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Question: I can't find the beat when listening to Salsa music (or any other music for that matter) !?
I am taking beginner Salsa Dancing classes!. And my instructor always says to find the beat before I start my dance steps!. He listens to the music and counts 1-2-3 5-6-7!. And once he starts counting I can get my steps right and I can do the basic salsa steps in the 1-2-3 5-6-7 time frame!. But when he's not counting aloud, I can't really find the the beat on my own and I just dancing without waiting for the one 1!.

In the music there is so much going on!. What is my instructor listening for when he picks up the count!? Is he listening to the bass or the drums!? There some to be a multitude of percussion instruments in the music and I have no idea what to listen for to find the beat!. He always points out the "double beat", saying that thats one!. But I can't really hear a double beat or know what a double beat is for that matter!.

And just to be clear, I don't know anything about music theory on anything like that :)

Does any one have any words of wisdom!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Finding the beat is always the hardest part as a beginner!. Salsa music is syncopated so the music doesn't always emphasise the beat in the way most Europeans and North Americans are used to!.

The fastest way is to listen day and night and eventually it will sink in!. Even when you can find the beat, listening to the music a lot will improve your dancing as you learn to interpret the music with your dance moves!.

Normally you can hear the cowbell on the 1 and the 3!. Since you haven't mentioned anything else I assume you are learning to dance on1!. In that case listen for the cowbell!.

The clave is the root of all salsa music and it is a great way to find the beat too, but often you really can't hear it well among all the instruments except in traditional son or rumba!. The "1" of the clave is on the 1 and the "3" of the clave is on the 4 (good for dancing contratiempo, i!.e on 2,3,4 6,7,8)

The clave you will hear in music from New York, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Venezuela is son clave!. The link below plays a basic son clave!. 1-2-3 1-2
http://www!.timba!.com/artists/charangahab!.!.!.

Cuban salsa uses a lot of clave from afro-cuban rumba so you will probably hear more rumba clave than son clave, but both are present!. In this case there is a slight delay on the "3-side" of the clave!. the third strike falls on 4 and half rather than 4 so people often confuse the 2-side and 3-side of the rumba clave here is an example of 3:2 rumba clave!. It sounds like the first 2 hits go together and the last three but actually it is still 1-2-3 1-2
http://www!.timba!.com/artists/charangahab!.!.!.

When you have time to kill in front of the computer watch salsa dance videos and try to see if you can see how the feet match the ryhthm, but mostly listen and dance and listen and dance and listen and dance and eventually it will sink in!. Practice makes perfect!. So practice outside of salsa class!. Find someone else in the class who wants to practice and work on it together!.

I prefer dancing Cuban Style salsa so I don't know much about good links to "regular" salsa dancing but here is a good one for Cuban dancing!. The point of this is not the moves (cubans rotate when they dance, they don't dane insa straight line) but watch how as the music changes, like when the heavy synth comes in and the percussion drops out, they change what they are doing!. They either dance afro-cuabn rumba or tembleque (trembling) and then go back to turn patterns!. When you have listened and listened and listened to the music you will also "feel" the changes in the music and your interpretation of the dance will get better
http://youtube!.com/watch!?v=-30RzT2wn64Www@QuestionHome@Com

here's the thing!. music is complicated!. some composers decide to be complicated, especially songs like salsa songs!. your right: there are many different instruments with different beats, but they all go together!. here what to do!. pick one instrument sound, try a bass or drum (uaually in some music you hear a bass or clap that is the main beat and will be counted on 2,4,6,8)!. listen to your entire song and only pay attention to listening to those key points in the song where you hear that bass or drum!. after listening to it a coupe times, start to mark out your dance in your head and see if yuo can follow it!. you can do your dance if it helps you more!. after you figure that out, the rest is easy!. start adding sounds in your head and once you've got it all, strut your salsa stuff and work those hips!. good luck! :-)Www@QuestionHome@Com

You've picked a difficult venue to begin your learning music theory!. The classics are mambos, many of which have the clave (a musical instrument that's basically a chunk of wood) stress the second beat on the odd-numbered measures, which is why it's classically danced on 2-3-4/6-7-8 instead of the left-coast way you're being taught!.
Forget that music for a bit!. The bulk of popular music in western culture for the past few centuries is in standard time (four beats to the measure) with a primary stress on the first beat of a measure and a lesser stress on the third beat!. Waltzes have 3 beats to the measure and the stress is generally on the first!. Moreover, most popular music in standard time is "square!." That is, the measures are paired, hence the eight-count in dance when the music is technically written in four-counts!. It can extend past this, with classic Delta blues, for instance, also known as 12-bar blues because of its structure, where others have a sixteen-bar structure!. If you just listen to some of the simpler music, it will become obvious to you, and once you're in the habit, it will be easier with the complex rhythms as well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I am a white girl, and I am an excellent salsa dancer!. It wasn't easy, but with a lot of work, I "found the beat"!.!.!.!.

Firts of all, forget music theory!. You can't dance and think without tripping!.!.!.

Salsa music has eight beats!. Three steps, pause, three steps, and pause!. No one instrument is keeping time all the time!.!.!. sometimes it's the bass, sometimes the cowbell, bongos!.!.!. even guitar!.!.!. etc!.

You will never be able to find the beat unless you know salsa music!. Go download some good salsa songs, and preferably some of the ones your teacher is using, and LISTEN to them!. Listen to salsa more than you listen to regular music!.!.!. subconciously, your brain will absorb the beat!. My favorite to learn with was Tu Carinito by Puerto Rican Power!.

Listen to salsa until you love it!.!.!.!.or hate it!.!.!. but at least til you KNOW it!.

For now, cheat!. Always dance with experienced dancers, so you don't get confused!.!.!.!. they take the first step, and then you follow and copy their moves!. If at some point while dancing you lose the beat, pause,look down at their feet, and jump right back in!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I've been dancing salsa and several other latin dance style for a couple of years now and I found it difficult to understand the structure of the music as well!. A few months back I finally found a CD which explains the structure of salsa music!. The CD is called 'salsa on the beat' here is a link to a store which sells it!.http://www!.dancevision!.com/store/CD472/ I have no connection with the stroe so search about you might find it cheaper somewhere else!. Quite a few places sell it!. I purchased a DVD & CD package which I found extremely helpfull!. In the CD they look at the individual instruments in a salsa orchestra and explain when each one plays and on which beats they play!. The instruments playing on the first four beats are not the same as the last four!. This CD explains music from a complete salsa orchestra so music from a lesser musical group is slightly different !. The principles still helps one to understand the structure of the music!. I'm learning tango and did not have a clue about the beat in it!. I found a website recently whch has helped me to pick that beat quite easily now that I know what i'm listening for!. Here is a link to that website http://members!.aol!.com/tangero1/TangoRhy!.!.!.
It will help you to understand what you are listening for by defining the structure of the music!. The principles apply to most music not just tango!.They suggest tapping your foot whilst listening!. I tried that and the beat then becomes obvious!. Even if you start counting at the wrong time the one count soon becomes obvious , allowing you to restart your counting!. The confusing thing is that sometimes there is no musical note where your expecting one!.
My appologies to all the muso's out there and others who are musically qualified as I know my comments may not be strictly musically correct or appropriate , just trying to help out another non muso dancer!. I understand the difficulty they are experiencing!.
Good luck !Www@QuestionHome@Com