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Tap Glossary and Notations |
See links to related Web sites (Tap Dictionary, Interactive CD, etc.) on the main Tap Steps index page.
| Gayle Tutterow's Tap Talk Dictionary lists tap terminology "from vaudeville to now." It's listed on the Tap Reference Page with other books. Below is my summarization of how steps relate and are organized. Some confusion may arise by the way words are used to describe dance steps. For example, 'step' is considered a 'move' at its most elemental definition. The word 'step' is also used to denote a sequence of combinations. The same occurs for the word 'timestep' which is both a 4-beat combination and a 'step' as a sequence of combinations. I've also included some information on music notation. |
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BRUSHES:
BR -BRUSH (hitting the floor with the ball in a pushing
motion. Also, with pulling motion-see PL.)
PL -PULL (a brush back w/ball of foot. Note: many
dancers and instructors use BRUSH BACK or SPANK
for this move. Brush starts with foot in the air,
spank with the heel down and toe up. Substitute.)
SC -SCUFF (fwd brush with heel. End in air.)
SH-FL -SHUFFLE (brush forward w/ball, pull back w/ball.
Basically, a BRUSH-SPANK.)
RF -RIFF (brush-scuff forward. End in air.)
RF-FL -RIFFLE (brush-scuff-pull. Basically, a shuffle with an
included scuff between the brush and pull.)
STEPS (get weight change):
ST -STEP (on flat foot or on ball, note context to choose.)
FL-AP -FLAP (brush fwd and down on ball w/weight. a "brush-ball")
SL-AP -SLAP (brush fwd and down on ball w/NO weight, a "brush-ball")
SP -STAMP (full foot step that gets weight change.
"Lick it and STICK it!")
SM -STOMP (full foot step that does NOT get a weight change.)
BL-CH -BALL-CHANGE (two quick steps, one behind heel (BL) of other.)
HP -HOP (leaving ground and landing on same foot.)
JP -JUMP (leaving ground and landing on opposite foot.
This action also called LEAP while JUMP involves
both feet.)
TO -TOE (stepping on ball of foot, in combination with HL.)
HL -HEEL (dropping heel in combination with BL or TO.)
DP -DROP (dropping heel of support leg when ball is down.)
CR -CRAMP ROLL (four steps crammed together. Toe, toe, heel, heel.
can be started R or L. If done as a pickup to a
downbeat it's performed 'triplet-down' with the
free foot lifted as the last heel drops.)
CH -CHUG (slide support leg forward, dropping heel.)
TAPS (no weight change):
DG -DIG (tap heel of free foot into floor. End on flr.)
PD -PADDLE (using the free foot to perform a heel DIG followed
by a TAP -or PULL- in quick succession. Also
called SCUFFLE.)
SM -STOMP (full foot step with no weight change.)
TP -TAP (step on ball of foot w/o a weight change. If it's
back it will be tip of foot.)
FL-AP -FLAP (a BRUSH-BALL step using same foot. Two sounds.)
CLAP -CLAP (self-explanatory. Bring hands together for sound.)
PADDLE & ROLL (A PADDLE followed by a BALL-HEEL. Performed
alternating from side to side. See
Taps Steps: Paddle and Roll page.)
TIMESTEP a 4-count combination starting on count 4: BR-PL;
HP; ST FL-AP; STP. (this is a 'single' timestep.)
(see the Example section below for a timestep.)
CHUG-SHUFFLE (a CHUG followed by a SHUFFLE and another CHUG.)
RIFF-DROP (a RIFF with free foot followed by a DROP [heel}
with the support foot.)
TIMESTEP (a step, usually in 4/4 time, comprised of combi-
nations alternating sides in an A-B-A-C
form. Starting L (or R) then repeating
starting on the alternate foot returning to the
starting foot for the third repetition. The
fourth is usually a 2-measure break combination
which is different from the others. (see the
Tap Steps: Main Index page.)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Many dance teachers rely on ballet dance postions to describe where a step is located on the floor in relation to your standing position.
