This article is a follow up from Part 1 where I showed you how to count in country line dances in 4/4 timing. I suggest you read it first.
Waltz timing is very different and confuses some line dancers. There are only 3 beats in a bar instead of the typical 4 beats found in most popular country and pop music.
A typical 4 bar waltz intro would be counted as
1,2,3 – 2,2,3 – 3,2,3 – 4,2,3
and you would start dancing on the next downbeat
Some line dancers mistake a slow song for a waltz and this can cause some confusion.
For example I sometimes see line dancers trying to do a line dance waltz to a 4/4 song, especially if the song is slow – or the opposite, dancing 4/4 steps to a 3/4 song.
Waltzes also conform to the Formula introduced in Part 1 . That is, most songs have a 4 or 8 bar intro before you start dancing.
A waltz or 3 /4 time country line dance track can be hard to recognize depending on the arrangement of the song and your musical experience.
They can also be harder to find as many CD’s only have one waltz track (if you are lucky) or, more than likely, none at all. Even if there is a waltz track it may not be suitable for country line dancing.
TIP
It’s important to start line dancing on the right beat as most songs are made up of distinct 4 bar sections (or multiples of 4 bars)
E.g. a song may be made up of a 4 bar intro – then a 16 bar verse – and an 8 bar chorus. Now if you start dancing on bar 2 of a 4 bar section, for example, you could feel out of time or that something just isn’t quite right. Try it for yourself.
SOME EXAMPLES (see video)
Now, let’s check out some 3/4 time or Waltz line dance music and analyze it.
“The Woman In My Life” by Phil Vassar
This beautiful dedication song has an 8 bar count in.
“You Keep On Loving Me” by Sherrie Austin
This has a quick lead in to a 4 bar count in.
“If I Had Wings” by Darius Rucker
Another 8 bar intro.
“Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson
Because this is a fast 3 /4 time song it gets away with a 16 bar intro.
With just a little practice you will be able to count in country line dances like a pro.
