Counting music for dance is not just counting one two three four five six seven eight.
It's a much more complex and nuanced skill that even really experienced dancers have a hard time with.
But don't worry in this video we're gonna help you break down different sounds and layers in music
so you can finally start choreographing to that super intricate soundcloud remix of a remix of a remix
Let's start with the basics.
Clay pick one arm motion. Keep it really simple.
Cool. We're gonna keep doing this to the beat of the song
Hit it. You hear that steady sound?
Tap with us.
Okay now let's put numbers to those beats.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ,7, 8.
So the song goes from just having these steady "bomb, bomb, bomb" sounds
and it introduces a new one that kind of sounds like fingers snapping
and we're gonna say Ka to notate that. And that happens on every 2, 4, 6, 8.
so this time when we count it instead of saying those even numbers
we're gonna replace it with Ka. Ready?
Hit it.
1, ka, 3, ka, 5, ka, 7, ka. 1, ka, 3, ka, 5, ka, 7, ka.
Alright that was step one to counting music like a dancer. Great job!
Alright now let's look at another song.
Clay, did you hear that loud noise that happens on the 1 and the 5?
Yeah it's that bass. It goes "boom"!
I want you to do something for me.
I want you to hit the whoa every time you hear it on the 1 and the 5
Jessie I don't really want to hit the woah... I think the woah is silly... I just don't...
Counts sort of map out a song for you so when I'm dancing counts help me recognize patterns
so that I can predict what sounds are coming up in the song
another interesting lesson to note here is that this isn't the only way to count the song.
Let's try counting it twice as fast. Ready?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
The woah happens on the 1 now, not the 1 and the 5.
5, 6, 7, 8, woah, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
This is why sometimes when I ask people "how many eight counts is your piece?"
they say "four or eight depending on how you count it"
alright, now let's break it down even more.
These are half counts. They divide each of the whole counts in half
this is represented by the word "and". So I would say 1, and, 2, and, 3, and 4, and
so on and so forth. And these are called quarter counts
because, you guessed it, they divide the whole counts into fourths.
this is represented by "e" and "a".
1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4. We say this because quarter counts happen so quickly
so the words e and a just sort of roll off the tongue
we're gonna use these whole, half, and quarter counts in our next challenge really quick
so it's gonna go 5, 6, 7, and, 8 e and.
what I'm gonna do is count 1, 2, 3, 4 and then you guys are going to count with us
when we do 5, 6, 7, and, 8 e and. Ready?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and, 8 e and.
Try it with the music.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and, 8 e and.
Not so bad right? Okay the next one is a mega challenge
we're gonna be breaking down a song called Hipster Girl by Sango
but instead of counting by whole counts or quarter counts
we're actually gonna break it down layer by layer in the music
so let's just start by hearing it out and finding where the beat is
You hear that?
Sounds kinda like an open hi-hat. It goes on every whole count
Next sound! The hi -hats.
They sound like this...
and it's a lot more delicate of a sound so let's just use our fingers to go...
you're gonna hear three really quick high hats at the end of the eight count
where the counts are 8 e and. Okay let's hear it out.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, not this one 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...
It skips this eight count and then starts at the next one again
3, 4, 5, 6, 7...
Now the fun starts. The Basses.
Now I'm not gonna lie this one took me a minute to figure out
I basically had to... bass-ically!
basically had to draw out the whole 8-count and listen to the song
and sort of visualize when the basses were firing
so what I'm gonna do is have Clay count out that 8-count
and I'm gonna be the bass that's showing you guys where it's happening. Ready?
5 6 7 8, 1 & 4 & a 6
1 & 4 & a 6
now let's do it with the music
1 & 4 & a 6 1 & 4 & a 6
1 & 4 & a 6
When you're dancing, you're not just dancing to the whole counts or just the triple hi-hat
Cause that would be boring and repetitive. You want to mix it up.
Yeah, choose or combine different layers so that you can really showcase your musicality
I mean this isn't something that most people get right away.
you guys saw me when I was struggling to figure out these counts
adding lyrics gets a little bit tricky because singers don't necessarily follow strict counts
but I like to visualize the melody sort of weaving in and out of the other sounds
so what I like to do is use the basses and other sounds in the music to mark where the lyrics are starting
For example in this part of the song,
it sounds like he says the word "take" on the 1 or that boom boom - the 1 and.
let's hear it out
you know it actually took me a really long time to develop the ability to actually count
but my advice to you guys is to listen to a lot of different types of music
and actively try to break down the counts
so use these brain exercises when you're choreographing or teaching or learning or freestyling
but if you want to put your moves where your mouth is then sign up for STEEZY Studio
and take our new rhythm and musicality classes
My class is a very easy follow along that helps you stay on rhythm
by teaching you five different count patterns that isolate different layers in the song
my class is a little bit more musicality based where we're following a more interesting patterned song
but using a little simple storyline with fun moves to really accentuate the special beats of it
you can take both of these classes on STEEZY Studio
and if you're a dancer that has your own tips and tricks for counting music then please leave a comment below
and share it with the community so we can all help each other out
and don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on any of the videos
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Five six seven eight who do we appreciate? You!
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