a bit of a light hearted question
at what point when you started playing where you able to tap your feet and play at the same time. as a some one just learning, i feel like the poor village idiot who can't walk and chew gum at the same time.
I would say that the tapping of the feet is not an essential part of the music-playing. Having a good internal rhythm IS. Some people have a rock-steady rhythm and don't flex their foot muscles at all, others do intricate little rhythm patterns as they play. Or even big patterns.
Is somebody trying to tell you that you MUST tap your feet ? They lie !
Podiatric percussion is the curse of sessions. (although obviously judging by the straw poll of this forum so is: dots, strummers, bodhrans, performances, progressives et al...)
But bloody loud clod hopping bang bang on the floorboards is a manifest incarnate curse!
I want to have a selection of carpet samples so I can slip one between (ooh er Matron!) the perpitator (I wish bloody The.Session.org could run to an online spell check- Imagine how many pedants here that would frustrate?!) and the floor.
It's terrible, not needed, wrong and please stop it (don't bleeding practice or consider it part of what you do- the music played correctly (right word?) carries enough 'melodic rhythm' without some Herbert inflicting a four to the floor for us (presumably in case we can't feel the groove ourselves and need some size twelve wearer to spell it out for us).
I thank you
Wig glue and trouser changing to you all
PS: Did a fab sessh with John, Peter & Dara tonite- no one found it nedd to pound the Wilton or is an Axminster?
My band director had taught me from the get go to always tap my foot when playing music. Now I can have a steady beat without moving my foot however there are some tunes that I just can't resist stomping my foot to.
To demonstrate that you don't have to tap your feet when playing, just watch any symphony orchestra. Not a foot-tap in sight! It's great if you have a good sense of internal rhythm but there are no rules. Tap away if you want. If anyone moans, tell them they should be observing the talent in the bar and not watching your feet. Unless you are the talent, of course...
tapping your feet is groovy. heel toe heel toe. It's great, it's about getting your whole body into it, moving with it. I'ts fun, and more importantly, it comunictaes fun with with your diddley chums
Heavy foot tapping is the curse of sessions. If you are going to do percussion play a bodhran where you can concentrate on getting it right. I've seen too many sessions with multiple feet going not quite with the tune in several different ways.
The exception is if you are playing traditional Quebequois music where foot percussion is part of the tradition.
Snork - you are not along, and I agree with Llig. This is supposed
to be fun, dance music, not Mozart's Requiem. And also classical
player *do* tap their toes inside their shoes on occasion. It's
considered bad form to let it show to the audience though.
I have to say, it has taken me years to be able to tap my feet while
playing fiddle. This is for two reasons:
1. I was using every available brain cell to play the instrument
2. not being capable of playing solidly in rhythm
This is another reason for working on your foot tapping. If you can't
do it, it may indicate you're not able to play in rhythm.
However, I have also noticed good players (usually on guitar) doing
random, out of time foot stomping even though their playing *is* in rhythm.
"To demonstrate that you don't have to tap your feet when playing, just watch any symphony orchestra. Not a foot-tap in sight!"
Maybe not in sight-- but they're at least wiggling their toes to the beat, inside their shoes. They also have a visual metronome in front of them. And they ARE counting beats.
I remind people who I give lessons to that if they have trouble with the rhythm then they should tap their feet or move something in time to the music. The best ITM players that I know **all*** tap their feet. If you've ever played for dances then it's nearly impossible NOT to move your feet.
When I don't tap is when I am having trouble with the tune in some manner. Not catching the phrasing or having trouble with the timing. Otherwise I tap. And for the rest... there's Mastercard.
Foot tapping came naturally for me, but not for years and years. When it happened, I didn't even realize I was doing it. Not a bad way to go: rather than making it happen, just let it happen. (And monitor it at first to make sure you're actually tapping in time.)
It's *not* a requirement for playing this music well, though lots of good players do it. There are also plenty of good players who don't do it, or not all the time anyway.
Jon, I've just been listening on YouTube. Sorry, but it includes drum ...
