Foot Tapping.

[thatotherguy]

I've always played taping my foot in 4, but my teacher is getting me to tap in cut time. I understand the concept and it makes sense but for the life of me i can't get my foot to do it. any one got any tips?

[seanm]

Interesting..... I used to play sax in high school and I was taught never to tap your foot. Why does your teacher want you to tap at all?

[crack-boom]

I just tap quarters mostly... Sometimes 8ths if the song needs it... Sometimes the 1 and 4 of 6/8 timing depending on tempo... For me a lot of it comes down to feeling what I need to count in the song to keep time, sometimes I dont need to count at all if I know the song well enough and sometimes I find myself doing it without even thinking, actually that is most of the time now hah.

Do whatever helps you keep in time, not what helps keep your teacher in time. Try it cause they are your teacher for a reason but if it doesnt work for you doesnt mean you have to keep doing it their way

[Jazzerbone]

Taughy to never tap your foot? Why?

[seanm]

When there are 20 or 30 people in the band.... the tapping is too loud.

[Elrend]

When playing in odd time signatures, I usually divide my feet and tap an entirely metronomic drumbeat.

Ex 7/4: Left heel, right foot, left heel, left heel, right foot, left heel, right foot, left foot.

I found it to be really helpful while learning to play naturally in odd time sigs (with no real subdivision, to avoid sounding metronomic.)

[Demonator]

In our high school band, we either tap or watch the teacher, although most get lost anyway.

[seanm]

Originally Posted by Demonator

In our high school band, we either tap or watch the teacher, although most get lost anyway.

[Audiophage]

Maybe for faster tempos?

[thatotherguy]

yeah for uptempo stuff & mostly syncopated music too.

[Mark Wilson]

While I studied with Rich Brown, he was big on feeling a groove wider. If you can tap you foot 1 and 3, or 2 and 4 as opposed to all four beats, you'll have a better feeling of a groove.

Conversely, keep trying to widen it. Tap only on 1. It actually helps.

[snyderz]

Off topic, but we have two gals that come to EVERY gig. (Bless their hearts!) We call them the Rhythm Twins. Their sense of rhythm is so far off when they are dancing, it looks like they are dancing to a completely different song than we are playing. I actually try NOT to watch them, as it can throw me off in an instant. I definitely tap my toe when they are dancing, as do the rest of the band.

[Jazzerbone]

Back to the OP... Try setting your metronome to click only on 1 and 3 (or 2 and 4) and play along to get used to the feel before you try it with your foot.

[kesslari]

Here's a trick to tapping cut time.
Think of the upstroke of your foot as a tap, too.
1=down, 2=up, 3=down, 4=up.
It helps your reading because it's easier to keep your place in the bar. If you're tapping every quarter, and reading complex stuff, then you can easily lose it - "am I on beat 2 or3?"
If you're tapping cut time, your down-tap is 1 or 3, and those are much harder to confuse.

[seanm]

For people who tap, do you also do it when standing? And does it throw you off *not* to be able to tap?

[Jazzerbone]

I find myself tapping while standing sometimes, but then my other leg gets tired. It doesn't throw me off to not tap though.

I guess a question needs to asked. Why tap your foot in the first place? It's about internalizing the beat and groove of the music. Tapping your foot is a common way of doing so, but it's not the only way. Watch Victor Wooten, he's not always tapping his foot but he's definately got an internal groove going on. I believe playing good music, especially on bass, requires a physical commitment of just more than hands. It doesn't necessarily have to be visible, but something is going on somewhere. Tapping your foot is a good and easy way of getting that started.

Your teacher is trying to point out the difference between feeliNg something in two and feeling it in four. There's a big difference between the two.

[thatotherguy]

yeah i completely understand why he's getting me to do it. I'm just have trouble doing it. As soon as i try i completely loose it.