Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
Anything wrong with foot-tapping?
So I was playing a gig yesterday with my percussionist, and he pointed out that my foot-tapping was audible several times. I have been working a lot with a metronome lately, so maybe that's why it was stronger than usual. When I asked him about it, he said that the rhythm should be internalized, and a musician shouldn't depend on tapping their feet or using their body to keep the time.
My reaction is that this is silly, since lots of great players tap their feet. I can understand that orchestra guys can't do it, or maybe session musicians, but the idea that a guitarist playing rhythmic music like flamenco, bossa, rumba, etc. shouldn't is foreign to me. And personally, I've felt that concentrating on keeping that foot steady helps check me from changing the rhythm to accommodate technical issues, which once in a while still happens for me!
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Miguel de Maria [the percussionist] said that the rhythm should be internalized, and a musician shouldn't depend on tapping their feet or using their body to keep the time.
Interesting. Did you ask him why he doesn't follow his own advice?
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
Sorry Miguel, but the bad news is it appears you may be in violation of municipal ordinance G-6503, Chapter 23, Article 1, Division 2, Section 23-12, which can be interpreted to indicate that there shall be “NO foot-tapping in Phoenix”.
The good news is you can request an exemption under Section 23-15 of the same chapter. In which case, if said exemption is granted, you may place a microphone at your foot for subsequent performances.
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
When I was a kid one of my older cousins brought me to a double-bill concert at a local theatre which headlined Iron Butterfly and had a band called Gentle Giant as the opening act.
I don’t remember much about this concert except one thing that I still can visualize to this day. The lead guitarist for Gentle Giant tapped his foot with perfect metronome accuracy. Gentle Giant was one of the early progressive rock bands and their music was complex. When there were mood or tempo changes in the music he would visually stomp his foot in time, in essence conducting the band and keeping them on track. I remember feeling really impressed.
Iron Butterfly was OK, I just remember the drum solo which went on, well, for.......ever.
InnaGaddaDaVida, Baby...lol.
(In hindsight, I think it might have been the bass player that was tapping his feet. It was a long time ago....)
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
I think your percussionist has had very little exposure to flamenco or none at all. Tap away.
I think you should start humming along and see how he reacts. To learn from one of the best moaners and groaners:
_____________________________
"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
This happens in jazz. Occasionally a tutor has suggested that students internalise the beat and stop outward manifestations of beat following. I find it leads to a different and possibly more focussed way of listening. Major beboppers just stand there listening to the others solo with nary a foot flutter. But, I am probably more visceral a listener than a Bill Evans fan (though of course I'm one of those too). It depends on whether you see physical moves as a diversion from proper attentiveness or as an honest engagement with the rhythmic aspect of the piece. Of course don't allow it to distract the audience. Maybe Earth Wind and Fire would be better with the dancers standing around appreciating the song and occasionally nodding. I guess you don't tap your feet in rubato or ballads.
Posts: 15723
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
Now I am older foot tap gets tiring to maintain. Of course for learning new phrases it’s essential. Once you are playing well a lot of material one shouldn’t have to rely on it but do it deliberately as part of the overall sound and expression. I feel it transmits well to audience or other musicians on stage especially if music is syncopated. I reserve it now a days for special sections of music
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
Are other percussionists available?
To speak seriously, you should be in control of all the sounds you make, but why should these not include foot taps?
One of the best pieces of advice I ever had was to tap my foot on 1 and 3 in tangos instead of on every beat (because that was making my playing frenetic). This was better advice that not tapping at all. It forced me to feel the compás.
If you’re playing a lot of syncopated stuff, it can be helpful if some part of your body is playing the on-beats, even if silently. That’s why dancers sometimes play the on-beats with their teeth, when they dance contratiempo.
So it’s a really complicated and subtle matter, beyond the understanding of a drummer.
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
That's interesting Brendan. In swing based jazz, the emphasis is always on 2 and 4 as it helps propulsion, groove etc. 1 and 3 tend to introduce stops and a jerkiness. This is a great video that shows Harry Connick Jnr. playing one bar of 5:4 to switch the clapping from the unknowing audience from their usual 1 and 3 to 2 and 4. The drummer actually celebrates by cheering at about 45s.
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to El Burdo)
Genius!
_____________________________
"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
Posts: 2006
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
Fire him and tap louder! Then the percussionist can internalize why he is out of a gig. Ricardo nailed it-it shouldn't be necessary but sometimes it's desirable, for both the audience and also the overall sound.
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to El Burdo)
Yes that is one of the differences between flamenco and swing-based jazz. Tangos flamencos can swing a little, as a passing effect, I think. This had some discussion somewhere on the foro. IIRC the outcome of learned discussion among experts was that, while flamenco can bear plenty of syncopated playfulness and triplet-y shifts, you never want full-on swing as jazz understands it.
Tapping on 1 and 3 in tangos makes sense because tangos closes on 3 (or perhaps more accurately, 7), and you want your foot to land on the close-beat. But to make it work, you have to play the foot-uplift on 2 and 4 as consciously as the taps on 1 and 3. So in a way, your foot is still playing four to the bar.
RE: Anything wrong with foot-tapping? (in reply to Mark2)
quote:
Then the percussionist can internalize why he is out of a gig
_____________________________
"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
Printable Version
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread