Introduction
When you start partner dancing you might find that one of you major issues is timing. This is obviously essential. If you can't dance in time or start on the right beat, then all the other skill counts for little. On the other hand, you might know how to keep time, but you have no real connection with the music. That means that no matter what music is playing you still use the same typical steps (if you're a lead) or you use the same technique and style (if you're a lead or a follow). This higher level of musicality is essential if you want to take your couples dancing to an intermediate or higher level or if you want more connection in your dance. It also helps to make your dancing more natural. So no matter the level of your partner dancing learning, you can probably improve your dance by improving your musicality, This article will explain why you might be having issues and then talk about how you can use immersion to improve it.
Why we have troubles
There are a collection of reasons why you are not that good with music that people dance to. It is possible that a number of them affect you.
· Never really taught about music - if you're like me, then you never really paid attention in music class while at school. All the basics of music are typically taught to us when we are children, but that doesn't mean that we were good students.
· Listen more to lyrics than music - this is probably the one that you are most likely to notice. Most people tend to listen to the lyrics in popular songs. In popular music, the lyrics can come in at different types, it can pause and it can hold. All while the music itself continues at its steady beat. If you tent to follow the lyrics, then you will not be able to dance in time.
· Listen to a certain type of music - you probably have a fairly good intuitive understanding of music because you have been listening to it for most of your life. However, you have been listening to the type of music that you like. This is probably popular music. The music used for partner dance is different, especially salsa music, which has a pattern that goes over two bars, and waltz, which has three beats to the bar instead of the more common 4.
Immersion method
The immersion method assumes that you have been listening to music, and have the basics within you, and all you need to do is focus on the applicable aspects of the right type of music. It does also assume that you know the basics of what makes up a bar so if you're familiar with the basic of music (beats, bars and such), then read about them first.
Once you know the basics, select music that you will be dancing to (try to get a good number of songs in the style that interest you). Also make sure that it is music that you know something about. You want to know its beats per minute and the number of beats in a bar. This will help you to ensure that you're listening correctly later on.
Now you simply listen to the music. For a long time. The longer the better. While you're working, when you're in the car, whenever you can. This is why you want a good number of songs.
If you need to learn to count music, then you will need to listen a bit more intently. You need to try finding the patterns in the music, pick the times when each bar starts, then try counting the beats in the bars. If you think you have it, then count the beats for a period of 15 seconds. Multiply this by 4 and see if it matches the beats per minute of the music. This is why it helps to know the BPM of the songs you listen to. Note: some songs are described by the bars per minute and not the beats per minute.
If you can count, but need to work on the expression of the music, then listen to the music in a less intense manner. Focus more on how you feel when you listen to the music. Then think about the way you would dance to express this feeling.
To help take you musicality a bit further the next step is to break it down. Try to listen for each instrument. This will help you become more attune to the subtleties of the music. As you become better at it you will notice how some instruments only come in at certain times. Try imagining what you would do at each time those instruments can be heard. This will help you dance in a way that is connected to the music.
Expected progress
I have said that you need to listen for a long time, but you're probably wondering what that is. As a guide, it can take around 8 hours to be able to count the beats and note the start of each bar. However, you can always get better at being able to hear the instruments. Remember, it takes time and effort to develop this ability, and you should view this as an ongoing process. However, never force it, you want to put the effort in by spending time listening and immersing yourself, but you do need to let the feelings come from within to respond well to the music while dancing.
Final note
Some people have good musicality because they have a lot of practice. Think about musical families; you probably think that it must be genetic. However, if you were raised in a musical family, then just imagine how much practice you would get in and how much better your musicality would be. This means that is all comes down to the effort, and that you can have good musicality too. You just need to put the time in.
No comments:
Post a Comment