Gerry O'Connor, Paul McSherry, Martin O'Hare - Yellow Wattle, Pat McKenna's, Christy Barry's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpAkgNhImjU
So my question is, if you aren't a foot-tapper (by choice, or because you haven't got the hang of it), do you tap your foot when listening to others?
Before I played, I was always a foot tapper. When I started to learn, I just kept right on tapping. I've noticed the same with my son, who always had a foot tapping from a very young age. Now he plays, & taps his foot as well.
Anyone notice that men tap their feet much more often (and emphatically) than women do? I suspect there's a cultural explanation to this, and not just a musical one...
I will tell you what a younger musician told me, that her teacher told her. "Don't pick up your entire foot and stomp it on the ground. Not only does it use too much mental and physical energy, but it also disturbs the music. It also distracts you and everyone else. People didn't come to hear you stomping your feet, they came to hear you play." But there is no problem with lightly tapping your foot, as this isn't as much a disctration(if a distraction at all.)
*Also, Watch Liz Carrol play! She practically dances in her seat! Especially when she has that awesome guitar accompanist. I'll send a vid. when i get in front of a computer.
Don't worry shnork, it will come to you with time. Especially when you get a good feel for the music and are comfortable with your instrument.
Like Will said, it will just happen one day, and you won't even realize it. I wouldn't worry too much or focus on it. I would focus more on the timing of your playing because I know people that can tap their foot out of rhythm haha.
I mind the story of the Orkney Strathspey and Reel Society when recording their first album. The engineer decided there was too much noise from the tapping of feet, but the players couldn't refrain from shuffling to their own refrain. They were asked to remove their clodhoppers to continue the recording and duly obliged. There was no more extraneous noise, but the place was humming.
I was recording a demo for a songwriter one time, similar problem. He came up with the most astounding solution I've ever heard. When I played it back, and he found he could hear his foot tapping, he asked me to put a mic on his foot.
As a learner myself, it came naturally to me. Earlier I didn't use to tap and now I can't avoid doing it. Both of which are okay for me, at least at this stage
Kennedy, the reason men tap their feet more than women is because we're always trying to put our foot down, to seal our decisions, because we know we're doomed to be overridden.
"i feel like the poor village idiot who can´t walk and chew gum at the same time"
I know just how you feel, shnork. I have been playing whistle for years, with what I think is a good sense of rhythm and still
can´t manage to tap my foot along to a tune. This surprised me initally as I´m one of those people who when listening to music with a strong beat can´t help myself not tapping my foot or moving some other part of my body.I sometimes sit among an audience and think, OMG how do they manage to "just sit"
here without moving anything. Obviously playing myself is a different kettle of fish. Years down the road from starting out I sometimes catch my foot tapping to three or four bars of a tune that I´m playing, but that´s maximum. I´ve given up worring about it. Either it will come or it won´t. So long as I can PLAY in rhythm I´m not too bothered.
When I learned to play the pipes I was told not to tap my foot as it wasn't permitted in competition (it is now but it wasn't then) and also that it requires effort and concentration better focused on playing. As a result I never tapped my foot even years later after learning guitar. It was only when I took up the fiddle that I realised I had been denied an enjoyable part of the music, and set about tapping. It wasn't easy, but now I can do it or not as I please, which is handy (there must be a better word) if you don't want to annoy your neighbour. If you watch children and incompetent players they all have trouble keeping time. It needs practise to get it right, although I am sure the instinct to do it is universal.
I have no idea when I started tapping my feet to music, but I guess it started long before I started playing, afterwards it was just a question of playing well enough to let my foot tapping express itself... my six year son, brushes his teeth and taps his foot at the same time, he even does it now when there's no music (well no music that you can hear, but I guess he has a tune going on in his head)
I noticed recently that I now have both feet going, right foot goes toe heel toe heel, the left foot is just the heel when the right foot is on the toe, and sometimes the accordion joins in as well, but it tends to bounce more than tap...
