Not to mention the old two-step waltz... (no I'm not drunk). We tried to figure out what that strange thing could be a long time ago. It concerns the dancers.
This topic was left in the dust when it should not have been. There's more to the One Step vs the Two Step I believe. And yes it makes a difference as to how and at what speed you're going to play that accordion. Don't believe me? Just try dancing using the "One Step" when a "Two Step" song is being played. And turn it around and try to dance using the "Two Step" when a "One Step" is being played. The problem with this phenomenon was the lack of understanding of it that took place over time. People just started naming their songs with "So and So Two Step" or "Special", or "Jig", or "Melody" without really understanding what they were doing. There is a difference to at least the one and two step rhythm and speed. Get this hammered down and you're on your way to Mastery! I am even willing to go out on a limb here and say that the One Step is more versatile than the Two Step. The two shuffle steps to the Two Step sort of lock you in, while the single steps of the One Step can be easier to add diversity to and fancy things up a bit. None the less, the "Two Step" sure won the battle of time and the "One Step" dam near forgotten. But the "Two Step" bowed down to the "Jitter Bug" in the end. Something to do with the speed that Cajuns, especially accordion players, played the music over time. Accordion players became two dimensional. They play the waltz and the two step....two dimensional. They dam near forgot the blues step and the one step.
The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week
