Dance Better Now

How to dance to the beat: Keeping time when dancing

For many of us learning to dance, one of the biggest issues is timing and musicality in general. We didn’t all show great promise in music when we were younger so we weren’t even taught the basics. We probably never listened to the music we danced to so we don’t have a good sense for it. We have also spent years responding to the lyrics in songs so we aren’t even used to responding to the actual music. For these reasons, we struggle with timing and need to know how to dance to the beat.

It’s bad enough if you’re dancing by yourself and you can’t keep time. You worry that others will notice. However, this is actually unlikely, while you’re worried about what others think of you when you’re dancing; they are actually more worried about what you think of them. We are all self-obsessed so don’t worry.  The time when you really need to worry is when you are dancing with another person.  If you’re out of time, then there will not be much of a connection. Without that connection, dance just isn’t that fun. So it’s pretty clear that you need to improve our ability to keep time you learn to dance – if you want to dance well.

So how to do it?

1 – Understand how music works: teach me how to dance in time.

The first thing that is essential is understanding music. When you know what you’re listening for, it is much easier to hear it.

Note that you need to ‘hear’ it. If you’re a more visual person or a kinaesthetic person, then you might want to try closing you’re eyes when first working on improving your music ability. Also, tapping in time, while keeping the rest of your body still, is always good start too.

Music comes in cycles. Normally, in modern music and most dance music, there are cycles of 4 beats. The obvious exception is the modern waltz, which is in cycles of 3 beats. Each of these cycles is called a bar. Now there is no reason why each bar needs to take a certain time. The speed of the music is defined by beats per minute (BPM).

The bars are the basic cycle, but there are others. This is at the discretion of the composer and restrained somewhat by the style of the music. Mambo is more likely to come only in bars, and it is counted 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4. However, many pieces of music will actually have another cycle of 8 beats and count as follows – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Sometimes there will then be a cycle of 4 bars. Jive is an example of this. At this stage you just need to know it. We will focus only cases with 2 bars at a time.

Note some people count slows and quicks and some leave out some numbers to indicate a slow progression – I am looking at you salsa dancers! This is fine if it works for you, but it is always handy to know these basics; they are universal.

Now that we know there are cycle, we still need to know what they are and how we hear them. That’s part 2.

2 – Hearing the bars

Normally, the start of each bar will have a significant event. Something like a cowbell from the drums or a snare. Maybe a higher note from a brass instrument. Perhaps something from the base guitar. The key is to listen to the music for a stronger beat that comes in every so often and at a regular period (we will assume that the BPM remains constant).  

Once you have this try counting the other beats at equal periods between the major beats. As you do you will notice that music might use a similar feature on each 2^nd, 3^rd or whatever beat. Most modern western music has some kind of an emphasis on the 2^nd and 4^th beats. When you can hear these beats, you have made a significant step.

Now try counting like this – 1, 2, 3, 4, 1 ,2 ,3 ,4

The larger font for the 1 means you note that it is the start of a bar, and requires extra attention.

I have assumed that the music for 4 beats to a bar. Make adjustments to your counting as required.

3 – Hearing more cycles

As I mentioned above, music can have cycles of bars. The most common is cycles of two bars making 8 or 6 beats. In this case the strongest beat is on the 1 and the next strongest is on 5. You would count it like this – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. When you can hear this cycle you will know when to start dancing – we start on the 1, and not the 5. Also, you sometimes use the 8 to get ready to start – Rumba is a good example of this and, to some extent, so is the Samba (but more about that pesky dance some other time). Actually, one of the best examples is any music you might listen to if were interested in how to slow dance.

As I mentioned above some cycles are greater, there can be 16 beat cycles (4 bars) or 32 beats cycles (8 bars) often called phrases. Typically, the style of the music will change when each phrase comes in.

