Tap Steps: Basic Timesteps

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Note: In the notation below each beat uses 9 ASCII characters (including spaces) which allows the beats and terms to align vertically. You might want to review the Tap Glossary for my abbreviations and the terms they represent. A quick review of music notation is also included. By the way, below I extend a 'flap' across beats with 'FL-AP' and 'SHFL' becomes 'SH-FL'. The notation is somewhat limiting. Enjoy!

Basic Timestep Combinations

A BONUS ON THE VIDEOTAPE:

SIMPLE TIMESTEP (single)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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


TRIPLE TIMESTEP (keep pickup shuffles even, like a brush-pull.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Then follow with the triplet hop-shuffle to side.)

4  +      1        2        3        4
           -3-
/--/--||--/-/-/----/--/-----/--/-----/--/-----|
|__|      |_|_|    |__|     |__|     |__|

SH-FL     HPSHFL   ST FL -  AP ST    SH-FL

(R)(R)     (L)      (R)(L) - (L)(R)   (L)(L)
 in pl     bk fwd

           -3-
       |--/-/-/----/--/-----/--/-----/--/-----||
          |_|_|    |__|     |__|     |__|

          HPSHFL   ST FL -  AP ST    SH-FL

          (L)      (R)(L) - (L)(R)   (L)(L)
          in pl     bk fwd

By the way, steps are often discussed on the TAP-JAZZ email discussion list. Here is a quick description of the different time steps from one message:

Single T.S  -  Shuffle hop STEP flap step
Double T.S. -  Shuffle hop FLAP flap step
Triple T.S. -  Shuffle hop SHUFFLE STEP flap step
Quad T.S.   -  Shuffle hop SHUFFLE STEP HEEL flap step

   It's the steps in Caps that determine if its single, double, 
triple, quad.

FOOTNOTE:

Many songs that tappers dance to are 32 bars in length which works well with a succession of 8-measure timesteps. That is why this was so notated above and why I broke the simple and triple timesteps out as separate items.
[Routine notated by Paul Corr]

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