I'm in a bit of a dilemma to know whether it is wrong or not to tap your foot when playing an instrument. I have read somewhere that pianists should not tap their feet when playing (obviously yhis is not an issue if you're using the pedal) but at a recent jazz workshop I was encouraged to tap my foot to help me keep time. Has anyone come across this problem + is it the same for other instruments?

Confused!

When I was a kid and played in an orchestra we had a great teacher who (amongst other things, obviously!) taught us to tap with our big toe inside our shoe. Not noticeable to the audience, but still gives me a sense of the rhythm if I need it.

But that probably doesn't apply in any way to piano.

When I was finding it impossible to keep time I was told to tap my foot. Once I'd got used to doing that I was advised to change it to tapping my big toe inside my shoe. I was told the idea is to get your body used to feeling the timing, so eventually you just feel it without tapping (but that can take months and months)

I always tap when I'm learning something new and while I'm practicing.

I was taught to wiggle my big toe too, but that interferes with pedal technique on the piano, so I try to internalise the pulse now.

When singing, I've been known to conduct myself.

That's a habit I have trouble with, too. Comes of conducting a choir in church. More alarmingly, when I was videoed playing the flute, I found I was conducting myself with my elbows.

Next time you're at a concert (classical) take a look at the players feet (if you're sat where you can see a lot of them). There are bound to be two or three who will be visibly wiggling a toe inside their shoe and sometimes you will see a subtle movement of the entire foot. I know of quartet players, especially cellists, will do a touch of foot tapping in sections with an awkward or unclear rhythms. It's not ideal as it can be distracting, but there will have been times when all of us have struggled to count and foot tapping is better than losing the rhythm completely.

Foot-tapping is an absolute no-no in a professional orchestra, because it indicates that you are not following the conductor. When I am conducting I consider it shows poor training. Some players may find it useful in chamber music, because one player in a group may need to take the lead through a passage with speed variations, but there are better ways than using a foot e.g. the instrument (flute, oboe, violin, clarinet) or the head (pianist, 'cellist).

I tend to tap my feet quite a bit, not while playing the piano though. (see profile if confused)

Sorry kenm, the tears are rolling down my face with laughter about this. Speaking as someone who freelances with orchestras, under many conductors, (some well-known others not so) I can safely say that not all conductors (even those well-known names!) keep time or a beat. In fact, it "BEATS" me how any of them got the job in the first place!!

There are those who literally wave their arms around, like a giant windmill, without any rhythm or count at all, while some hardly move which is particularly bad if you're unlucky enough to be seated on a desk behind a tall player - it's difficult enough to see the conductor let alone his/her arms.

You wouldn't, if you'd ever been a player sat in an highly-ranked professional orchestra and nearly had a performance grind to a halt because of the moron on the podium. All professional orchestras know the repertoire inside out and also know which conductors to ignore - they will keep their own internal beat ticking over for these occasions. Ironic the conductor is always the first to receive the audiences appreciation though

So folks, next time you attend a professional concert spare a thought for the poor orchestra who may have been slogging it out under their own steam for the last two hours.

That's the point though. They don't need to tap their feet, because they have the rhythm in their ears, which is the right place for it.

Some of the confusion may be that you were told to tap your feet at a jazz workshop. The etiquette for both performers and audience is very different at jazz gigs and classical orchestral concerts.

As a mostly jazz player I've been encouraged to tap my feet, sway, move around, whatever it takes to lock into a groove and communicate with the rest of the band, most of which would appear ludicrous, if not be impossible, playing in a classical situation.

Some orchestral players do sway around with the music - some more so than others. I think to sit there playing like a robot and not let your body move in some way creates a wooden and emotionless performance.