Take a look at the video below. This is the clip for the Black Keys song Lonely Boy. The original plan for this video was to have something different. However, the guy that is featured is an actor called Derick Tuggle and he danced so well that the band wanted to use only him. He had one hour to learn the lyrics and come up with the dance sequence. You can see from the video that derrick has excellent musicality. He is in time and in the first 3 phrases he changes his dance style to suit each phrase. That means by watching Derick dance you can get a visual cue for the start of each phrase (and the change in music) at the beginning of the song. He is an excellent example of what you can do when you start picking up on all elements of the music. I often want to find this guy and say ‘teach me how to dance!’ just to get that natural connection to the music. 

 

4 – Responding to the music

Hearing the music is the first step, but you also need be able to respond to the music physically.

A good start is simply using your fingers and tapping to the music. This is more than simple tapping though. You want to use certain fingers for certain beats. Choose one finger for the 1^st beat another finger for the 5^th beat. You can use any other finger or maybe the whole hand for the other beats.

Then, when listening to the music, tap in time with it. Ensure you use the allocated finger, hand or whatever you choose for each beat.

This is not exactly the same as dancing in time, but it is a very good start to getting your body to respond to the music and stay in time with it as you move. Then you will know how to dance to the beat.

5 – Expressing the music

If you were initially unable to stay in time, then you will feel pretty happy with yourself for getting this far.

However, there is more to musicality. You also want to dance in a way that expresses the nature and character of the music. This is easier to understand conceptually, but perhaps harder to achieve. It is beyond what is covered here, but something that you will want to consider when you are better able to keep time and want to really learn to dance.

A technique to shift from dancing salsa on 1 to dancing on 2

There are those who dance salsa on 1 and those who dance on 2. Of course there are those who dance on a different beat each time, but that’s a different topic. If you have been dancing on one or the other for a while, or if you have only learned one, then shifting to another can be tricky.

I experienced this when I went to New York – famous for dancing on 2. I dance salsa on the 1.

This was part of a US trip and I had already danced salsa in a few other places (Portland and San Jose) where the salsa was done on 1. I had also done some blues dancing in Portland, and it was in the preliminary class of the night that I stumbled upon the technique that helped when I danced salsa in New York.

Blues is known for playing with the music a lot. In fact, there are blues dancers who say landing on the beat is just square, and one is to arrive a little behind. In line with this notion, the preliminary class prior to the social dancing was focused upon how people can play with the timing.

I have personally found this hard; I think about the beat and I land on it. Turns out, I was thinking about it all wrong. The teacher at this blues event suggested that we try leaving on the beat. For example, if you are going to go forward on your left, then don’t focus on arriving on the respective beat, focus on leaving on the respective beat. By using this approach, you think about what you want to do and not about what you do not want to. Thinking about what you do not want to do does not often work. I am sure that you have had the experience of where you thought hard about not doing something that you did not want to do only to find that you then went and did it – because you thought about it so much. It’s like the example of when someone says “do not think about a pink elephant”; you think about a pink elephant.

By leaving on the 1, when dancing salsa, I was able to come closer to landing on the 2. Then with a little more practice, I started landing on the 2.

If you ever find that you are in an on 2 venue and you dance on 1, then try this technique. Also, if you want to play with the music, and arrive late, then maybe use a more positive thought process by focusing on when you leave as opposed to when you do not land.

Do you pay enough attention to the music? Hypnotic dance.

This post is inspired by an experience I had when learning Viennese Waltz. For those who do not know the Viennese Waltz, or Waltz as the Germans call it, it is actually a very repetitive dance.  Take a look at the video below to see what I mean.

You can do a few extra figures to liven it up a bit, but on the whole you are usually doing the basic figure in one of two directions.  This means that you mind can start to wander. It certainly means that for me. I need to then find something to concentrate on. At first this felt like effort; however, it opened something up to me that I had not yet experienced.

I felt the music much more deeply.

The music was all that I really had. If I did not anchor on the music, then I would lose focus, and something would go wrong. This is not to say that the Viennese waltz is an easy dance. Take a look at the video below and notice how much time the presenters spend explain how to do the basic right. It has a lot of subtle nuances. This is another characteristic of the Viennese waltz: subtlety.