When I started playing I tended to tap my foot in time with my playing even when my timing was off. I couldn't tap my foot on the beat if a tune was syncopated, though I could stomp in time with the accented notes. I think it was a couple of years before I found I was doing a steady tap and had a feel for how I was playing in relation to that. Practicing counting whilst listening in the car (but not when playing) possibly helped. Four years in I now find myself doing various combinations of heel and/or toe on one or two feet and swivelling on a toe to be silent. Am keeping my eyes open for a podorhythmy workshop.
In that clip, cag, it looks as though they've been given a piece of carpet each under their trainers. I wonder what it would have sounded like if they had been wearing tap shoes instead.
for those who aked , always been a foot tapper ( tap not stomp) but i think its using all my brain power to concentrate on the music, some times i noticed myself swainging a little bit when i get comfortable with a piece
Whether you should tap your feet during a session or not may be a bit controversial (although I don't really see why). But I think you should be able to properly tap your feet when you practice. Developing that internal clock is quite important, and being able to run a rhythm while playing is a very useful skill. Once you can do it, you can decide whether you should use it during a session.
My neighboor doesn't appreciate heel-tapping. So I've converted to the less comfortable toe tapping. I guess he can truly appreciate my whistle playing even more now :D
I instinctively became an automatic foot tapper when I started playing this music - I have no idea why. It never seemed that hard to me. After a few years of learning on my own, I started to take lessons whenever I could. More than one teacher told me to try playing without tapping my foot, just as an exercise to put more of my attention on my playing. Mind you, two of the people that told me this were regular foot tappers, so they weren't trying to tell me foot tapping was bad.
Well, it was like torture trying to play without tapping. I couldn't do it at all at first. It was probably at least two or three weeks before I could play without my foot automatically joining within 16 bars or so of a song. To this day, I can't play through an entire polka without my foot involving itself.
I do think it has been a useful thing to learn (i.e., how to play without tapping). As for why it's so hard for some people to tap and for others not to, it's probably really just a matter of muscle memory.
I have found at some of the big sessions associated with various music festivals that a good percentage of people who are tapping are not doing so to the beat. This is pretty annoying.
shnork
< you started playing where you able to tap your feet > etc..
Don't worry about it what started me was watching local flute players around County Rosscommon do it, even while standing... I thought it look cool at the time, I was only 20 yrs of age about then... Now its a bl**dy liability, Ruin's every recording I do and can be a banter point at session's. You are missing nothing !
jim,,,
I'm a foot tapper - but I do it somewhat less spastically than the Nordski's in skreech's video. However I am also still prone to headbanging as well - and that probably needs to stop soon.
shnork
Don´t worry, I´m the idiot who can´t walk and chew gum, hell I can bearly breathe and blink at the same time, but if you can´t count past two without getting muddled up, then foot tapping can help.
New question, do you guys tap your feet to the tunes in your head? I do!!!!
"do you guys tap your feet to the tunes in your head". Yes, much easier than when playing. Just been doing it while reading the tune types/tempos thread (to check that I usually tap slides at two to a bar and discover that tapping jigs at one to a bar has an interesting effect)
I´ve found that In noisy settings or large sessions ( big distances), keeping an eye and synchronizing on someone (the one leading the set, or a good player close enough) who consistently taps his/her feet can be a lifesaver to maintain and conserve the beat througout the set. This way the whole session can benefit from the tapping by you ensuring a synchronized beat, and it can prevent the music to dissolve...
It is interesting, though, to observe and appreciate that it is rather individual as to where the beat is as opposed to the "stomp". On some occations you also come across people who stomp with no sync to the rhythm.....
I have seen fist fights and bands break up due to overly zealous foot tapping turned to stomping.
I have seen late night Breton dancers stomp right through the wooden floor of someone's house at a party(we thought it was wild at the time but the landlord was not laughing!).
At a workshop with Le Vent du Nord, the very first thing they taught was how to play the rhythm of the tunes with your feet; it was a great lesson.
Thanks for the link of "good" tapping-no question the lads have it down!
Conclusion-tapping is great if it doesn't hurt anyone else! And if you try to record, and it sounds awful, you'll have to learn how to tone it down. It is part of your overall sound. No harm if it's internal instead.