When walking across a floor you can walk "in 4th position" where each foot travels in its own track forward or back or "in 5th position" which is similar to walking a tightrope. Each foot is placed in front of the other.
Note: I used ASCII (plain text) characters to notate the beats because being monospaced (each letter or character takes up the same width on the page) I could align items on different lines. Computer proportional fonts wouldn't do this. You can use my method of beat notation on a simple typewriter also. Hitting the spacebar can get tiresome though...
/ equals 1/4 note or 1 beat in 4/4 time
|
/ equals 1/8 note or 1/2 beat in 4/4. The '1' or 'and'
|/ of '1 AND.'
/ / equals two 1/8 notes to comprise a full beat in 4/4.
|_|
/. equals a 'dotted' 1/4 note, a beat and a half. Add an
| 1/8 to this to comprise two beats.('1 AND 2', add 1/8
for 'AND')
-3-
/ / / equals triplet or one beat divided into three parts.
|_|_| '1 LA LE' or 'strawberry.' To count in triplets: snap
your fingers and alternate 'strawberry' with
'blueberry.'
/ / / / I don't quite have an ASCII representation of 1/16
|=|=|=| notes. This would divide a beat into four parts. 1 e + a
(or) 'huckleberry.' To count in sixteenths: snap your
fingers and alternate 'huckleberry' with 'loganberry.'
| || these are vertical bars to denote measure lines. Two
bars usually denotes the start or end of a phrase which
can be repeated (see timesteps below.)
fwd, bk forward and back
in pl in place
(L) left foot
(R) right foot
NOTE: Much music used for tap dancing has a structure that is 32 measures in length. Each song may contain several repetitions of this. Each repetition is called a "chorus." You may hear dancers saying something like "I did three choruses and then the band played me out on the last chorus as I did my exit."
SIMPLE TIMESTEP (single-the first shuffle is on a pickup beat[4])
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4 + 1 2 3 4
/--/--||--/--------/--/-----/--/-----/--/-----|
|__| | |__| |__| |__|
SH-FL HP ST FL - AP ST SH-FL
(R)(R) (L) (R)(L) - (L)(R) (L)(L)
in pl bk fwd
|--/--------/--/-----/--/-----/--/-----||
| |__| |__| |__|
HP ST FL - AP ST SH-FL
(L) (R)(L) - (L)(R) (L)(L)
in pl bk fwd
Here's a single timestep as notated by Gayle Tutterow a tap teacher in Largo, FL. The timestep itself is slightly different from the Simple Timestep I've noted above. (Apparently, this one is a "buck timestep" and the previous one is a "rhythm timestep.") It begins with a Brush Back ( or 'pull') and Hop and ends with a Stomp. The 'Stomp-Brush Back' replaces the Shuffle in my version. Same sequence/timing of sounds. {This would be a handy notation once you are familiar with moves and terms. The parenthetical notes in the example below are mine.}
This is combination #29 from his "Step Finder" a flip-book with 100 combinations that can be interconnected to create steps. He has developed other tap resources. These include the "Tap Talk Dictionary" and "The Encyclopedia of Tap" as well as the "Step Finder." They are listed in the Books on Tap section. The "Encyclopedia" has pages and pages of interlinking combinations as well as a few routines.
TIMESTEP (single)
&1 Brush R Bk Hop L (this is a 'pull' brush and hop.)
2 Step R Bk
&3 Flap L Fwd
& Step R
4 Stomp L Fwd (flat foot, no weight change.)
&5 Brush L Bk Hop R (this is a 'pull' brush and hop.)
6 Step L Bk
&7 Flap R Fwd
& Stamp L (flat foot w/weight change.)
8 Stomp R Fwd (flat foot, no weight change.)
[Repeat or combine...]
This is a sample of step notation from Ira's book "AppalachianClogging an Flatfooting Steps" which contains 114 pages of steps as well as many descriptions and explanations of style, execution and terms. He has the name of the step and a music staff with the rhythm of the combination across the top of each page. Any other notes are listed at the bottom of each page. The step shown is "The Alamo."
