How to Hear the Beat in Music

Below are all my blog posts for how to hear the beat in music. The secret to hearing the beat is listening for the sets of 8 and the downbeat and upbeat. If you haven’t done it already, click on the Freebie Video tab (above) for some free instructional video clips. And check out these two free chapters:

Chapter 2 – Counting Music: Finding the Sets of 8
Chapter 3 – Downbeat and Upbeat

Where to learn: how to hear the beat of music

You will not find a class on hearing the beat of music (if you teach a class in that, throw me an email, we should talk). It’s rarely touched upon in ballroom dance classes. You must learn the beat on your own. Don’t fret, it’s simple, just listen to music (like with an iPod or [...]

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Warning: Ballroom dance classes do not teach how to hear the beat of music

You will not learn “rhythm” in a ballroom class. The convenient explanation is that they’re dance classes and not music classes, but I’m not buying it. My guess is that dance instructors don’t really know how to teach hearing the beat. The only time you hear beats counted—counting the “sets of 8” is the best [...]

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Are you in denial about being rhythmically challenged?

rhythmically challenged: A phrase frequently used to describe someone who consistently dances off time. A better definition would be a person who lacks the education required to be able to rhythmically count beats of music. (reference: Skippy Blair’s Dance Terminology Notebook) I was rhythmically challenged. Even after seven years of ballroom dance classes, I still [...]

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Counting 32-beat major phrases (video: 6 min, 40 sec.)

Phrasing in ballroom dancing is an intermediate-level concept but I beg you, O Humble Beginner, to begin actively listening for the major phrases in all music (this video goes with the book so it’s also posted on the Freebie Video page): This will help you to hear the sets of 8, hence, how to hear [...]

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New videos – how to hear the beat in music

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Beware of tempo

I have an issue with tempo. I went through a long period where I could dance okay in class but I was terrible at a dance. Some of that had to do with a lack of familiar partners (read: my leading sucked and partners at a dance were not familiar with the step patterns I [...]

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Sets of 8, heavy measure, light measure (video: 1 min. 15 sec.)

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Hearing the beat of the music by counting "sets of 8" (audio: 30 sec.)

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