However, for this post I am focusing on my experience with music and what this could mean for you if you want to gain an extra insight into your dance experience.

So you already know from the above that I was learning Viennese waltz and after a while my mind wondered. Basically, I was bored! I was doing the same thing over and over – perhaps some pointers from the teacher and I would have had more to focus on, but I was also meant to be solidifying what I had learned before progressing. Thus I was in a way stuck, but I needed to make this a bit better.

That’s what made me decide to focus on the music. If you have read about musical appreciation, either by me or elsewhere, then you know that an aspect is letting the music induce emotions in you and then feeling those. That’s what I did while I danced and I let the feelings influence my dance.

The feedback from my teacher was positive. My mind was more engaged, and I danced better. However, for me it was even better. It was good to know that I was dancing better, but now that I was focusing on the music so much (the repetitive dance allowed that) I was able to let go more and have my body guided by the music. It was a bit existential in fact, and I started to understand why some people talk about the hypnotic state dance causes in them. I was no longer trying to dance or trying to focus. I had entered a new state of consciousness where I was relaxed and calm, but still able to move in a manner required for dance.

The best thing was that once this was opened to me, I could take it to other dances (which have a greater suite of skills) and get more from them. In fact, I could get more from them without feeling the need to do a large number of figures. Instead, I could connect with the music more and change the style to express the music.

What does this mean for you?

If you would like to work on your ability to feel the music, express the music or you just want to get more from the experience of dance (at least one of these would be useful regardless of your interest in any of dance sport, exhibition or social dance) then you could simply do some Viennese Waltz. You could also choose the dance you want to get better at and do only the basic. This will get boring, once it does, try focusing on the music and get into it (almost lost in it). You will start to notice a transition in the way you feel and the way you dance.

The above assumes two things:

1. You are competent in the basic
2. You have a partner who will do this with you (you can do it alone, but that might not be as enjoyable for you and having a partner will help you ensure proper posture and such while you do this)

Give it ago and see how it changes your dance experience.

Do you need to know a lot of figures to be a good social dancer?

Something that bothers many social dancers is how many figures you need to know to be a good dancer.

Do you need to buy those DVDs with the extra salsa moves on them; do you need to do the next medal in modern or Latin so that you have more figures under your belt; should you go to that special workshop by that swing dance couple to learn those extra figures?

If you lead, then you worry that your partner will get bored. If you follow, then you worry that you might be led into something you do not know.

How many figures is enough?

Before I answer this, I want to relay three stories.

I recall being told explicitly that I did not have enough figures by a salsa dancer that I had been dancing with on and off for some time. We were talking about this topic – how many figures one needed to know. I had said, with some confidence, that I thought that I had enough to keep things interesting for anyone that I was dancing with.

 It became very apparent to me, very quickly, that at least one person thought that my contention was incorrect.

This led me to think that I needed to learn many more figures.

However, another story relates to one of the most interesting dancers I have ever encountered.

This was a dancer from South America who I encountered when I was living in China. This guy would do nothing but the salsa basic. However, whenever you watched him dance, you could see that he really felt the music. He looked like his entire like was in balance and satisfied when he danced. He was the epitome of contentedness: All from doing nothing but the basic.

He never had any troubles finding a partner to dance with. The women he danced with seemed to be able to pick up on his vibe, and get the same pleasure from dance that he was experiencing.

So then it looked like a large number of figures was not needed.

But there is one last story I want to share.

I danced with another woman where I tried to use a balance of moves and dance in sync with the music and express the music. Sometimes I dance simple figures, but really feeling the music. Other times, I danced a collection of figures in what I thought was a well-executed mini routine. And you know what she said to me? “I like it when you spin me.” All she really liked was being spun form one side to the other. It didn’t seem to matter too much whether I was expressing the music or putting together a nice collection of figure. She just liked to spin. However, she didn’t just want to spin on the spot; that would be silly. The spins needed to move and flow from one to the other.

So what can be extracted from these stories about the figures you need to learn?

