Moving about when I play

I’ve realized I move about when I play - dance basically - I get the impression it looks like some kind of contrived pretentious nonsense. I get the impression if I saw it I would think - who is that chump and why is he taking it too far?

So I just want to say - I’m sorry - I’m sure it looks absurd and contrived but I feel it’s too late and I’d rather concentrate on tunes than catching myself being strange.

If there’s anyone else out there in this situation- I feel your pain -

If you see me - trust me - this is no choice. Also please film me as I am really curious as to what it actually looks like!

Cheers,

Choons!

I also do this when I play the fiddle. Depending on what I play I go between swaying a little, to walking around, and outright dancing. Fortunately there is nobody to see me soI don’t worry about it because it’s just part of feeling the music. I don’t do it when playing in public.

Moving about? Do you mean like in this video?

https://youtu.be/mIdUTNfSUno

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Or perhaps more like this?

https://youtu.be/U1E-7bELw2c

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If it’s like that there’s nothing to be worried about because you’re just getting a feel for the music.

As for the clip above Aarons it takes some real skill to be so distracted and yet so focused at the same time.

I was once told by a flute instructor that it was OK to move at least a little bit when I played, they’re not carving a statue ya know!

Oh Aaron! Please not the woman in the blue dress!! I didn’t watch it because I’ve seen her before and I know I’d have to poke my eye-balls out and stick them in my ears!

Ugh, that celtic woman clip makes me all kinds of uncomfortable.

Gobby, what is wrong with blue? Perhaps you would prefer oranges, yellows, and……leather?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM1NF4zINj8

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This is more my speed. Tarted up? Sure, but she has the chops both as musician and dancer to pull it off. I’ve seen her live, and the second half of her last name says it all. It’s a long clip, so enjoy! (The dance kicks in at 5:50.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDKOcey5jug

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Expressive Movement. It’s what dance is all about. Music is dance, right?

They’ve actually done studies on musicians on this topic. Musical expression starts in your heart (emotionally), and starts within the core of your body or breath (physically). A piano player basically uses their fingers, hands and arms to play notes. But, if that’s all there is, their musical expression is sort of disembodied.

People/Musicians are different, and I’m not saying you can’t play expressively with JUST your fingers (or whatever), but a good musician’s soul and body are fully engaged. Usually that means more physicality than just the fingers.

The ability to produce good music does not solely rely on the musicians physical response to it emotionally whilst performing/playing it, by responding to the sounds he/she are making by moving around in time ( dancing ). This response is surely a visual cue to others watching. We listen to music with our ears . Some of the finest musicians I’ve ever heard ( and seen, I suppose ) move only the parts of the body actively engaged in producing the music. I’ve a sneaky suspicion that there won’t be too much dancing going on in recording studios?

“Ugh, that celtic woman clip makes me all kinds of uncomfortable.”

I think this is one of those cases where it is wise not to compare one’s playing to others.

There are not many play as well as Mairead.
I find her playing wonderful.

Seems to me that various sorts of music have different conventions regarding whether musicians should move while playing, how much, and in what manner.

Many times over the years I’ve heard people who haven’t seen ITM played live before make comments about how unmoving and expressionless the players are. If they’re coming from Rock, say, one can see the contrast.

I think that when ITM players make the transition from the session to the stage they will sometimes find themselves conforming to these non-ITM expectations and move about more than they every would when playing in traditional settings.

Specifically with the flute, normally ITM flutists are fairly immobile. I’ve seen many Classical flutists move the bottom of the flute around in a circle, or bob up and down. Ian Anderson leapt about the stage.

Matt Molloy. A very public stage environment, yet very little movement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtSjM3YU7Qw

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Here’s an ensemble playing Baroque music on original instruments. All the players are moving about in ways that, I imagine, would be considered unusual at an ITM session

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

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The biggest contrast I can think of between the normal/traditional way of playing and a stage way of playing is with the Highland pipes. I’ve seen countless hours of very good pipers performing live, and they are fairly immobile. People will say it’s the military influence, perhaps so.

Diametrically opposed is the stage presence of David Brewer in the band Molly’s Revenge. He’s a terrific piper. Many in the piping community marvel at how he can play so well while jumping around so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy7rKW6PVbY

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What you’ll normally see with Highland pipers onstage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JzPcfWb0Eg

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Michael Coleman, among others, used to step dance while he played.

