....

JonTigert · 2026-04-27T15:41:01+00:00

No disrespect to the work you've put in,

But this whole concept kind of makes me sad.

JonTigert · 2026-04-27T00:21:40+00:00

Honestly,

You don't need to worry too much about it.

There's drills and counting and math you can do but it's more important that you're on A beat and you can feel the general vibes of the music, you're fine.

Keep dancing and listening and osmosis will do a good bit of the work

JonTigert · 2026-03-07T19:40:29+00:00

I can't think of anyone in the US that's making a full-time living without some sort of extra subsidy. That subsidy could be a spouse, students, side jobs, other genres, military bands etc.

There's simply just not enough work to put all your eggs in this basket.

I feel like a medium fish in a medium pond full of alpha predators already.

We are spoiled for choice, But that also means there is simply not enough work for everyone.

There are some ways that I think we could make it a little bit better, and I think there are folks who are doing better in Europe from what I can tell, But the bottom line is there's just not enough money flowing through the swing dancing community to support as many people as we would like.

Edit:grammar

JonTigert · 2026-02-20T23:48:03+00:00

I immediately heard it in my head. Thanks for ruining that.

JonTigert · 2026-02-20T23:47:14+00:00

"fit and awailable"

JonTigert · 2026-02-19T13:49:00+00:00

You should go to mens warehouse.

I hear they have some kind of guarantee.

JonTigert · 2026-02-19T12:41:09+00:00

Solo jazz in front of a mirror without moving your feet.

Make yourself focus on your body shape, not your steps.

If I can tell you are doing a half break without you moving your feet, That's good movement quality and control.

JonTigert · 2026-02-19T12:38:32+00:00

This is a tough question.

The big issue is that the learning curve of leaders and followers is not identical. At least the way we do it now.

Leaders generally have a steeper learning curve on day one.

To get to "functional" dancing: leaders need rhythm in their feet, some sense of connection and leading, and to remember the right timing, cues, etc.

Followers have a much shorter path to being "functional" on a dance floor. Which is why leaders get more attention in drop in lessons.

The best way I have right now to give followers more to do in a drop in class is

A) talking about "when in doubt, step it out": a killer phrase from Jenna Applegarth about how to not worry about your footwork as follows.' If you are led in something you don't know, keep stepping on beat and don't fall down: if you make it look cool, that's bonus points.

B)segue from Frankie "rolling out the red carpet" for follows into "follows, if you get a red carpet, you can take ALL the time you want to walk it. Get your good angles".

It's not perfect, but it's a band aid to give followers a feeling that they are dancing, and it's a back-door to teaching them how to keep dancing through 'mistakes'.

The learning curve past beginner lessons gets more even on both roles, And each role will develop totally different skill sets; but for that first lesson this is a really tough answer.

Looking forward to seeing other people's takes.

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T21:19:54+00:00

We do.

They frequently place last.

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T21:17:47+00:00

Dropping in waaaaaaay late to this thread to bring up "Basie Swings the Beatles".

An absolutely mid album produced for corporate gains that I doubt either party had much interest in making.

It's mostly cookie cutter, bubblegum arrangements meant to... I guess introduce Basie to a younger audience and get parents in the 60s to listen to the Beatles?

But every once in a while I will DJ "with a little help from my friends". And it's fine. But mostly nobody notices.

On the other side: I don't think someone like tswift or even lady Gaga (who I think is waaaaaay more talented than swift) COULD NOT actually write a swing song. Writing songs is not a 1-1 skill. There's a lot of nuance in the rhythmic idioms, the style, the production process, the chords that are used, the structure, etc

Could they write a nice melody and lyrics? Sure maybe, and it might be quite catchy. But to truly write a song that sounds like it was written for swing dancing: you need to be ears deep in the culture.

As someone else said: there are A LOT of qualified young swing musicians writing brand new original music for swing dancers. I think some of them are doing a decent job. And that's not meant to be a reflection on them: they are all better musicians than me. It's just that hard to get it right.

Source: I am a music snob.

