3921  Hearing the rhythm

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 05:44:01 EDT
From: LGMoseley@AOL.COM
Subject: Hearing the rhythm

Here's our experience on the topic.

There are some people who have difficulty in hearing the rhythm - even with
some of the older rock-steady orchestras and with valses - both of which
should be easy. However, some people just don't hear it. They seem simply not to
pick up the audio signal, or at least not to record or process it.

One way which we have used with some success is to walk beside them and
simply tap them firly firmly on the shoulder in time to the music. It is rather
akin to an earlier contributor's suggestion of putting their hands on a
loudspeaker.

This seems to bypass the auditory processing system and the pattern appears
to go straight into their muscles. I have no independent evidence that that is
what happens, but it usually seems to work. We have several now competent
leaders who started off with that difficulty in not hearing the beat, but who
have since developed a fairly subtle understanding of both the standard
walking beat and of more complex individual musicality.

Brazos

Laurie (Laurence)

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 16:33:29 -0700
From: Marisa Holmes <mariholmes@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Hearing the rhythm

--- LGMoseley@AOL.COM wrote:

> One way which we have used with some success is to
> walk beside them and simply tap them...

Yes, this, and the other "hands-on" techniques that
have been mentioned seem to me to be a good guess -
although of course I can't tell which one will work
for this particular person. (Although we haven't
actually heard what he has already tried.) The guy is
having trouble translating what he hears to what he
should do with his body, and just trying harder or for
a longer time, isn't working - so you need to change
the situation. I think the idea of having him follow
is worth trying. Or having him dance with a good
follower (male or female) who can consistently and
reliably back lead. You might just brainstorm with
the guy and ask him to tell you if he can think of
anything at all to try that might help him - after all
he has learned to do many things in his life, and even
if he does not have a technical vocabulary to discuss
pedagogy, he may be able to extrapolate from a
previous experience. One of the nice things about
adult learners is that you can expect them to take
some responsibility for problem solving with their
learning process.

The important thing is to try to engage some different
parts of his brain and body. I know a lot of learners
feel that if they would just try harder they would get
something - but if you've tried harder and it hasn't
worked, you need to try different.

One of my teachers can often help me through learning
a (leader's) combination I can't get on my own by
backleading me firmly the first time, then
successively less and less until I'm actually leading
the step - and then they just start really following
so I get feedback about what I'm doing. Meanwhile
I've already felt in my body the rhythm, the swing,
the essence of the shared movement through space. I'm
not struggling in the dark to guess what it should
feel like.

Another technique I try when I'm in trouble with
rhythm, that I have not heard other people use, is to
talk my way through a move while doing it - as I walk
through a pattern I say out loud, "Bum da bum da," or
"Step and step and weight left, turn," or whatever it
is. I have heard teachers give these clues, but I
seem to be the only one shameless enough to repeat
them - or invent them - and say them aloud.

I'm sure Barbara's friend already feels silly because
he can't learn to find the beat, and it seems cruel to
suggest that he do something else that might make him
feel sillier - but see if he'll try it. Maybe
privately.

Marisa