“Hi Edie,
I’ve just started to learn Salsa. I think I’ve managed to learn the basic steps. The 2 big problems I’m having right now which is kinda preventing me from going further are
1. Knowing when to break out
2. Recognizing the beat in the music.
I know that you need to keep in tune with the sound of the clave instrument to dance Salsa. But I can’t recognize this sound from the rest of the music! Any suggestions? Is there any place on the web or some audio file that has this sound. Or alternatively, could you add audio effects to the animated steps on your web site.
Thanks a lot…
-DS
Dear DS,
The beat will match your heart. Once a song matches your heart rate, you will FIND IT!!! And you won’t need to even TRY!!!
My advice:
STOP TRYING SO HARD TO FIND THE BEAT!!! Simply “relax”… and it will come to you through your subconscious.
Listen to Salsa music 100% of the time. In the shower, while at work, in your car, at night before you go to bed, when you wake up in the morning, all that. ALL THE TIME.
After a while, you will (and without even trying) suddenly start to hear the “rhythm” in the form of a “pulse” that will match your heart rate.
You cannot control it, but it will come naturally. Your heart will jump on that twirling merry-go-round of Salsa Music and its Rhythms… and fine-tune itself with your soul.
Your heart “must catch it” – it will be a tune that matches the EXACT BEAT of your heart. That is why you must listen to it all the time… your heart has to “catch it…!!!” The more you listen, the more your heart has a chance TO MATCH THE PULSE of the song!!!
You watch. It’s true.
When your heart beat catches that rhythm, it is a “day” you will never forget.
I have my BBS instructors learn and teach their students how to find the first beat of Salsa music as part of their Purple Belt Training program.
Here are a few sites that I show them as well – it is part of the BBS Cloud:
Websites:
- http://www.salsabeatmachine.org/
- http://www.formedia.ca/rhythms/
- http://scphillips.com/dance/salsarhythm.html
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSfWAGzB_dA&feature=plcp
Timing CDs
Happy Dancing!
– Edie, The Salsa FREAK!!
Edie The Salsa FREAK!! Website
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