Just as a matter of interest (well to me anyway) I heard that the original quote by whichever American politician it was regarding whichever president it was (no prizes for guessing) was 'that guy can't f art and chew gum'. Which is funny because I've often seen people stop chewing to break wind -- it must be Darwinian.
@gam what really got me about what you just wrote was the the word "Often".
have you other life experiences that you would like to share with us ? e.g. have you ever seen someone puke and break wind at the same time?, and how do you know? what about playing the tin whistle on the toilet, stuff like that, keep it coming...
i think its nice to hear the aul feet tapping away and from my 40 odd yrs of listening to and watching lots of musicians up and down the country many of the greats tap with great gusto ! i think it brings the music to life,the most important thing is to stay in time and if your foot can tap in synch with your fellow players its a great help even visually if theres a distraction in or outside the session,so id say its ok either way once your having fun with the folk your with.
my Dad taught me to tap my foot whiile playing from the time I was 4 years old. I don't always do it. Sometimes my feet dance a little bit. But if we are not together I will stomp until we all are. Or until I can't stomp anymore.
My head moves to the tunes in my head. I do wonder sometimes why people stare at me in the street. Is it the perpetual falling over, the neon yellow DMs, the random head movements or the chewing of gum with large mouth movements? Who knows?
the tapping of feet
the tapping of feet
a bit of a light hearted question
at what point when you started playing where you able to tap your feet and play at the same time. as a some one just learning, i feel like the poor village idiot who can't walk and chew gum at the same time.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by shnork
Re: the tapping of feet
I would say that the tapping of the feet is not an essential part of the music-playing. Having a good internal rhythm IS. Some people have a rock-steady rhythm and don't flex their foot muscles at all, others do intricate little rhythm patterns as they play. Or even big patterns.
Is somebody trying to tell you that you MUST tap your feet ? They lie !
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Guernsey Pete
STOP BASHING YOUR RUDDY FEET!
Podiatric percussion is the curse of sessions. (although obviously judging by the straw poll of this forum so is: dots, strummers, bodhrans, performances, progressives et al...)
But bloody loud clod hopping bang bang on the floorboards is a manifest incarnate curse!
I want to have a selection of carpet samples so I can slip one between (ooh er Matron!) the perpitator (I wish bloody The.Session.org could run to an online spell check- Imagine how many pedants here that would frustrate?!) and the floor.
It's terrible, not needed, wrong and please stop it (don't bleeding practice or consider it part of what you do- the music played correctly (right word?) carries enough 'melodic rhythm' without some Herbert inflicting a four to the floor for us (presumably in case we can't feel the groove ourselves and need some size twelve wearer to spell it out for us).
I thank you
Wig glue and trouser changing to you all
PS: Did a fab sessh with John, Peter & Dara tonite- no one found it nedd to pound the Wilton or is an Axminster?
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by yhaalhouse
Re: the tapping of feet
sorry! nedd=necc
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by yhaalhouse
Re: the tapping of feet
I was going to post a comment.
I've reconsidered.
Cheers!
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Ben Steen
sorry, response ~ I was going to respond to the question.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Ben Steen
I will say this ~
Tapping is not pounding.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Ben Steen
Re: the tapping of feet
My band director had taught me from the get go to always tap my foot when playing music. Now I can have a steady beat without moving my foot however there are some tunes that I just can't resist stomping my foot to.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by WishiwasIrish
Re: the tapping of feet
To demonstrate that you don't have to tap your feet when playing, just watch any symphony orchestra. Not a foot-tap in sight! It's great if you have a good sense of internal rhythm but there are no rules. Tap away if you want. If anyone moans, tell them they should be observing the talent in the bar and not watching your feet. Unless you are the talent, of course...
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Steve Shaw
Re: the tapping of feet
Most orchestras are instructed to observe the baton.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Ben Steen
Re: the tapping of feet
tapping your feet is groovy. heel toe heel toe. It's great, it's about getting your whole body into it, moving with it. I'ts fun, and more importantly, it comunictaes fun with with your diddley chums
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by ...
Re: the tapping of feet
Yes, fun! We're talking dance music.
...