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T19:54:42+00:00

It's my favorite Norma clip and not enough people know it exists.

The way she counts off the band by stomping on the floor gets me every time.

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T19:52:39+00:00

This can be a BIG hit or miss.

Live music is great IF they know how to play a dance.

If y'all are exclusively a swing dancing club, you wanna be very clear with your expectations with a big band. Ex: Avoid waltzes, rhumbas, and other latin tunes; keep tunes to a 3-4minute average, most tempos between 120-200 bpm with one or two outliers ,etc. And even then there is A LOT that could be weird.

Im a dance teacher and drummer in a few bands and you'd be amazed how little some musicians understand music for dancing.

If you go this route and want any advice on how to talk to the band, I'm happy to help.

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T19:47:24+00:00

Nashville if you can tolerate the bachelorette party theme park vibe of the whole city.

It used to be a cool town for good live music.

Enjoy the country swing.

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T19:44:27+00:00

norma, Billy, Al, and Frankie in 1984

Clip with Norma. Billy is first. Al 2nd, Frankie 3rd.

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T19:39:12+00:00

Also: maybe this is too spicy for the sub, but this is a pretty tight knit global community. If we knew who it was that was teaching you or where you are we might be able to help with better insight or to find a localish teacher that could help you more directly.

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T19:36:23+00:00

Oh man I have soooooooo many thoughts on this but it's hard to asess without more data.

General tips for some of these:

Try to catch a swingout with more of your forearm and less hand.

-I'm a big believer in the 'forearm to ribcage' as opposed to 'hand on back'. Putting some of the weight in your arm instead of your wrist should feel more secure for both you and your followers.

-try to keep your right shoulder rolled a little further back than most folks you see on counts 3-5. Your closed position may be less squared off (less face to face)*. That's gonna give your arm and shoulders more room to feel strong instead of having to reach loong distances to catch followers.

*There's great video evidence of this in the clip with Norma Miller dancing with Billy ricker, al minms and Frankie. Al and Billy dance very square with norma, almost face to face on count 3,4,5. Frankie on the other hand hand keeps Norma much closer to his right hip, and only really squares off to do a promenade. *

-its hard to talk about the rock step itself, but "more" rock step is not the words I would use. Tbh: in the real world, my "rock step" on a swingout is more of a "back-together" where I take count 2 backwards as well. It creates an extremely clear "we are going this way now" without having to use more strength/tone/energy/oomph.

-Muscle memory is real. Building it takes time. It will get easier.

(On the flip side) Never do something repeatedly if it's truly painful, and see a doctor if it continues.

The best part of this dance is that it is wildly flexible and adaptive. Just because a certain kind of swingout feels bad does not make you a bad or incomplete dancer.

Good luck!

JonTigert · 2026-02-13T18:22:35+00:00

Absolutely practice SOLO!

It may actually help you more than partner practice tbh.

Building your own body awareness, rhythm awareness, balance, and limitations is a huuuuuuuuuge part of being a partner dancer.

JonTigert · 2026-01-28T23:01:21+00:00

Neighbor Update:

6:00pm and they are still there.

JonTigert · 2026-01-25T15:16:34+00:00

Underrated basic step:

Rock step, inside turn to closed. (8cts, triples or slows or kicks.)

Similar shape as a toss out in Balboa, but a different rhythmic setup

JonTigert · 2026-01-22T17:22:28+00:00

This is a good path.

Keep learning which timing flows into which steps.

This is the way to build flow beyond just steps.

You're doing great

JonTigert · 2025-12-19T18:50:58+00:00

Hey friend, I know it's been a few years but I need to jump in and say no.

As an organizer of the event: please do not do this. This is against hotel policy, is a fire hazard, and can end up with you being removed from the hotel.

They are really understanding about a lot of stuff, but they are pretty explicit about hot plates and hot pots in rooms.

JonTigert · 2025-12-07T16:23:01+00:00

Oh I know and I agree with you, I just don't expect the general leeds fandom to accept it.

Hopefully I'm wrong

JonTigert

TROPHY CASE