Well it doesn’t hurt to know a few figures and how to put them together. It can be handy to know variations too so that you can mix it up a bit. That’s if you’re a lead. If you’re a follow, then it helps to know a few so that you can be led into what may come.

However, you probably can’t just rely on knowing figures. You need that musicality to really bring it to life.

And then, there might be times when the key is not a lot of figures or musicality, but focusing on a certain characteristics (maybe spins, but maybe not) while not being overt. For that you need to be able to link the right figures together and maintain flow.

That means that there are three things you have here:

1. Figures – the more the better
2. Expression – doing them with the music
3. Flow – knowing how to go from one to the other

If you think you’re fine with numbers 2 and 3, then look into more figures. However, if you have learned a lot, then make sure that you are OK with expression and flow. If you are not, then maybe look at the one(s) that need work before learning more figures.

Many of us fall into the trap of thinking we simply need more figures. There’s certainly nothing more with knowing many, but don’t go thinking that’s the silver bullet to better dance.

The killer secret to perfect timing in dance: The Downbeat and the Upbeat

If you are having troubles with timing, then this might be just the thing you need.

Much music comes is sets of two. There might be four beats to the bar, but there is usually a two beat pattern in there too. This excludes the Waltz.

Often the first beat (the downbeat) is stronger and deeper. Then the second (the upbeat) is often lighter and of a higher pitch.

Because this is a simple two beat pattern, it is often easier for those of us who are not strong with timing to pick it up. I wish I had have known about this when I was trying to work on my timing.

The reason why it is called the downbeat is because it occurs with a conductor moving his hand down. This downward motion is a stringer motion than lifting the hand so the beat can be thought of as a stronger (usually) beat.

I was introduced to this method of timing in dance by James Joseph in his book Every Man’s Survival Guide to Ballroom Dancing.

 

James likens the down beat to stopping your foot and the upbeat to clapping your hand.

If you are trying to work your timing for better dance, then try imagining how you would stomp and clap with the music. This is just a start, but it can be a huge start if you have trouble with timing.

Staring with just two beats is practically a guaranteed way for anyone (and trust me; I know how bad timing can be) to start to pick up on timing.

James’s book is aimed at ben, but it is ideal for beginners of any gender (despite the name) taking on partner dancing. It has a strong focus on musicality and learning. Not to mention some advice on posture and getting the confidence to dance at weddings.

If you’re looking for a unique and useful approach to learning dance, then I reckon James’ Every Man’s Survival Guide to Ballroom Dancing is an excellent buy.

Check out the video below if you're still struggling with the upbeat and downbeat.

 

 

Disclosure: If you buy anything via links on my blog, then there is a chance that I will get a commission.

How music brings dance to life

Background

About a week before writing this a dance teacher posted on the LinkedIn arm of Dance Better Now (The “Dance Teaching, Coaching and Training” group) about a student of hers that she was having some minor problems with.

The student was technically very good, but he didn’t have much life to his dance.

His teacher described him as a technician. He focused on the minute details of each step and figure, but didn’t really seem to get out of ‘practice mode’. This was despite dancing for years, competing in dance sport, doing exhibitions and taking multiple lessons a week.

The teacher wanted to know what to do to make him let go and dance.

Music and expression

I suggested in reply to her post that she try asking the student to do the following:

• listen to the music that was playing,
• identify the instruments,
•  think about the feelings that each was expressing,
• think about how that could be expressed physically and then,
• move that way when dancing

In a later reply the teacher said that she tried this, but with a twist. She asked the student to pick some music. Then they danced to that. This music was simple, quiet and introspective. Much like the student she felt. This made it more difficult for him to move to it – there was not much to express.

This was interesting – by choosing the music that matched his feeling, he did not necessarily have something to dance to.

The teacher then put on something up beat.

It took some time, but towards the end of the lesson the student finally let go. He started to dance in a way that expressed the music as opposed to just being in time. He seemed to feel the music and then made his partner (his teacher) feel it too in the way that he danced.

The teacher reported that the student seemed pleased with himself, that he danced better and that this was to be a new and regular part of her teaching.

