Can Foot-Tapping be Learned?

[Corgicrazed]

Try playing and tapping slowly, and then try increasing your speed. Little by little you should get the hang of it. I never really had a problem with foot tapping, but then I CAN'T talk and play piano at the same time, and that also goes for singing.

[walrii]

A music teacher of mine (not ITM) pointed out that if you have an outside tempo source (metronome, decent drummer, click track, recording) you can mess yourself up by foot-tapping. You are listening to two beats, your foot and the "real" one. If those beats aren't exactly in sync, you'll usually follow the one that's attached to your body (your foot) and be out of step with the real one. In my case, he was right. I still tap my foot if I'm not using a metronome or playing with someone/something else but listening to the "real" beat works better for me when there's someone/something else setting the tempo.

My guess is that, at some stage of proficiency, we develop an internal clock that we use to keep time and foot-tapping becomes redundant. The folks described above who foot-tap in some tempo other than what's being played seem to have developed that internal clock and not longer really listen to their feet. So, maybe foot-tapping isn't all that necessary?

<Awaits wiser/more experienced/enlightening rebuttal.>

[Innocent Bystander]

Recently I built myself a Tabor-pipe, and have increased my repertoire to nine tunes. Even though I don't get on with drums (not even bodhrans) I am yearning for a Tabor. Fortunately the big retailers do precisely the same tabor as you can get from the Early Learning Centre (Kids toys). I'm holding out for one that you make yourself from a kit - rated "very easy".

The reason I mention it here, is that once through the tune on the Tabor-pipe, the inclination is to STAMP your foot - tapping won't cut it. Outside, on grass, doesn't cut it either. I *could* fit taps to my shoes, but getting hold of a tabor is probably safer.

[hoopy mike]

Re: Can Foot-Tapping be Learned?

Yes, one step at a time.

[jileha]

Coming back to the topic to re-read, since I have been unfaithful [hangs head in shame] at foot-tapping practice. However, it's getting better.

Strangely, I found that something clicked when 1) I quit trying to use my foot-tapping as a metronome and started following my playing instead

I'm not sure this is a good approach. Ideally, you want to use your foot tapping as some kind of tempo reference, i.e. if your playing tempo varies a little bit, your steady foot tapping will keep you on the straight and narrow. If you practice and learn to tap along with whatever rhythm/tempo you are playing, the foot tapping doesn't serve any purpose anymore and you might as well stop tapping altogether. I definitely wouldn't recommend practicing this habit.

Maybe it "clicked" for you simply because playing and tapping are simply synchronized to
the same unsteady beat. Naturally it is harder to develop a steady beat against the pretty much universal tendencies to speed up and slow down according to melody lines (arpeggio- and scale-like melodies, for instance) or technical difficulties (difficult fingering) or even for psychological reasons.* But if you develop the ability of a steady, indendent tapping, you will find that your playing will become more steady as well. It takes time and practice, though.

Maybe if you work first with the metronome alone to find out your weak spots for tempo variations and to create the ability to play along with the metronome without having to fight it all the time. Once you've developed a more steady playing, combine metronome and tapping. In th final stage, your tapping can take over from the metronome completely.


*I've found that just knowing that some tricky bit is coming up can make you "panick" and speed up, when playing the same passage relaxed and at a steady speed renders this difficult passage quite manageable. A funny observation: At sessions, the third time of a tune often speeds up towards the end, maybe in anticipation of the next tune in the set.

[Mockingbird]

This is helpful advice. Thanks!

[mutepointe]

Many, many years ago, when I first started playing (guitar) with other people, I had a dickens of a time starting in time with them. Having someone count, "1,2,3" or "1,2,3,4" didn't work too well. What finally worked is having the group leader (she played flute) tap her foot. This also worked going through difficult (for me) passages. Maybe you don't need your foot to tap, maybe you need someone else's foot to tap.

[Daniel_Bingamon]

Another admitted heal-tapper. Tried using the toe side tapping - wears my foot out quickly, it doesn't like it. Tried stomping too, it drives other players crazy.
Also, you can use both feet so that one foot is one the upbeat and the other is on the down beat. It drives people crazy when you play in a place with a weak floor.
Some of us are just made different....

[Mockingbird]

I am indeed finding the heel-tapping less exhausting than toe-tapping. The Bill Ochs CD is as helpful as I'd hoped it would be. I'm able to tap a steady rhythm while playing the first simple tunes in the book.

I'd also forgotten all about stabilizing the whistle. No wonder it slipped away from me every so often on C#.

[Nanohedron]

Re: Can Foot-Tapping be Learned?

Yes, one step at a time.

*rimshot*

[highwood]

why stop at foot tapping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AYEeHWYjcI
this was a quick search - I've seen more intricate performances, this is what I found quickly.

[Jäger]

Re: Can Foot-Tapping be Learned?

Yes, one step at a time.

*rimshot*

I'll do you one better than that:

http://instantrimshot.com/classic/?sound=rimshot

[DrPhill]

Re: Can Foot-Tapping be Learned?

Yes, one step at a time.

*rimshot*

[pedant]Actually I think that that is a 'sting'. [/pedant]

[Nanohedron]

Fine. From now on it's "Ba-DUMP chaaa", then.

[s1m0n]

Re: Can Foot-Tapping be Learned?

Yes, one step at a time.

Bravo!