La Cumparsita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Ud0PS0H_k
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Ben Steen
Re: the tapping of feet
Heavy foot tapping is the curse of sessions. If you are going to do percussion play a bodhran where you can concentrate on getting it right. I've seen too many sessions with multiple feet going not quite with the tune in several different ways.
The exception is if you are playing traditional Quebequois music where foot percussion is part of the tradition.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by fiddlentina
Re: the tapping of feet
Snork - you are not along, and I agree with Llig. This is supposed
to be fun, dance music, not Mozart's Requiem. And also classical
player *do* tap their toes inside their shoes on occasion. It's
considered bad form to let it show to the audience though.
I have to say, it has taken me years to be able to tap my feet while
playing fiddle. This is for two reasons:
1. I was using every available brain cell to play the instrument
2. not being capable of playing solidly in rhythm
This is another reason for working on your foot tapping. If you can't
do it, it may indicate you're not able to play in rhythm.
However, I have also noticed good players (usually on guitar) doing
random, out of time foot stomping even though their playing *is* in rhythm.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Hup
Re: the tapping of feet
"alone" I mean
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Hup
Re: the tapping of feet
"If you are going to do percussion play a bodhran where you can concentrate on getting it right"
Can we agree to ignore this one? I know, it's low-hanging fruit...
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: the tapping of feet
"To demonstrate that you don't have to tap your feet when playing, just watch any symphony orchestra. Not a foot-tap in sight!"
Maybe not in sight-- but they're at least wiggling their toes to the beat, inside their shoes. They also have a visual metronome in front of them. And they ARE counting beats.
I remind people who I give lessons to that if they have trouble with the rhythm then they should tap their feet or move something in time to the music. The best ITM players that I know **all*** tap their feet. If you've ever played for dances then it's nearly impossible NOT to move your feet.
When I don't tap is when I am having trouble with the tune in some manner. Not catching the phrasing or having trouble with the timing. Otherwise I tap. And for the rest... there's Mastercard.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by David Levine
Re: the tapping of feet
Foot tapping came naturally for me, but not for years and years. When it happened, I didn't even realize I was doing it. Not a bad way to go: rather than making it happen, just let it happen. (And monitor it at first to make sure you're actually tapping in time.)
It's *not* a requirement for playing this music well, though lots of good players do it. There are also plenty of good players who don't do it, or not all the time anyway.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Will Harmon
Re: the tapping of feet
Jon, I've just been listening on YouTube. Sorry, but it includes drum ...
Gerry O'Connor, Paul McSherry, Martin O'Hare - Yellow Wattle, Pat McKenna's, Christy Barry's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpAkgNhImjU
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Ben Steen
Re: the tapping of feet
I can't ever remember NOT being able to tap my foot when I play...
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: the tapping of feet
So my question is, if you aren't a foot-tapper (by choice, or because you haven't got the hang of it), do you tap your foot when listening to others?
Before I played, I was always a foot tapper. When I started to learn, I just kept right on tapping. I've noticed the same with my son, who always had a foot tapping from a very young age. Now he plays, & taps his foot as well.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by mulcreevy
Re: the tapping of feet
Anyone notice that men tap their feet much more often (and emphatically) than women do? I suspect there's a cultural explanation to this, and not just a musical one...
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by kennedy
Re: the tapping of feet
Nope - haven't noticed that one.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Hup
Re: the tapping of feet
I will tell you what a younger musician told me, that her teacher told her. "Don't pick up your entire foot and stomp it on the ground. Not only does it use too much mental and physical energy, but it also disturbs the music. It also distracts you and everyone else. People didn't come to hear you stomping your feet, they came to hear you play." But there is no problem with lightly tapping your foot, as this isn't as much a disctration(if a distraction at all.)
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by fiddlelearner
Re: the tapping of feet
*Also, Watch Liz Carrol play! She practically dances in her seat! Especially when she has that awesome guitar accompanist. I'll send a vid. when i get in front of a computer.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by fiddlelearner
Re: the tapping of feet
Don't worry shnork, it will come to you with time. Especially when you get a good feel for the music and are comfortable with your instrument.