The lesson for you

You might not always be dancing as well as you could because you are not feeling the music.

To turn a series of timed movements into dance, you need to feel the music and then share this feeling.

This is easier said than done – the student in the above example spent a number of hours working on this.

We do not force our feelings upon the music, we let the music’s feelings effect our feelings. Note how when the student used music that suited his feelings he was stuck; it did not suit the dance.

When dancing, let the music guide you and you will dance whatever dance you are dancing better.

Musical appreciation and expression

As important as this is in social dance, it is not taught as much as it could be.

If you want to learn more about really listening to music and then capturing its emotions and using those, then you need to think more like a musician. One of the best books on how to think like a musician is The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green and Timothy Gallwey.

 I have read it and found it very useful for this aspect of dance.

Can you get good musicality advice from competitive dancers?

Think about the musicality advice that you typically get from your dance teacher. Is it about timing alone or does it expand to picking up in the character of the music and expressing that character?

Good musicality will go well beyond simply being in time. You do of course need to be in time. However, if you want to have really good musicality then you should:

• sense the emotion of the music and express it
• pre-empt the music and dance figures that suit it
• Play with the music (arrive a touch below maybe or dance between the beats depending upon the stye of dance)

However, you have likely never been told to do this nor how to do it. Nevertheless, It is well worth working on your musicality; it adds the final element to social dance that really brings it to life.If you want to know more about how you can work in this, then take a look at the relative section of part two of Dance Better Now.

However, a question remains: why is it so rarely taught?

It likely gets back to dancesport. In dancesport, the processes is to develop a routine and then dance that routine in time to whatever music is played as precicely as possible and with visual appeal. While a routine could be tuned to the music that plays, dancers drill the routine for precise movements. Thus, the dancer's muscle memory of the routine will likely override any musicality the dancer has.

This is not to say that all competitive dance kills musicality. Jack and Jill comp’s, which I think make probably the best contribution to social dance from the swing dance community, not only demand good musicality, but they even promote lyricism at times. For that, you really need to understand the song you are dancing too.

Nevertheless, the dance comp’s that many of us think or are like those in movies such as ‘Shall we Dance?’ These competitions focus more on execution of figures and timing as opposed to musical interpretation and expression on the fly. Thus, you might not get as much help in this area as you might like if your studio is influenced by this approach to dance.

If you do feel that you’re missing it and want a little more, then try going to some schools or dance events that are more focused on the social side of couples dancing. Keep your ears open for musicality workshops too. I have noticed these more at dance festivals.

Just something to think about

Why learn tap?

A week before writing this I was at a dance event. It was one of those dance school events where there are students dancing all different sorts of styles and at different levels. One thing that I noticed was that despite the level, the tap dancers always seemed to have better timing then the other dancers.

I started thinking why this might be the case.

I posed the question on a LinkedIn group dedicated to teachers and coaches of dance. A few people responded, but the basic theme of the responses was the same. Tap dancers do have better timing. And this is why:

Tap dancing has both auditory and physical feedback. You can hear the sound as you step. This makes it easier to tell when you are out of time.

Tap dancers are more like musicians. Sometimes the tap dancer needs to actually add to the music when they dance. Think of the magenta tap in the time ward scene from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. See at 3:10 on the video below

Watch Time Warp - The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Music | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

 

If you’re struggling with timing or just want better musicality, then maybe a tap class or a course is what you need. Some other instructors said that they were sure that tap had made them much better able to dance with and express music. It's probably never occured to you, until then it had never occured to me, but it's still worth a try. If I do try it, then I will tell you more.

 

Men versus women: who’s got the timing issue?

When it comes to musicality do you feel that the partner is always worse than you or better? Ever wonder who better: men or women? Here is an interesting question I received via email on this topic.

I have a question about musicality...

I just started dancing classes and one of my main issues is having a hard time following my partner. It's as if the music makes me want to dance in a certain rhythm and I'm not really following my partner lead. I'm aware I'm the unexperienced one in the class and I'm always told I have to loosen up and just follow the lead.

