Bonnie, my fiddle teacher has been encouraging me to try to learn to tap my foot when I play. (I've been playing just about 2 years, too.) He says it helps you keep steady time and also is a way of communicating your tempo to other folks you're playing with. I find it VERY difficult, kind of like patting my head and rubbing my belly at the same time. I often have to start by tapping the time while I'm humming the tune (I don't have this trouble when I sing, and in fact almost always keep time with a hand or a foot when I'm singing). Then if I pick up my fiddle and play pretty slowly sometimes I can play and toe-tap at the same time. Sometimes I find it easier with tunes I know really well and can play a little faster--maybe I don't have to concentrate so hard on playing the right notes. But I've noticed many good musicians around these parts don't toe-tap, while others do, so I'm beginnning to question the necessity. Maybe it's another of those things that works differently for different folks, and thus shouldn't be the subject of hard and fast rules . . . ??

Turtle