stomping and clapping

hyldemoer · Post by **hyldemoer** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:31 am

Is it just my hearing disablity
or does anyone else find the sound of foot stomping (foot tapping isn't quite as loud) and hand clapping a distraction to the music?
At times I can't even hear the instruments playing the music for all the pounding.

I've found spectators to be the worst at this. I call them spectators (rather than audience) because they don't seem to be actually listening enough to figure out where the beat is. There they sit with a big smile on their face while stomping their booted foot or slapping their hands together a split millisecond away from the actual beat.

Has anyone ever stopped playing and asked a really loud stomper or clapper do what they're doing on the actual beat of the tune or not at all?

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:59 am

They may be closer to the beat than you think. The one where your sound gets to them...'course by the time it gets back to you it's off. That and they are a bit like a bad drummer...

Sylvester · Post by **Sylvester** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:32 am

I find more accuracy in spectators' feet rather than hands and this puzzles me as hands are nearer to the brain and are also supposed to be better trained than feet to do things. I have been in no gig or concert were the audience was able to clap their hands at the same rythm than musicians for a long time.

Not to mention my guitar player, he stomps his feet so hard that he makes all the microphones stands tumbling down. He sometimes plays barefoot because the stomping noise goes through the amplifying system. It hurts.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:11 am

I am guilty as charged in the foot-stomping department. It's one of the many failings I'm working on.

However, like Sylvester, I've noticed how well people seem to stomp and tap their feet, but how lamely they clap.

When we play, I personally like getting that kind of feedback from the audience, even if they're a split second off (I've always attributed it to the delay, like Denny said) -- at least we're moving them enough to get them to participate. Meanwhile, we just keep playing through it, and yeah, I've definitely played with worse drummers too!

Besides. As a ratings system it sure beats hurled beer bottles.

Sylvester · Post by **Sylvester** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:18 am

I've definitely played with worse drummers too!

Cathy, I know a couple of them that seem to have some empathy towards the audience cause they tend a tendency to melt with them rathen than musicians' rythm

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:28 am

I must say that that at the Concert at St. Louis Tionól Saturday night, I was impressed with the accuracy of the foot-tapping/stomping (when the seats start to rock on down the row, it's gone beyond 'tapping'! LOL!), and I know that the audience was well weighted in the ITM area, so the accuracy was perhaps to be expected, but the fact that so many did so is testement to the natural tendancy over the interferring nature of it.

It depends, as usual, on just how far off they are, and whether it is taking over... and yes, I have seen musicians stop and either educate or berate the audience (I much prefer the former).

If the audience is more of a drunken crowd, though, all bets are off!

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:57 am

Sometimes you can switch course and kind of play to the audience participation depending on how steady it feels. Otherwise you just have to learn to rely on your own beat and ignore the rhythmically challenged.

I think a lot of confusion stems from the strong back beat in a lot of popular music whereas traditional music is strong on the front beat.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 12:40 pm

Sylvester wrote:
I've definitely played with worse drummers too!
Cathy, I know a couple of them that seem to have some empathy towards the audience cause they tend a tendency to melt with them rathen than musicians' rythm

back. And BTW, like your guitar player, I too have removed my shoes on occasion. Especially on some of those boomy-hollow plywood stages. (Of course, I generally only remember to do this AFTER one of the guys in the band gently steps on my foot and holds it down

)

Annie, that was a good-stompin' crowd, wasn't it?

However, after rocking the lady in front of me's seat during Joanie Madden's segment last year and getting reproved by my fella, I was on my best behavior and restricted myself to tapping my fingers on the chair (and Larry's) arm.

FWIW, I was taught in music school that the best thing to do is tap your toes INSIDE your shoe.

But dang, when things get rocking and rolling, it's sooooo hard to be 'classically restrained'!

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 1:00 pm

I don't really like hand clapping and stomping very much. I haven't noticed it being off so much, but maybe that's because I can't hear the music very well. It is good when the audience is having fun, but I tend to pretty silently tap my toes and feet and bob around. Probably seeing me bobbing around is annoying to others. But I think at least it is quiet bobbing. I don't care too much for screamers either. A brief holler or shout is fine, screaming is painful.

You know, I was wondering about this the other day. In the older times, did people who were listening to Irish music, but not playing it, tap their feet and move around a bit? Or did they sit still? I have seen quite different behavior in the states with different groups of people and music (not talking about classical music--although once I did see a man conducting from his seat during Beethoven's 9th!) and was just wondering if there was a certain way of behaving in the older times with Irish music. I suppose the situation affects things as well.

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 5:03 pm

Cynth, I think they were mostly dancing!

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 5:15 pm

Well, how about the real old folks? Maybe they were still dancing!

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 5:22 pm

I bought a CD once that was recorded live (I think it was called "Irlande" and it featured Frankie Gavin, Aidan Coffey and Arty McGlynn), and on some of the tracks the audience participation was so awful that I couldn't listen to the thing at all.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:39 pm

I'm a stomper, but I try to keep contol of it. Now when you're playing at a céilí and the dancers are clapping out of time and all three bodhrán players end up matching the clappers' beat, that's when stomping REALLY comes in handy.

Can't figger out why I'm the one getting the dirty looks from them...

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 7:50 pm

Cynth wrote: Well, how about the real old folks? Maybe they were still dancing!

They were indeed! I was in Co. Cork when I first saw Irish dancing (other than the lovely little girls who looked like princesses) and the sets included two old ladies well into their seventies. When the dancers took the floor at Gleeson's I'd say at least two of them were of the same age. Here in CT the Irish dancing crowd ranges in age, but I know of at least one guy who's 79 and still hoofing 3 nights a week.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:12 pm

Tyghress wrote:
Cynth wrote: Well, how about the real old folks? Maybe they were still dancing!
They were indeed! I was in Co. Cork when I first saw Irish dancing (other than the lovely little girls who looked like princesses) and the sets included two old ladies well into their seventies. When the dancers took the floor at Gleeson's I'd say at least two of them were of the same age. Here in CT the Irish dancing crowd ranges in age, but I know of at least one guy who's 79 and still hoofing 3 nights a week.

Well, I think I will consider my question answered!

They definitely aren't sitting still!