Staying on-beat

S

sababa

hi guys,

i'm new to this forum and to salsa.

i know that many inexperienced leaders have the tendency to dance off-beat, so i know that i have to practice a lot.
i also do a bit of bachata, merengue and rueda, but with these i hardly ever lose the beat, even though i practice salsa much more. i think this has to do with the music.
it seems to me that the loud melodic instruments and vocals in salsa make it much harder to identify the beat.
i was wondering if i could get tips on how to identify the rhythm and beat and stay on-beat. so far, what i do is count all the time 1,2,3 5,6,7.
i also know that a good way to identify the 1st beat is when the singer starts a new line.

sorry if this topic has been discussed before, but i couldn't find anything similar with the search.
 
Hi Sababa, welcome to Salsa Forums :D

I think a lot of leaders see counting as a beginners thing, they claim to just "feel" the music - but then these are exactly the same people you see drifting wildly off of the beat.

I'd say keep counting, however expert you end up.

Oh and I think listening to music, a lot of music all the time helps. Really diverse stuff, working out what the timing is, the tempo - whether you could salsa to it, cha-cha to it or whatever.

I find quite a useful tool is to shut your eyes and visualise yourself dancing to the music that you are listening to. Try and really make it as vivid as possible. If you have a favourite partner then imagine them, but really see yourself doing the moves in perfect time to the music that you are listening to.
It takes a bit of practice but I find it useful.
 
Hi Sababa!!! :D Welcome to Salsa Forums!!! :D :D
Keep counting for yourself until you feel comfortable with the timing. :P After a while you don't need to count anymore to stay on beat, you just listen for the "one" and the "five". (If dancing "ON1") :) I have been dancing salsa for about two years but I still keep counting for myself when I'm learning new moves. It helps a lot when trying to remember the moves! :P Just remember not to count loud if you are counting, because it might disturb your partner. :) Another way to stay on beat is to "count" the rythm that is "quick, quick, slow"... "quick, quick, slow"... :) As Jazzhands said it is very good to listen to salsa music also when not dancing. It helps to get to know the rythm and timing. :) Again welcome! :D
 
thanks for the warm greetz :D

pr said:
After a while you don't need to count anymore to stay on beat, you just listen for the "one" and the "five". (If dancing "ON1")
Click to expand...

how exactly do the 1 & 5 beats sound like? doesn't it depend on the song :?:
 
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