Tapping your foot while playing - Please Stop?

[NortyFiner]

Metal bands jump and headbang all over the place and you're worried about a tapping foot? Seriously? Away with you.

 

[drumvsbass]

I used to have that foot that the drummer would watch. I also used to have terrible foot pain after gigs. Had to consciously stop that by standing on one foot.

 

[elberon]

Why wouldn’t you tap your foot in a rock, pop, funk, blues, or Americana setting? On the other hand tapping your feet loudly during a slow, delicately pianissimo passage of something like Verdi’s Requiem might be an issue with some classical folks.

 

[legalbass]

In a classical setting -- perhaps even a jazz setting -- I could see foot-tapping being frowned upon.

In rock? Blues? Country?

Come on. That's some foot-tappin' music.

So, I guess it all depends.

 

[Tony In Philly]

I don't tap my foot, but I bop my head in a very annoying way when I watch myself on a live video. I've been compared to Joe Cocker.

 

[dr doofie]

Softly tap your bottom teeth to your upper teeth
I use the left side for kick and right for snare

 

[The Bass Clef]

I’d much rather watch someone tap their foot and play a solid groove than rush and drag all over the place. I have 3 otherwise good guitar player buddies, and all 3 of them are “russian dragons”. I’ll get them to tap their foot, or bob their head and their pocket is always immediately better, and then they forget after a few minutes and revert back to being sloppy. Seems so many non-rhythm section players are like that - especially guitar players, which most seem to think soloing is everything and just skate through their rhythm parts. I’ll take a great rhythm guitarist over a great lead guitarist all day everyday.

 

[TOOL460002]

My feet are normally worried about pedals. I can't multitask enough to add tapping.

 

[dr doofie]

only acceptable foot tappin’ fun...

 

[dr doofie]

You could switch to head banging
Cliff Burton couldn’t even wear headphones when recording... they set him up in his own room and it was a hurricane of hair...

 

[dr doofie]

My dad told me if you can’t tap your foot to what you’re playing you are just playing with yourself.

Lolol
Are you sure it was “foot” he said?

 

[5StringBlues]

hurricane of hair...

Accidental band names thread.

 

[Robscott]

Why not? It's a time-honored tradition taught to many of us as a way to keep time and get the feel into our bodies.

I will confess that when I sit and play I sometimes STOMP my foot, which is definitely distracting. But just tapping? Nah. Been done by many.

Hey, nothing wrong with stomping, stomping is good #Seasick Steve

 

[teh-slb]

And in recent videos of me I see just how distracting it is.

Never* watch videos of yourself doing stuff. You "notice" things that others either don't see or just plain don't care about. People sometimes take videos of me while I'm in the zone swimming or doing aikido. It's never pretty** so, while I always say yes to people who want to record videos or take photos of me, I never watch or look at them.

* Unless you're an actor or a public speaker, I suppose. But that can be practiced in front of a mirror
** I have a healthy dose of self-confidence, thank you for asking; it's just that, in my head, it's always way more graceful than on film

 

[Alexis Duntov]

Do you tap your foot to keep time? I sure do. And in recent videos of me I see just how distracting it is. It has caused me to stop wearing white shoes on stage. Beyond that I think I need to stop tapping my foot and maybe start bouncing my leg or swaying or something more dance-like to keep time. I'm not sure I see many pro entertainers tapping their foot.

Do you tap your foot? Or have you stopped? If so, how?

I’m working on feeling time internally so I don’t have to produce an external, physical “click” with my body. But swaying, dancing, head-nodding a la Joe Dart is great. I recorded some solo double bass the other day with a room mic and had to make a concerted effort not to tap my foot. Pretty challenging.

 

[Jhengsman]

Softly tap your bottom teeth to your upper teeth
I use the left side for kick and right for snare

I remember a Ray Parker Jr. Interview where he stated that he literally chomped his natural teeth away

 

[Watchootognbout]

If you can't tap your foot to it, it ain't Rock and Roll.

Is this Rock and Roll?
Just try and tap you foot!

 

[glocke1]

In the interests of satisfying those folks who say I stand statute-like, I try tap my foot and sway back and forth as much as possible. I am not sure I am doing it to keep my time, but rather to encourage other people to move their bodies.

A lot of great players stand statue like. I stand still also and it's been commented on as well, although I don't stand completely still I do move a little bit it just goes unnoticed.

As far as foot tapping goes I've been told by some great players that foot tapping is a no-no. I think the rationale was it can throw others off.

 

[Eric Swaim]

I do not think it matters one way or the other. I have a bad vertebre in my lower back so I move but only to keep my siadic neverve from giving me a bad night (if I am playing a heavy bass). Who really cares what it looks like. The bottom line is can you play? If you can play then enjoy "whatever floats your boat."

 

[Lagado]

I’d much rather watch someone tap their foot and play a solid groove than rush and drag all over the place. I have 3 otherwise good guitar player buddies, and all 3 of them are “russian dragons”. I’ll get them to tap their foot, or bob their head and their pocket is always immediately better, and then they forget after a few minutes and revert back to being sloppy. Seems so many non-rhythm section players are like that - especially guitar players, which most seem to think soloing is everything and just skate through their rhythm parts. I’ll take a great rhythm guitarist over a great lead guitarist all day everyday.

What you need, is a proper guitarist.