Making Music With Dance - Metronome or Music?

For those of you who aren't used to hearing beats in music or counting them, we suggest you start by picking a piece of music that has a very clear beat, such as the one we use in this video. Count with us without trying to put any special emphasis. Then listen to the music without counting and see if you can hear which beats are emphasized more. Next, count again putting more emphasis where the music does. If you feel like it, add a lilt to your voice, or, if you hear it, a more somber note.

Artist Name:: Kristina Olsen
Song Title:: Hey I Want That Back
Album Title:: All Over Down Under
Artist Website:: http://www.kristinaolsen.net

From a review on the website: Olsen, an itinerant troubadour who regularly graces Australian folk festivals, was at her most engaging. Such was the candour of her songs and chatty tales that it would impossible for anyone with blood in their veins not to empathise with her. Her full-throated voice and crisp guitar served up such diverse subject matter as crop-dusting and prostitution, while a revealing yarn about life-drawing classes introduced The Truth of a Woman. From her new CD came In Your Darkened Room, the title track to an album containing some of her finest work, a black frost edging her usual warmth and humour.

00:05: Some people... Sometimes, people say, you know, "I don't want to count. I want to listen to the music".
00:09: D: As if counting prevents you from listening to the music.
N: Right.
00:12: And, if you count, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight" - that's, sort of, "blah" counting.
00:17: D: But, you listen to this music, it's not "blah" at all.
N: No.
00:19: So... Well, the music just stopped. It'll come back.
00:22: Wait for the clapping to die off. Great track, Christina Olsen. Cool lady, too.
00:27: So, when the... It'll loop back.
00:28: But we want you to think that you don't count "blah". You count with accents that correspond to the sound of the music.
00:33: For example:
00:35: Da-da, da-da-dee, da-bum. So, if you count, you count...
00:40: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. And one, two.
00:48: And then your counting is not "blah".
00:50: And it really captures the music. And then, we want you to dance what you say.

Series:: Making Music With Dance
Tags:: Intermediate, Beginner, Technique, Musicality