Like Will said, it will just happen one day, and you won't even realize it. I wouldn't worry too much or focus on it. I would focus more on the timing of your playing because I know people that can tap their foot out of rhythm haha.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by pipersgrip
Re: the tapping of feet
I mind the story of the Orkney Strathspey and Reel Society when recording their first album. The engineer decided there was too much noise from the tapping of feet, but the players couldn't refrain from shuffling to their own refrain. They were asked to remove their clodhoppers to continue the recording and duly obliged. There was no more extraneous noise, but the place was humming.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Weejie
Re: the tapping of feet
I was recording a demo for a songwriter one time, similar problem. He came up with the most astounding solution I've ever heard. When I played it back, and he found he could hear his foot tapping, he asked me to put a mic on his foot.
I was baffled, and I asked him why.
"Well, then you can turn it down, right?"
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: the tapping of feet
As a learner myself, it came naturally to me. Earlier I didn't use to tap and now I can't avoid doing it. Both of which are okay for me, at least at this stage
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by tradguy
Re: the tapping of feet
Kennedy, the reason men tap their feet more than women is because we're always trying to put our foot down, to seal our decisions, because we know we're doomed to be overridden.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Will Harmon
Re: the tapping of feet
"i feel like the poor village idiot who can´t walk and chew gum at the same time"
I know just how you feel, shnork. I have been playing whistle for years, with what I think is a good sense of rhythm and still
can´t manage to tap my foot along to a tune. This surprised me initally as I´m one of those people who when listening to music with a strong beat can´t help myself not tapping my foot or moving some other part of my body.I sometimes sit among an audience and think, OMG how do they manage to "just sit"
here without moving anything. Obviously playing myself is a different kettle of fish. Years down the road from starting out I sometimes catch my foot tapping to three or four bars of a tune that I´m playing, but that´s maximum. I´ve given up worring about it. Either it will come or it won´t. So long as I can PLAY in rhythm I´m not too bothered.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by deirjon
Re: the tapping of feet
When I learned to play the pipes I was told not to tap my foot as it wasn't permitted in competition (it is now but it wasn't then) and also that it requires effort and concentration better focused on playing. As a result I never tapped my foot even years later after learning guitar. It was only when I took up the fiddle that I realised I had been denied an enjoyable part of the music, and set about tapping. It wasn't easy, but now I can do it or not as I please, which is handy (there must be a better word) if you don't want to annoy your neighbour. If you watch children and incompetent players they all have trouble keeping time. It needs practise to get it right, although I am sure the instinct to do it is universal.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by gam
Re: the tapping of feet
I've just bought Michelle O'Brien/Laoise Kelly 'Live at the Dock'. A delicate pairing, completely ruined by great clod-hopping over the music.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by ian stock
Re: the tapping of feet
From Leo Rowsome's pipe tutor:
"DON'T stamp your foot to beat the time: such a habit can easily be avoided in the early stages."
It seemed like he used his regulators to beat the time - sounded like he had a gaggle of geese singing along.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Weejie
Re: the tapping of feet
I have no idea when I started tapping my feet to music, but I guess it started long before I started playing, afterwards it was just a question of playing well enough to let my foot tapping express itself... my six year son, brushes his teeth and taps his foot at the same time, he even does it now when there's no music (well no music that you can hear, but I guess he has a tune going on in his head)
I noticed recently that I now have both feet going, right foot goes toe heel toe heel, the left foot is just the heel when the right foot is on the toe, and sometimes the accordion joins in as well, but it tends to bounce more than tap...
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Theirlandais
Re: the tapping of feet
Stunning tapping, music is good too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YLo3wH8dsk
Tapping is joining in the dance...
