Beginner tapping foot with the beat

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"I wonder.....Do you as piano instructors recommend beginning students don't tap their foot to the beat? If so. I'm guessing this is because the feet are later used for pedal operation? "

Both hands and both feet are used.....eventually. (Count aloud to keep time, but don't tap your foot. When you've got the beat-counting totally ingrained & internalized in a few months' time, you won't need to count aloud any more, unless you have a rhythmically tricky piece).

Sometimes, other parts of the body are used too, but we'll come to that in ten years' time. 
Non-classical musicians learn to keep time with tapping, bobbing etc but not classical musicians. And the latter keep perfect time (without a drummer or click track), except when they don't want to.

An ingrained habit is difficult to break, but it's best to break it before it's ingrained.

The first thing that all classical teachers do (or should do) is to get their beginner students to count beats aloud. ALOUD. There is no room for self-consciousness, no room for "I'm an adult, I can keep time, I don't need to count beats, let alone aloud, blah, blah, blah".

Only after the sense of keeping strict time is inculcated and has become second nature should the student be allowed to break free, and start using ritardandi, a little rubato etc for expressive purposes. 

Non-classical musicians often don't realize that classical music was, and is, never meant to to be played with rigid timing, unlike jazz, pop etc, and they often confuse rubato with "inability to keep time". (Because they don't do 'expression' in the manner of classical musicians - where pacing, timing of beats (agogic hesitations etc), ritardandi, accelerandi, rallentandi, as well as tonal nuances and dynamic variations and a lot, lot else are all deployed for expressive purposes.) Not even Renaissance music, not Baroque, certainly not Romantic music. After all, a jazz piano player has to keep perfect time with his drummer and bass at all times, even when he swings. A classical pianist - even when he's playing with an orchestra or a chamber ensemble - does rubato together with them. Everyone ebbs & flows together. There is no incessant beat from the percussionist to stop deviation from a fixed tempo, unless they're playing to a click track to accompany a movie scene etc. 

So it is a mistake to assess a classical musician's 'timing' from the viewpoint of a jazzer, or of anyone who always has to keep rigid time with his music-making because he has no choice (bell ringing etc). 

For evidence, listen to Rachmaninov (by common consent, the last century's greatest pianist) playing Rachmaninov's best known piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOx710drHnw

It's evident that he can keep perfect time when he wants to, but he usually doesn't want to.....

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doraleo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 07 Oct 2018 Points: 75	Post Options Post Reply Quote doraleo Report Post Thanks(5) Quote Reply Topic: Beginner tapping foot with the beat Posted: 03 Jan 2020 at 11:49am
	"I wonder.....Do you as piano instructors recommend beginning students don't tap their foot to the beat? If so. I'm guessing this is because the feet are later used for pedal operation? " Both hands and both feet are used.....eventually. (Count aloud to keep time, but don't tap your foot. When you've got the beat-counting totally ingrained & internalized in a few months' time, you won't need to count aloud any more, unless you have a rhythmically tricky piece). Sometimes, other parts of the body are used too, but we'll come to that in ten years' time. Non-classical musicians learn to keep time with tapping, bobbing etc but not classical musicians. And the latter keep perfect time (without a drummer or click track), except when they don't want to. An ingrained habit is difficult to break, but it's best to break it before it's ingrained. The first thing that all classical teachers do (or should do) is to get their beginner students to count beats aloud. ALOUD. There is no room for self-consciousness, no room for "I'm an adult, I can keep time, I don't need to count beats, let alone aloud, blah, blah, blah". Only after the sense of keeping strict time is inculcated and has become second nature should the student be allowed to break free, and start using ritardandi, a little rubato etc for expressive purposes. Non-classical musicians often don't realize that classical music was, and is, never meant to to be played with rigid timing, unlike jazz, pop etc, and they often confuse rubato with "inability to keep time". (Because they don't do 'expression' in the manner of classical musicians - where pacing, timing of beats (agogic hesitations etc), ritardandi, accelerandi, rallentandi, as well as tonal nuances and dynamic variations and a lot, lot else are all deployed for expressive purposes.) Not even Renaissance music, not Baroque, certainly not Romantic music. After all, a jazz piano player has to keep perfect time with his drummer and bass at all times, even when he swings. A classical pianist - even when he's playing with an orchestra or a chamber ensemble - does rubato together with them. Everyone ebbs & flows together. There is no incessant beat from the percussionist to stop deviation from a fixed tempo, unless they're playing to a click track to accompany a movie scene etc. So it is a mistake to assess a classical musician's 'timing' from the viewpoint of a jazzer, or of anyone who always has to keep rigid time with his music-making because he has no choice (bell ringing etc). For evidence, listen to Rachmaninov (by common consent, the last century's greatest pianist) playing Rachmaninov's best known piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOx710drHnw It's evident that he can keep perfect time when he wants to, but he usually doesn't want to.....