My question is,
do you think that musicality is as important for the man as is for the woman? What if I develop my musicality and happen to dance with someone weaker in that aspect in the real life, (not in class), won't that worsen my already weak follower abilities?

Thank you!

Fidelma

And here is my reply

 

The first question is an easy one to answer. Yes. Musicality is just as important to all of us.

The second question is interesting, but I want to first talk about how to deal with this in class.

It seems to have no real solution. On the one hand, you are pretty sure that you know what you’re meant to do in response to the music. However, on the other hand, someone who seems more expert than you suggests (implicitly) that you’re not meant to do that.

It makes you ask numerous questions:

• Am I wrong with my timing?
• Are the wrong with theirs even though they are more experienced?
• If they are wrong, then what am I mean to do; dance out of time?
• If I am wrong, then what is that I am doing wrong?

The combination of uncertainty about who is wrong and uncertainty about what to do about it makes for a very unpleasant experience. This can really rob you of the pleasure of dance and it’s really not what dance is mean to do.

At this moment you might be thinking ‘Thanks, Clint; you’ve pointed out what I do know but how about you tell me what to do about this!?!’

That would be a fair call, but I am trying to establish that when we feel this way – like there is no clear way to move forward to solve a problem – we need to do something that we do not often do. We need to change the problem.

The problem is not that you can’t keep time. The problem is that he can’t keep time. The problem is not that you need to know how to fix someone’s timing and musicality.

The problem is that something feels odd.

That’s the problem that you need to solve. Everything else is unknown and needs to be worked out so that you can first solve this problem.

I have said numerous times here in my emails and in my e-books that timing was a big issue for me. I am only now after years of dance feeling comfortable to rely on my instinct and just dance with the music. I still need to count every once in a while to be sure. I know how hard it can be. I also remember watching a video on timing a few years ago and the instructor said ‘NEVER do any dance practice out of time with the music!’ You really want to make sure that you are always trying to stay on the beat so that timing becomes instinctive. This made me even more stress about my timing I was worried I will develop erroneous musical instincts.

As hard as it was for me, I know I was not alone. That’s good news because it means that no matter what you are having trouble with your teacher has probably seen that and then more.

So the answer to this problem is your teacher. But: how you ask your question of the teacher?

I would start off by saying to the teacher first that something feels odd and you’re not sure what it is. All you know is that you feel like the music is trying to tell you to do something different from what you feel your partner is telling you to do.

Notice the use of the word ‘feel’. This is important because it means you’re not saying anyone is wrong. You’re just saying that there seems to be a conflict somewhere and you want to work at resolving it. Remember the man you’re dancing with is you “partner” so work with him. He is just keen to improve as you are and just as concerned with his ability as you are with yours. If you start with the known problem (something feel odd – like there is a mismatch in what you’re feeling) and then work from there with your teacher and your partner, then you can’t help but improve.

Now what to do in the real world? This is trickier.

First, remember the following: try to be mindful of other people who are trying to learn and do not get upset if someone else seems to have difficulty dancing with you.

That means that you are allowed to say something. It also means that if you have been polite, then there is no need to feel bad if they get upset. It’s not your fault if they are having a bad day or feel that they are not doing as well as they would like. Just let them deal with their issues in their own way. You can leave if you do not like how they are behaving, but don’t let it get to you.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about what you can do.

I recall two times when I was the man in this issue. One woman was not sure and asked if I was dancing in 2 instead of 1 – we were doing salsa. The other woman asked if we could count together out loud as we danced so that we could see if we “heard” the music the same way. This actually worked quite well, and I would recommend it to any woman who feels something is off.

Depending upon what you think the man is like you might want to be more accommodating. If you’re really concerned, then try the following:

‘I am not sure if I hear the music right. Would you please count it out loud so that I can get the timing?’

Unless he has read this post he will simply assume you need help. If his timing is out, then he will potentially have a look of fear, but you never criticised him so there should be no anger towards you. If there is, then he really has issues. However, don’t assume that he is upset with you when he might actually be upset with himself.

