![]() ![]() ![]() Let’s make the overall feel of our dancing for this section pick out a low-energy instrument. So, our dancing needs to be low-energy as well. There is a very subtle guitar accompanying the vocals, and at the end of the minor phrases the guitar has a prominent “da-da-dah-dah.” How do we dance to this?įirst, ask yourself is this is a low- or high-energy part of the song? You should be able to recognize that this a low-energy part: a drum is added in the next major phrase, and then the song builds in both volume and complexity of instrumentation. There is a high hat quietly hitting on each beat. There is the lead vocal, which also carries the melody. In the first 32 beats, there are only a couple of instruments. So, right from the start, we know that we’re going to need to highlight contrasts in the song so that our dancing doesn’t look flat. There are a couple of major highlights, but lots of the details of the song are hidden unless you know what to listen for. This song is a very typical social WCS song. What is happening at the beginning of the song? ![]() In this installment, we’ll focus on the introduction to the whole song.Īgain, listen through the song, but focus on the first 32 beats. Now, it’s time to start breaking down the song so that we can dance to the layers. In the first part of this series, we listened to Maps by Maroon 5 in order to build a mental picture of the song. Great dancers spend a lot of time listening to music because they want to find aspects that no one else has heard so they can bring those out in their dancing and literally show the audience something they hadn’t heard before. For now, keep listening, and see how many more elements you can identify each time through the song. We’ll dig into how to start dancing to the layers of the song in the next part of this series. Note the verse-chorus structure, the energy of the song at various points, and the instruments that stand out in the song. During these initial listens, try to build a mental sense of the overall arc of the song. Start by listening through the song a couple of times. That limitation doesn’t mean you can’t be musical-and this series will prove it.ĭo you understand music and want to jump ahead? Learn how to find phrases in the middle of a song Step by step guide to understanding a songįor this series, we’re going to work with Maps by Maroon 5. Play is a huge skill within WCS, but there will be situations in which you can’t play because of what you are getting from your partner’s connection, or because you are in a competition and need to show fundamentally sound WCS, or for any number of other reasons. Likewise, we’re going to set aside playing for this series. Leaders, you might dance with a less experienced follower and be limited to basic moves you still should be able to demonstrate musicality in your dance. Understanding layers of music in west coast swingįollowers, if your leader is ignoring the musical phrasing, you still need to be able to show your musical interpretation. Musicality for west coast swing has many layers so start with these articles if you’re struggling with the basics… counting the music, finding the beat, or staying on time when you dance. Those are important elements of musicality, but sometimes you won’t be able to manipulate those elements. We are not going to think about breaks, and we’re not going to talk about pattern selection. In this series, we’re going to look at a practical example of how to identify layers in a song that you can dance to. This ability rests on two primary skills: knowledge of music, and especially unique features about the particular song, on the one hand, and the ability to bring out different layers of the song in your dancing. At a very high level, the dancers can actually cause you to hear things in the song that you weren’t aware of before. Good musicality in west coast swing brings out unique elements of songs. ![]()
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