As someone who started out playing a wind instrument in school band, tapping your foot to the beat was essential. Honestly, if you can't at least learn to do it (you don't have to do it constantly), your timing is probably going to suck.
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Tapping your foot when you play
- Thread starter azian32
- Start date
The first instrument I ever learned was piano when I took lessons (classical) as a kid. So tapping my foot was just not a thing for me, as it was very discouraged at recitals and when we did the Trinity College Of London piano exams, I think they actually took points off for it! So it's actually not something I thought about doing until I started playing keys, guitar, and bass with various bands and saw everybody else doing it! It's funny how much classical piano has influenced me as a musician in the long run and I didn't realize it until I recently started seriously dusting off my theory/reading chops. I'm very conscious of the most efficient position for any part I'm playing... a lot of times, the way I move my left hand is very similar to how I play scales on the piano. It took me a while to put my whole body into playing bass-and to relax!- because classical piano was such a restrained and disciplined thing for me.
My current bass teacher discourages foot-tapping and insists I should "feel" the rhythm "like a heartbeat." I can see how in a sense, tapping your foot steadily might be sort of a distraction if you're really feeling a groove, but I dunno... I think so much of it depends on one's style of learning and playing in general, and obviously on the style of music.
My current bass teacher discourages foot-tapping and insists I should "feel" the rhythm "like a heartbeat." I can see how in a sense, tapping your foot steadily might be sort of a distraction if you're really feeling a groove, but I dunno... I think so much of it depends on one's style of learning and playing in general, and obviously on the style of music.
i think it was louis armstrong who said "if you can tap your foot to it, its good music" or something similar. but i dont think he meant that you force yourself to do it. i think he was talking about the subconscious body movement that good music has been known to cause.
my $0.02 is to not worry about it. if you are in the groove, and everything sounds great then whats to worry about? and i obviously dont know your instructor but if he is the type of teacher who thinks that everything he does is right because he went to school, or was almost famous, or whatever his excuse is, then maybe its time for a new teacher. but like i said, im just saying IF that happens to be the case.
rock out, do your thing, and who knows, maybe one day you will look down and see your foot tapping all on its own. or maybe you will be banging your head, or snapping your fingers, or shaking your hips. just do your thing. free your mind and your *** will follow.
my $0.02 is to not worry about it. if you are in the groove, and everything sounds great then whats to worry about? and i obviously dont know your instructor but if he is the type of teacher who thinks that everything he does is right because he went to school, or was almost famous, or whatever his excuse is, then maybe its time for a new teacher. but like i said, im just saying IF that happens to be the case.
rock out, do your thing, and who knows, maybe one day you will look down and see your foot tapping all on its own. or maybe you will be banging your head, or snapping your fingers, or shaking your hips. just do your thing. free your mind and your *** will follow.
You have to separate the learning and performance aspects of your playing. Tapping your foot while practicing may help you to count and keep a steady beat. When you are performing, you can bob your head, sway to the music, dance around and/or tap your foot. Whatever works and feels good.
It is important to separate the two. Practicing does not have to be (and probably won't be) a spiritual experience. You are practicing the nuts and bolts so that when you get to the performance and artistic side of things, you don't have to think about it and you can just play.
It is important to separate the two. Practicing does not have to be (and probably won't be) a spiritual experience. You are practicing the nuts and bolts so that when you get to the performance and artistic side of things, you don't have to think about it and you can just play.
Learning about music by having come up through the school orchestra program (age 10 - age 18), we were taught from the beginning to get that foot tapping, and keep it tapping! I believe the point was to deeply instill into us an accurate sense of meter, such that it would always remain with us.
Now I don't see many (any?) professional musicians conspicuously tapping their feet with every beat. On the other hand, I don't know of any of them who have a problem keeping an accurate meter either.
I don't know how old you are (haven't checked out your profile). But judging by your comments and questions, you seem very young. Could be that your teacher is trying to instill a deep sense of meter within you, just as my teachers & orchestra directors did with me. That's not a bad thing.
MM
When I learn a new groove, I will learn it, then I will try and tap my foot when I play it. If I can't tap my foot and play the groove 100 percent solid, then I need to work on it. I don't tap it when I'm playing live or anything. You have to make sure you don't end up playing to your foot as your foot keeps the time, that's the mistake lots of people make. It's just something I use to help internalize where the beat is when I'm learning something new.
My guitar player & I both do it, on my part it is an unconscious thing that I just catch myself doing. I've also heard people say when playing pool if I tap my foot before shooting I tend to play well.
I think it's a huge plus. Doesn't have to be tapping your foot but if you're keeping the rhythm there somewhere it can help a lot. It's particularly good when you're playing something that *doesn't* want to be right on the money - eg reggae. You can keep solid time with your foot while playing behind the beat with your notes.
I think foot-tapping is one of those things that comes naturally to some people more than others, and is therefore more helpful to some players than others. It's as if we are all wired differently with respect to which particular body parts tend to move spontaneously in response to music. Look around some time when you're in the audience at a show: Some people are tapping a foot, some are tapping a finger or drumming on a tabletop, some are bobbing their heads, and some are full-out dancing.
For me personally, all of these other kinds of movements come more naturally and spontaneously than foot-tapping. If I try to force myself to tap my foot while I'm playing, it hinders more than it helps. But I'm always feeling the beat somewhere in my body, and I feel sure that this serves the same function for me that foot-tapping does for other folks.
For me personally, all of these other kinds of movements come more naturally and spontaneously than foot-tapping. If I try to force myself to tap my foot while I'm playing, it hinders more than it helps. But I'm always feeling the beat somewhere in my body, and I feel sure that this serves the same function for me that foot-tapping does for other folks.
Sometimes I tap my foot, but after a short while my foot gets tired, so I'll stop and do something else, like swaying back and forth or bobbing up and down. It's all good, just let the music's rhythms move you! 
I dont do it all the time but my first teacher taught me to do it as an "internal metronome". I believe its been a huge asset for me as its helped me develop very good timing. Sometimes I do it onstage, but not all the time.
I don't normally tap my foot while playing, but when I do, it is most often when there is a driving kick drum. It is not done in order to keep me in time, but more something I do as I am personally enjoying the driving rhythm of the drums - sort of like a very stifled form of dancing. Of course, I do sometimes find it useful when learning a new song to tap out the beat with my foot.
Tapping my foot was probably something that was suggested by a music teacher in elementary school long before I ever thought of playing an instrument. For me, it has always seemed like a natural movement when listening to music and never required much thought or effort at all whether I was playing an instrument or just listening to music for my own entertainment.
Tapping my foot was probably something that was suggested by a music teacher in elementary school long before I ever thought of playing an instrument. For me, it has always seemed like a natural movement when listening to music and never required much thought or effort at all whether I was playing an instrument or just listening to music for my own entertainment.
Exact same here. I seem to get thrown off the beat when I tap my foot. So I just do a gentle sway or bop and I'm good.
Not like this ---->
Best post of 2013!
Seriously, pulse is critical, but it does not need to be a foot tap. I've seen plenty of Philly bass players bob their heads forward and back to the beat! Time coordination, both in terms of pulling your own playing together (left hand/right hand) and playing with others is critical, but it need not be your feet - you can pulse it in your head or some other body part but just make sure you are conscious of time.