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by cag
Re: the tapping of feet
When I started playing I tended to tap my foot in time with my playing even when my timing was off. I couldn't tap my foot on the beat if a tune was syncopated, though I could stomp in time with the accented notes. I think it was a couple of years before I found I was doing a steady tap and had a feel for how I was playing in relation to that. Practicing counting whilst listening in the car (but not when playing) possibly helped. Four years in I now find myself doing various combinations of heel and/or toe on one or two feet and swivelling on a toe to be silent. Am keeping my eyes open for a podorhythmy workshop.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by David50
Re: the tapping of feet
In that clip, cag, it looks as though they've been given a piece of carpet each under their trainers. I wonder what it would have sounded like if they had been wearing tap shoes instead.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by gam
Re: the tapping of feet
for those who aked , always been a foot tapper ( tap not stomp) but i think its using all my brain power to concentrate on the music, some times i noticed myself swainging a little bit when i get comfortable with a piece
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by shnork
Re: the tapping of feet
Someone should tell Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh about women not tapping then;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC1QhQpWHP8
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by stoneboy2
Re: the tapping of feet
It was being recorded, I think that is why the carpet.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by cag
Re: the tapping of feet
Whether you should tap your feet during a session or not may be a bit controversial (although I don't really see why). But I think you should be able to properly tap your feet when you practice. Developing that internal clock is quite important, and being able to run a rhythm while playing is a very useful skill. Once you can do it, you can decide whether you should use it during a session.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Fiddler3
Re: the tapping of feet
plees, if u do it, do it piano, or pianissimo.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Oeidipus
Re: the tapping of feet
Wow! nice link cag. just in case anyone misses it here it is again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YLo3wH8dsk
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by piobagusfidil
Re: the tapping of feet
My neighboor doesn't appreciate heel-tapping. So I've converted to the less comfortable toe tapping. I guess he can truly appreciate my whistle playing even more now :D
T
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Sackwhistles
Re: the tapping of feet
I know it's been posted before, but I think this is worth watching again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_nHKS89bAo
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by skreech
Re: the tapping of feet
Very funny, skreech .
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Nicholas Jelinek
Re: the tapping of feet
That's funny. Jings. My eyes are watering.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by gam
Re: the tapping of feet
I instinctively became an automatic foot tapper when I started playing this music - I have no idea why. It never seemed that hard to me. After a few years of learning on my own, I started to take lessons whenever I could. More than one teacher told me to try playing without tapping my foot, just as an exercise to put more of my attention on my playing. Mind you, two of the people that told me this were regular foot tappers, so they weren't trying to tell me foot tapping was bad.
Well, it was like torture trying to play without tapping. I couldn't do it at all at first. It was probably at least two or three weeks before I could play without my foot automatically joining within 16 bars or so of a song. To this day, I can't play through an entire polka without my foot involving itself.
I do think it has been a useful thing to learn (i.e., how to play without tapping). As for why it's so hard for some people to tap and for others not to, it's probably really just a matter of muscle memory.
I have found at some of the big sessions associated with various music festivals that a good percentage of people who are tapping are not doing so to the beat. This is pretty annoying.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by pkerns
Re: the tapping of feet
shnork
< you started playing where you able to tap your feet > etc..
Don't worry about it what started me was watching local flute players around County Rosscommon do it, even while standing... I thought it look cool at the time, I was only 20 yrs of age about then... Now its a bl**dy liability, Ruin's every recording I do and can be a banter point at session's. You are missing nothing !
jim,,,
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by FIDDLE4
Re: the tapping of feet
I'm a foot tapper - but I do it somewhat less spastically than the Nordski's in skreech's video. However I am also still prone to headbanging as well - and that probably needs to stop soon.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Jusa Nutter Eejit
Re: the tapping of feet
Stop it now!
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by gam
Re: the tapping of feet
I can tap my foot when other people play, no problem, but hard as I try, I can't manage it when I play. So I reckoned, 'Why bother?'
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by minijackpot
Re: the tapping of feet
why bother? 'cause, as I said, it's fun.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by ...
Re: the tapping of feet
Not if you can't and everyone else can....it's like coming bottom of the class week after week.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by minijackpot
Not you, me
shnork
Don´t worry, I´m the idiot who can´t walk and chew gum, hell I can bearly breathe and blink at the same time, but if you can´t count past two without getting muddled up, then foot tapping can help.
New question, do you guys tap your feet to the tunes in your head? I do!!!!
