Salsa Dancers Use Ear Training
Salsa dancers use ear training to find the clave rhythm component that weaves through each salsa song. Even when the clave is not being played, all the other musicians respect its implied presence. Learning to dance to any salsa song regardless if you've heard it is dependent on your ability to pick out this instrument. All you need is a few different songs with clave played in them, and you can learn to count rhythms easily by ear.
Claves are thick, smooth wooden sticks traditionally made of heavy wood whose simple, similar notes count out the basic timing that the rest of the percussion instruments follow. When counting music, things usually come in groups. Common groups in Salsa include notes gathered in 4's and 2's, denoted by the clave-dominant percussion section, Salsa's most important element. To perform a simple exercise, listen to your music from a standing position, using soft snaps to imitate the constant note of the clave repeating 1,2,3,4. You can add to this by stepping in place as you count the beginning of each group of four. At all times, take care to ensure your claps and steps are in time with the music, as a guideline, they should be regularly spaced. This is a good basic way to get an understanding of how even though not all the parts of the music are the same, they are all following the one rhythm that you need pay attention to as well.
The Auditory Tutor Contains even more helpful tips on how you can train your ears to recognize music and dance in time. Many great professional dancers who now find regular employment in music videos and stage productions started off by working hard to learn to recognize the tempo.
Claves are thick, smooth wooden sticks traditionally made of heavy wood whose simple, similar notes count out the basic timing that the rest of the percussion instruments follow. When counting music, things usually come in groups. Common groups in Salsa include notes gathered in 4's and 2's, denoted by the clave-dominant percussion section, Salsa's most important element. To perform a simple exercise, listen to your music from a standing position, using soft snaps to imitate the constant note of the clave repeating 1,2,3,4. You can add to this by stepping in place as you count the beginning of each group of four. At all times, take care to ensure your claps and steps are in time with the music, as a guideline, they should be regularly spaced. This is a good basic way to get an understanding of how even though not all the parts of the music are the same, they are all following the one rhythm that you need pay attention to as well.
The Auditory Tutor Contains even more helpful tips on how you can train your ears to recognize music and dance in time. Many great professional dancers who now find regular employment in music videos and stage productions started off by working hard to learn to recognize the tempo.
About the Author
Tony Rausseo is an Instructor, a performer, a choreographer and a published author of Hot Latin Salsa Dance Studio. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2011 (Monday, January 17, 2011) Hot Latin Salsa. It is the hottest on line education center and distance learning via salsa course DVDs. Visit their Latin Salsa Dance Studio web site at: www.hotlatinsalsa.com and begin training your body with Salsa lessons step-by-step instructions.
Tony Rausseo is an Instructor, a performer, a choreographer and a published author of Hot Latin Salsa Dance Studio. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2011 (Monday, January 17, 2011) Hot Latin Salsa. It is the hottest on line education center and distance learning via salsa course DVDs. Visit their Latin Salsa Dance Studio web site at: www.hotlatinsalsa.com and begin training your body with Salsa lessons step-by-step instructions.