When the dance has a smooth, striding walk down the hall, long note tunes work best. The second half of Crooked Stovepipe is a good example. This can be treated the same way as walking down the hall. The general rule is to use bouncy tunes for bouncy dances and smooth tunes for smooth figure dances. Crooked Stovepipe is bouncy in the first part and smooth in the second.
Most jigs are bouncy throughout.
Road to Boston is smooth throughout. For beginner dancers it is nice to have lots of contrast between the first and second part of the tune so the dancers can easily identify the top of the tune, and therefore the start of the dance pattern repeat. If the dancers get lost, they can wait until the tune comes around again, and get restarted. Lasting The Evening. If you are playing the lead by yourself with no other lead player to share the duties, pick tunes that are not too strenuous to play or you may tire yourself out before the dance is over.