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Hey, I have a background in music and sometimes I still have problems with "keeping the beat" at certain gyms.

I've done a few fill-ins in a group fitness studio that is basically a recycled 'hall'. The sound system is appalling.  The beat 'bounces' back to you and it can be very difficult to stay in time with it, esp if it seems like a double beat is happening.

I overcome this hurdle by listening to my music so often that if someone pushed "play" in the middle of the track, it would take me only a few seconds to know where I am and what moves I should be doing.  For example, I was teaching Balance in a horrendous storm (pouring rain on tin roof, lightening, rolling Queensland thunder).  I couldn't hear the music, the participants couldn't hear me, they just followed what I was doing.  During the 'lull' in the thunder, I could hear snatches of the music, it was enough to know where I was within the track.

The music will tell you everything, just listen to it lots until you could practically write it down.  Also, don't try for too much in the way of "fitness magic", concentrate on the beat and choreography first.  Then only when you feel confident, add in the 'spark'.  Yes, it may be a little boring, but everyone's got to start somewhere.  Best you start from the basics (timing and choreography), and then add on - upwards and onwards. 

Two suggestions...turn the presenter voice off, do the moves with the dvd and count....1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 until you can pick it up on any count 3,5,2....

 Second...put your music in and get as close to the speaker as you can...if you can press your body up against it and just feel the beats in your body...it really works if you can go to a live music show and put yourself right next to the speaker to FEEEL it!!!

Hope it helps and keep working at it, you can get there! 

What helped me is i sat down and just counted to 8 along with the beat. ex; 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

 thats called an 8 count, many aerobic instructors count like that.

 on track 5 of 41 (favorite track) we got 4 hooks, 4 uppercuts and a OTS (on the spot=run in place); for two full eight counts.

L/R hook 2x (1L,2,3R,4,5L,6,7R,8)

L/R uppercuts 2x (1L,2,3R,4,5L,6,7R,8)

OTS 8x (1L,2R,3L,4R,5L,6R,7L,8R)

 Counting properly really helped me keep the beat. but the best advice is to just get way familiar with the music, inside and out!

 Also, what helped me is when i'm learning a track and i kind of got it, if i mess up i start over. i kind of punish myself for messing up. so i start it over. i'v been doing martial arts for 10 yrs and i found thats the best way to make you brain and body remember something. Good luck!

travislchristensen:

I just passed intial training and I'm learning my first release.  I'm having a hard time keeping the beat.  Do you have any tips for staying on beat. Thanks.   

Hey Travis, I have no music or dance background but I play ALOT of DDR and can keep a beat better than anybody I know now, no matter what song, I've become a total beat-freak.

Anyways my recommendation is to practice the same, try Flash Flash Revolution (a flash game where you tap arrows to the beat, it will tell you on each beat if you are perfect / close / almost / or way off, this will help you learn to follow music).  Oh and Flash Flash Revolution is a flash game, free to play www dot flashflashrevolution dot com.

HellRazoR:

Hey Travis, I have no music or dance background but I play ALOT of DDR and can keep a beat better than anybody I know now, no matter what song, I've become a total beat-freak.

Don't even go there.

turnitup59:

HellRazoR:

Hey Travis, I have no music or dance background but I play ALOT of DDR and can keep a beat better than anybody I know now, no matter what song, I've become a total beat-freak.

Don't even go there.

Huh?   I'm a syncher, I can take any song and beatmap it with a high degree of precision, it's my specialty and I really haven't found anyone better yet, although some people are really good as well.  Some people are good at graphic art, some at laying steps, I excel at synching.

Regardless, playing FFR will help with learning how to keep a beat. 

HellRazoR:

travislchristensen:

I just passed intial training and I'm learning my first release.  I'm having a hard time keeping the beat.  Do you have any tips for staying on beat. Thanks.   

Hey Travis, I have no music or dance background but I play ALOT of DDR and can keep a beat better than anybody I know now, no matter what song, I've become a total beat-freak.

Anyways my recommendation is to practice the same, try Flash Flash Revolution (a flash game where you tap arrows to the beat, it will tell you on each beat if you are perfect / close / almost / or way off, this will help you learn to follow music).  Oh and Flash Flash Revolution is a flash game, free to play www dot flashflashrevolution dot com.

But this would not work as he would be working on the wrong beat. Yes you can work on it but you should be able to 'feel' the beat IMO. If you played flash revolution thing he would learn to go ON the beat he needs to learn to work on the OFF beat(second count) for ETM.

HellRazoR:

Huh?   I'm a syncher, I can take any song and beatmap it with a high degree of precision, it's my specialty and I really haven't found anyone better yet, although some people are really good as well.  Some people are good at graphic art, some at laying steps, I excel at synching.

Regardless, playing FFR will help with learning how to keep a beat. 

He's back! LOL

 You should try conducting an orchestra sometime Jeremiah - now that you're a master of the beat you should be simply superb at it and better than the best conductor ever...

Don't worry, if the orchestra doesn't manage to follow you, clearly it will be because they can't keep to the rhythm...

ck1-:

HellRazoR:

Huh?   I'm a syncher, I can take any song and beatmap it with a high degree of precision, it's my specialty and I really haven't found anyone better yet, although some people are really good as well.  Some people are good at graphic art, some at laying steps, I excel at synching.

Regardless, playing FFR will help with learning how to keep a beat. 

He's back! LOL

 You should try conducting an orchestra sometime Jeremiah - now that you're a master of the beat you should be simply superb at it and better than the best conductor ever...

Don't worry, if the orchestra doesn't manage to follow you, clearly it will be because they can't keep to the rhythm...

giggle

mrrocket:

But this would not work as he would be working on the wrong beat. Yes you can work on it but you should be able to 'feel' the beat IMO. If you played flash revolution thing he would learn to go ON the beat he needs to learn to work on the OFF beat(second count) for ETM.

Dude, you don't know what your talking about at all.  In FFR you'll learn to hit all sorts of beats, it doesn't follow some standard 1 3 5 7 (not like that's a standard anyways) nor does it follow 2 4 6 8.  Most likely the arrows will follow 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 and don't be suprised if it follows half beats, quarter beats, third beats, etc.  Anything and everything is present depending on your skill level, you will learn to follow beats.

I didn't even know a conductor was tasked with keeping beats, I have no idea if I could do that, I don't even know if I can beatmap an orchestra (do they follow rhythms?).  But whatever you just want to hate on me because I stated from day 1 the BP instructors were off-beat and I proved it time and again (not like it's hard to notice moves 1 and 2 entire beats off anyways). 

STOP!!!!!!!

Before this thread disintegrates in to pages of mindless drivel regarding beat counting or timing please keep in mind the following:

HellRazor is not a BodyPump instructor.

Beat counting, with particular input from Hellrazor, has been discussed to death on this forum. If you have the slightest interest in his ramblings please look for those threads.

Thank you for helping to reduce the cr4p in my inbox

Dude, you don't know what your talking about at all.  

Is anyone else seeing the irony in that statement?

Anway, I'm off to slowly beat myself to death with my laptop again as I'm soooooo sick of hearing about how playing a game will get you in the beat in pump (and all the rude words that were going to be in that post have been removed).