If you hear it differently from how he does, then you can say ‘Oh – I hear it like this’ and then you count out loud. You are now in a situation where you are both considering a problem of mismatching of timing. How you progress from there depends upon you and him. Hopefully he would be just as motivated to sort out any issue as you. If he wants to get better then he should be.

In summary – don’t deal with this conflict of whether you should dance out of time so that you can follow. Solve the problem that you know is there in cooperation with those around you.

I hope that helped. Post below if anything seems unclear.

Turning bad musical habits into good timing

One of the biggest challenges most people have when they take up social dancing later in life is timing. There are numerous reasons for this, but the biggest contributor to your difficulty with timing is that you have probably picked up certain habits when listening to music that are not congruent with staying in time with music. The worst of these is listening to the lyrics more than the music.

If you do not know how to play an instrument, which would true for most of us, then the lyrics are easiest thing to listen to sync with. Because of this, after years of listening to music with a focus on the lyrics, your ability to keep time has not been exercised. In fact, without this exercise, your ability to keep time has probably regressed.

Many people who talk about musicality talk about the need to break the habit of listening to the lyrics and then focusing on the music. Some techniques for this are listening to music that has no lyrics – such as a lot of social dance music. The issue with this is that it might be hard to listen to such music for extended period – you simply might not like it enough.

It would be best if you could actually listen to the music that you like listening to to develop your ability to hear the timing in music. It would be even better if you could use your tendency to listen to lyrics to develop this skill too.

There is a way that you can do this.

I came across this method after talking to the owner of a music shop. I originally was looking for book on the basic theory of music so that I could develop my musicality further by having a solid base. I spoke the owner about what I was trying to do and explained that it was for partner dancers who wanted to improve their timing. This was the first time that he had ever heard of such a thing – I think he was so into music that the thought of having trouble dancing to it was alien to him. He mentioned the traditional methods such as clapping with a metronome, but as we spoke about it more he realised that the issue was not so much having rhythm, but actually hearing the beat in the music.

As we spoke about the nature of the issue, he showed me a range of books that each had a collection of sheet music for a variety of songs. Each book had a theme: hits of a year or a decade, style (jazz, swing, heavy metal etc.), artists and things like that. The thing about the sheet music is that it also has the lyrics – lined up with the music. This means that if you know how to read sheet music and you have it for a song you like listening to, then you can use the lyrics to spot the points within the song that bars start. This makes it easier to find the 1 beat.

And that’s basically the method.

1. Buy a book of sheet music of songs that you like.
2. Listen to the song with the sheet music.
3. Look for words in the lyrics that line up with the start of a bar.
4. Listen for when the word is sung and also listen for features of the music that change at the same time.

As you do this, you will become better at hearing the start of bars. You can then start counting the beats in bars. Soon you will be able to pick the start of each bar by listening to the music and counting in time. The key is that because you started off with the lyrics, you were able to start with your strengths to do this. It is also more fun because you’re listening to  music you like and you get to find out what the actual lyrics are instead hoping you sing along correctly with the song.

The shop owner also said that you are better off buying printed and properly published books of sheet music. This sheet music is approved by the artists and checked numerous times before publishing. Many of the sources you find online are not checked, and have numerous mistakes. Also, if you need learn the basics of sheet music, then the stores that sell the sheet music will also stock books on the basics so that you can read the sheet music. You need not go to a music store either, you can buy published books online.

This is probably the one that most people would like – it has songs of different styles, from different years and by different bands.

I actually listed to the first song (Babylove by the Supremes) a few times over while looking at the sheet music. It was remarkable to me to start being able to pick how the lyrics were starting with the first beat at times and then the second beat at other times. It’s good when you can count the music while following the sheet and see the words coming up on the right count.

If you do need to learn more about sheet music, then I have found Mark Harrison’s Contemporary Music Theory (level one) an easy to read with a good coverage. It has a lot more than what you need as a dancer, but that’s what you would expect from a music book. I like having it as a reference.

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