It’s dance music. Why wouldn’t you move? Granted, it is quite common to see trad players - older ones, in particular - showing no movement at all (or, at best, very understated movement) beyond that necessary to play the notes. I think this probably stems from the same cultural taboo that gives rise to the stationary upper body in some forms of Irish stepdancing. In dancing, body movement is what it is all about and the tendency to restrict all movement to below the hips has become inporporated into the style. With the music, on the other hand, nobody much cares what you look like if you are playing well.

I am talking here, of course, about moving ‘with the music’, being a bit unrestrained in one’s reaction to the music. The movements of the lady in blue above are clearly very affected, more to do with wooing her audience than being absorbed in the music. But if the music (even your own playing) makes you want to dance, then dance.

One thing that irritates me no end is excessive stamping, especially as, with some people, it’s not even in time to the music. You can learn to feel the beat in your head, as I had to back in days long ago when I played orchestral percussion: I’d have been thrown out of the orchestra for stamping, although we did resort to some visible (not audible) counting!
A light tap is Ok, or even dancing while playing, but no bang, bang, bang, please! One friend, who is an excellent songwriter, ruined for me, his latest lovely song, otherwise very lyrical and with a beautiful melody, by stamping hard all the way through it.
Having said that, after several years of playing traditional music, I have succumbed to the light tap! And swaying in waltzes too!

You can’t play Cape Breton tunes without stamping your foot. I think you’d have to be pretty brain-dead not to have that leg moving:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QacpHUd_a4

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My S.O. returned from a local workshop taught by Andrea and some other Cape Breton fiddlers like Troy MacGillivray, along with Scottish pipers. She said she couldn’t stop her leg bouncing for weeks afterwards.

Fortunately, the traditions of orchestral performance have absolutely nothing whatsoever - zilch, zero, nada - to do with playing traditional folk music. This cannot be overstated nor, apparently, repeated too many times ….

Or maybe she should be wearing a black gown and black leather pumps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKnfJeDoVB4&list=PL2B140A87D3310B23&index=18

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Stepdancing while playing you say?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44BlsiQKwnw

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Brain dead? Not!
Nor did I say you should be using orchestral techniques in ITM: what I DID say was that it is quite possible to feel the beat in your head.
Step-dancing while playing: love it - first encountered it done by Natalie McMaster - breath-taking stuff!

P.S. Read some of the stuff on the “Being able to play alone” thread re rhythm and foot-tapping too!

Take a look at the Treacherous Orchestra 🙂

I guess there is a difference between, on the one hand, wanting to tap your foot and being able not to, and on the other hand (or foot), not being able to tap your foot.

or rather not being able or wanting to tap your foot.

In the head that is.

I don’t go mad when I’m playing but I do move a bit just to let the audience know that I haven’t fallen asleep, not like that young Dermot Byrne lad who seems to sleep right through his excellent performances. I haven’t nothing but envy for people who can talk and chew as they play. My best effort is to say the word ‘Yup’ at the appropriate time. I like watching the Cavan Man, Martin Donohoe, a man who seems to enjoy his music. https://youtu.be/VQuz7PD5FsM

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No foot-stamping?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l66t3vTFc08

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And certainly not pipers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8c-XWbYnF8

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I am aware that I move around a lot whilst playing- I don’t know how anyone can listen to music and sit still!! I have been to gigs where people were dancing in the aisles but the couple in front of didn’t move- no feet tapping, clapping along, head nodding, nothing!!! The music should move you and you shouldn’t worry about what it looks like.

At home, or in a really relaxed environment I definitely dance about a bit when I play my fiddle. But I have seen videos of me playing in public, up there on a stage (I’m only a basic player, but folks seem to like our little band), and I look so stiff because I am concentrating too hard. I SHOULD move around more. Go for it and dance!

Yes I can feel your consternation. I have noticed that when I play the bellows smallpipes I often catch myself with a very funny weird expression on my face. I hate it but I imagine it may go away as I get better.

A different type of music to that discussed here, but classical recorder players tend to move a lot when playing. Glenn Gould used to sing when playing the piano! Its all about feeling the music. If you want to stand still, be still, if you want to dance then dance!

“Ugh, that celtic woman clip makes me all kinds of uncomfortable.”

I’ll agree that Mairead makes me feel nicely uncomfortable, it’s nothing to do with her music (lol), ….however I do also find her music respectfully wonderful.

If the music moves you then move. It works great for most other genres.

That “Celtic Woman” clip - she’s using violinistic bowing with a fiddlistic bow hold (stop at 00’50 to see just how much). Quite odd.