What is Salsa? continued The Music

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for newcomers to salsa is understanding the music. Salsa music is easy to enjoy, but when it comes to clearly identifying the beats, some people fall apart on it. The details below offer some helpful information to guide you in understanding the beat of salsa music and how it relates to dancing.

The 8-Count
Let's begin with something most, if not all, people are familiar with and that is the 8-count. When musicians and dancers begin to do their thing, they begin by saying, "five, six, seven, eight" and then everyone begins on "one" in sync continuing with a rhythm that goes something like this:

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
and so on...

Music flows on eight beats, which are also considered two sets of four beats. A set of four beats (one, two, three, four) is called a "measure". The next set of four beats (five, six, seven, eight) is also a "measure". The term "measure" is very important and used a lot when teaching/learning how to dance salsa. For a visual reference, take a look at the table below.

The 6-Count
Salsa music is based on two musical measures amounting to the original eight beats. However, this is where everyone gets confused. The 8-count is converted into a 6-count by incorporating a "pause" on "four" and on "eight". This changes:

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
...

to

one, two, three, "and", four, five, six, "and"
one, two, three, "and", four, five, six, "and" ...

Notice how four and eight are replaced with the pause "and". Although you're counting six steps, the reality is that those six steps are occurring over eight beats. Why? Because two of the steps are being spent with a pause. It is noteworthy to mention that depending on the song, salsa music is played at different speeds. Some are slow, some are medium and some are darn fast! The faster the song is, the smaller your steps should be so you can keep up with the beat, but the basic concept of counting the beat remains the same. You'll just be counting faster or slower.

When listening to salsa music, you can hear the musicians creating a six-beat with the instruments although the reality is that there are two standard measures of time. This six-count is the root of the structure of salsa dancing and is paramount to learning how to dance salsa. In salsa dancing, a measure refers to three steps and a pause taken in time with the musical measure of the song. Sometimes the beats of a 6-count are identified by using the words "quick, quick, slow, quick, quick, slow". Here's the updated table that compares an 8-count with the 6-count.

Don't Worry!
This may sound complicated when described in words but actually, learning the six-count is very easy. Once you learn the six-count, which is the root of the salsa dance structure, you'll begin to branch off from there learning all the steps and combinations that make up the vast world of salsa dancing. Before you know it, you'll be dancing structured salsa executing moves that will impress your family and friends.

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