ALAMO
~~~~~
RHYTHM LEFT RIGHT COMMENTS
&a Shuffle ------ -----------
| |
Phrase 1: |- Single | A
1 Step --------- | L
&a Shuffle -------------------------| | A
2 Step ----------------------------|- Single | M
&a Shuffle ------| | O
3 Step | |
& Ball |- Basic |
4 Step ---------| ----------
&a Shuffle ------------------------- -----------
| |
Phrase 2: |- Single | A
1 Step ---------------------------- | L
&a Shuffle ------| | A
2 Step ---------|- Single | M
&a Shuffle -------------------------| | O
3 Step | |
& Ball |- Basic |
4 Step ----------------------------| ----------
Repeats on the same side
N.B. This step is also called the "Triple Step," the "Triple
Shuffle" and the "Lone Ranger." (Hum the melody from
Rossini's William Tell Overture and you will hear why some
people call it the "Lone Ranger.")
Contact information for Ira Bernstein.**For comparison, here's my notation of the Alamo/Lone Ranger (PC):
4 + || 1 2 + 3 4 + | 1 2 3 4 + |
SH - FL || STEP SH - FL STEP SH - FL | STEP STEP STEP (SH-FL)|
(R) (L) (R) (L) (R) (L)
| 1 2 + 3 4 + | 1 2 3 4 + ||
| STEP SH - FL STEP SH - FL | STEP STEP STEP (SH-FL)||
(L) (R) (L) (R) (L) (R)
{REPEAT}
The Lone Ranger is a sequence of two Single Basics and a Triple
Basic. A Basic is a Shuffle/Step. A Triple Basic is a
Shuffle/Step/Step/Step (or Shuffle/Step/Ball-Change.) That's the
terminology.
Dance Notation Bureau - describing its "mission is to record dances in a way that will allow them to continue to be performed.” We see this as preserving the past, enriching the present, and securing the future of dance."
Visit the Dance Notation, Documentation and Preservation Web site for information on several notations.
[See also the Laban International Website for more on Labanotation courses and information. (Site uses frames.)]
Labanotation is universally recognized as a system of recording dance movementon paper. It is a graphical method with references for time and floor position. It has a significant learning curve but once mastered it is extensible and malleable for notation. LabanWriter is software for the Mac which can be downloaded via ftp from Ohio State University. As a sample of Labanotation, here is an image from the defunct Tango Server tutorial which is the Tango Basic in Labanotation.The caption is " Simple Basico (no turns, no cross) The little circles mean that the weight is maintained for that support."
The ITA newsletter listed a short article reporting that Billie Mahoney, a Labanotation specialist with familarity in notating rhythm dance, had contracted to document a work by Jose Greco which included very intricate and fast footwork in Spanish rhythms. She has also documented Fred Strickler's "Tone Poem" and has some tap in Labanotation in the Ann Hutchinson basic textbook "Labanotation." (I'm hoping to add a sample from that text.)She hails from Kansas City, Missouri.
Here's information from the Library of Congress:
78-102498 (LCCC) Guest, Ann Hutchinson. Labanotation : or, Kinetography Laban : the system of analyzing and recording movement / Ann Hutchinson ; illustrated by Doug Anderson. 3d ed., rev.New York : Theatre Arts Books, 1977, c1970. xvi, 528 p. : ill. ; 21 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: GV1587 .H8 1977 DEWEY DEC: 793.3/01/48 ISBN: 0878305270
Tapper Stan Kahn developed a shorthand notation for tap steps and routines. You can get more information on Sam Weber's Web site where a master key is available for purchase on the "Ask About..." page.
The Borgo Method is a shorthand graphic notation vocabulary using lines, arrows, etc. Folks who have used in on the tap-jazz list recommended it as easy to learn and use. The manual is modest cost. Info: Borgo Sisters, P.O. Box 333, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA 48068 (800) 399-0235.
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