When I started dancing salsa I didn’t even know that salsa could be counted, let alone that there were actually different ways of understanding time. All I had heard at the time was that the salsa rhythm was supposed to be fast, fast, slow, fast, fast, slow. So if you’re confused about salsa timing like I am, let me share a few ideas that have helped me along the way. I am going to give you 4 simple tips that will help you get started in the domain of sauce time.

Tip #1 – Learn to count the music

Salsa music is actually played in 4-beat time signatures. As salsa dancers, we then take two of those measures and combine them for a total of 8 beats to make our basic step. Then we count only the beats where we actually take a step, which is 1,2,3,5,6,7. This leaves beats 4 and 8 silent. In other words, we keep the 4th and 8th beats of the music. It is these steps and the pause after the third and seventh counts that also make the beat fast, fast, slow and fast, fast, slow.

Tip #2 – Find the first beat of the music

For a beginning salsa dancer, it is often much easier to find the rhythm than it is to be able to count the music correctly. In other words, it’s always easier to find the pattern fast, fast, slow, than it is to be able to recognize the first beat of the fifth and vice versa.

While a thorough discussion of how to find the first beat of music is beyond the scope of this article, my best advice to you is to ask someone who knows how to find it to simply count the music while you listen to a song. . As you both listen to the song and he/she is counting the music, try to notice the different rhythms one at a time and take a moment to notice how they correspond to time. This process is like finding your heartbeat. Your pulse is always there, but you just have to tune in carefully and be aware of it to find it. Having someone tell you the music is like putting your index finger in your vein to count your pulse.

Tip #3 – Emphasize the pause in the music

A great way to learn to become familiar with the salsa rhythm and steps is to consciously try to emphasize the pause in the music, which is again on the beats of four and eight. Emphasizing the pause will force your steps to be a little faster. Making the pause relatively longer in this way is a good way to work out the fast, fast, and slow rhythm so that you become more comfortable with timing and steps.

Once you get the hang of this rhythm, you can make your dance more relaxed and even continue to move through the pauses to eventually make your movements and steps smoother.

Tip #4 – Buy a Salsa Timing CD

A good way to make sure you’re pacing and counting steps correctly is to buy a salsa timing CD. Listening to a salsa song with a voiceover of the actual counts is very helpful in monitoring your progress and your ability to stay on the correct count. Simply pop the CD in when you’re driving to work or play it while you clean the house. Ultimately, the only way you’re really going to master salsa timing is through practice.