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by mandolinist
Re: the tapping of feet
"do you guys tap your feet to the tunes in your head". Yes, much easier than when playing. Just been doing it while reading the tune types/tempos thread (to check that I usually tap slides at two to a bar and discover that tapping jigs at one to a bar has an interesting effect)
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by David50
Re: the tapping of feet
I´ve found that In noisy settings or large sessions ( big distances), keeping an eye and synchronizing on someone (the one leading the set, or a good player close enough) who consistently taps his/her feet can be a lifesaver to maintain and conserve the beat througout the set. This way the whole session can benefit from the tapping by you ensuring a synchronized beat, and it can prevent the music to dissolve...
It is interesting, though, to observe and appreciate that it is rather individual as to where the beat is as opposed to the "stomp". On some occations you also come across people who stomp with no sync to the rhythm.....
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by FiddleTramp
Re: the tapping of feet
mandolinist
< New question, do you guys tap your feet to the tunes in your head? I do!!!! >
I do sometimes, just sitting there doing nothing ; )
jim,,,
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by FIDDLE4
Re: the tapping of feet
I have seen fist fights and bands break up due to overly zealous foot tapping turned to stomping.
I have seen late night Breton dancers stomp right through the wooden floor of someone's house at a party(we thought it was wild at the time but the landlord was not laughing!).
At a workshop with Le Vent du Nord, the very first thing they taught was how to play the rhythm of the tunes with your feet; it was a great lesson.
Thanks for the link of "good" tapping-no question the lads have it down!
Conclusion-tapping is great if it doesn't hurt anyone else! And if you try to record, and it sounds awful, you'll have to learn how to tone it down. It is part of your overall sound. No harm if it's internal instead.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by primrose lass
Re: walk and chew gum
Just as a matter of interest (well to me anyway) I heard that the original quote by whichever American politician it was regarding whichever president it was (no prizes for guessing) was 'that guy can't f art and chew gum'. Which is funny because I've often seen people stop chewing to break wind -- it must be Darwinian.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by gam
Re: the tapping of feet
@gam what really got me about what you just wrote was the the word "Often".
e.g. have you ever seen someone puke and break wind at the same time?, and how do you know? what about playing the tin whistle on the toilet, stuff like that, keep it coming...
have you other life experiences that you would like to share with us ?
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Theirlandais
Re: the tapping of feet
The chewing of gum compared to foot tapping is like comparing cows chewing grass to humans chewing gum and looking like cows chewing grass :P
T
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by Sackwhistles
Re: the tapping of feet
i think its nice to hear the aul feet tapping away and from my 40 odd yrs of listening to and watching lots of musicians up and down the country many of the greats tap with great gusto ! i think it brings the music to life,the most important thing is to stay in time and if your foot can tap in synch with your fellow players its a great help even visually if theres a distraction in or outside the session,so id say its ok either way once your having fun with the folk your with.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by finin o sullivan
Re: the tapping of feet
@Theirlandais -- I used to be a publican. Believe me, 'often' is the word.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by gam
Re: the tapping of feet
Skreeche's Norwegian video: it's not for real...or is it? They seem to be trying to dance sitting down.
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by lucy farr
Re: the tapping of feet
Course it's for real
# Posted on April 11th 2011 by gam
Re: the tapping of feet
"Skreeche's Norwegian video: it's not for real...or is it?"
Aye, of course it is. Stian Carstensen is minus 4 years old and Ola Kvernberg is minus 14 years old on that clip.
# Posted on April 12th 2011 by Weejie
Re: the tapping of feet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCucQfIEqi4
This is more proof : P
T
# Posted on April 12th 2011 by Sackwhistles
Re: the tapping of feet
my Dad taught me to tap my foot whiile playing from the time I was 4 years old. I don't always do it. Sometimes my feet dance a little bit. But if we are not together I will stomp until we all are. Or until I can't stomp anymore.
# Posted on April 12th 2011 by beacheroo
Re: the tapping of feet
My head moves to the tunes in my head. I do wonder sometimes why people stare at me in the street. Is it the perpetual falling over, the neon yellow DMs, the random head movements or the chewing of gum with large mouth movements? Who knows?
# Posted on April 12th 2011 by mandolinist