Foot tapping

[mr. beaumont]

I read that Benny Goodman prohibited his band from foot tapping. His theory was that his musicians should focus their rhythms into their horns, not into tapping their feet. I don't agree, but I see his point.

And if you think about the situations Benny was playing in, with big bands on wooden risers, all that tapping could definitely be disruptive!

[AllanAllen]

Hard to imagine anyone struggling to keep time with Gene Krupa hitting the kick on every beat. Listen to the Goodman Trio, the kick drum never stops boom boom boom boom, all the way through like a walking bass line.

[charlieparker]

I just realized that of you are tapping on 1 and 3 but count it like cut time like Galper recommended with 8th notes becoming 16th notes, etc, then the Charleston rhythm just becomes like playing on the 1 and the and of 1. And quarter note triplets become regular triplets.

[brent.h]

Yes. Higher tempi songs will feel slower too. Once you get to 240 and above, tap your foot once a bar. You will be a lot more relaxed the faster song is. Learn to feel time slower even when the rhythm section is cooking.

Remember you started a thread some time back about learning to appreciate Louis Armstrong? Well, Satch to me is the best person to study for high tempo playing. He will show you the way. I posted some videos on Satch playing at burning tempo. Check them out.

[rpjazzguitar]

I think it can depend on the music as well as the player.

For example, take the case of 6/8 at a blistering tempo.

If the melody is dotted quarters, it will feel like 2/4.

But, if the melody should be three quarter notes, or one quarter note followed by something else, then tapping in 2/4 may make things harder.

Not tapping is always an option - if you can keep a useful pulse going in your head. I find my foot is helpful for that.

So, for blistering 6/8, I find it easier to tap only on the one. Three quarter notes then feel like a triplet. Other divisions may be difficult, but would probably be harder (at least for me) using any other tapping strategy.

A simple case is just a fast tempo in 4/4. I've seen great players tapping quarter notes at bop speeds, with the foot just vibrating. But, for most of us, it's probably helpful to tap once or twice per measure and start feeling the fast tune as if it were half speed.

I believe the dictum that tapping on 2 and 4 leads to better feel than 1 and 3, but I can't comfortably do it reliably. I'd guess that a week or so of constant practice would build the neurons needed (this is science, but I won't bore you), but I haven't done it yet. That said, plenty of good players tap each way.

[BWV]

Would you all count 1 beat to the bar in 3/4 then?

Have to try focusing on 1 & 3 - seems it would make it much easier to count bars , and can just use the bar number for 1 and a syllable for 3 like 1 - ta - |2 - ta -|

[Christian Miller]

Would you all count 1 beat to the bar in 3/4 then?

Have to try focusing on 1 & 3 - seems it would make it much easier to count bars , and can just use the bar number for 1 and a syllable for 3 like 1 - ta - |2 - ta -|

Yeah. Although, I have seen some people tap in 3/2 while playing 3/4 like a hemiola.


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[rpjazzguitar]

I've seen arrangements in 3/4 where the chords were written as dotted quarters (creating a 2 over 3 pattern).

I remember that being hard at first. After I got used to the 2 over 3 quality, it seemed easy. I think the brain eventually builds the connections you need.

So, at moderate tempi in 3/4, I'd tap quarters. At fast tempi, dotted-halves (meaning on the one of each bar).

I've never wanted to tap eighths in 6/8. Usually, I tap dotted quarters, but tha can be confusing depending on the melody/hits. There are times when it seems like it might be better to tap quarters (making the whole thing like 3/4) but that seems to get confusing at faster tempos, again, depending on where the melody/hits are.

One thing that sometimes gets confusing at a big band session is when it's an unfamiliar tune/chart at an unspecified tempo. In that situation I don't find out what the rhythm is like until the tune is counted off. Then, I have to make a decision about tapping. How can I tap in a way that will make things easier? And, oddly enough, I can get confused by my own tapping if I have no "headroom" in my ability to play the chart.

There's one chart that starts out in 8/8. Later it goes to 4/4 with a notation "double time". Obvious, right?

Here's a tune that might take a moment's thought about how to tap.