Canter time, canter timing or canter rhythm is a two-beat regular rhythmic pattern of a

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

or in dance steps within time music. The term is borrowed from the

canter The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gait that can be performed by a horse or other equine. The canter is a controlled three-beat gait, while the gallop is a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait. It is a natural gait p ...

horse gait Horses can use various gaits (patterns of leg movement) during locomotion across solid ground, either naturally or as a result of specialized training by humans.Ensminger, M. E. ''Horses and Horsemanship'' 6th edition USA: Interstate Publishe ...

, which sounds three hoof beats followed by a pause, i.e., 3 accents in time. In

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

dances it may mark the 1st and the 4th eighths of the measure, producing a overlay beat over the time. In other words, when a measure is cued as "one, two-and three", the canter rhythm marks "one" and "and". This rhythm is the basis of the Canter Waltz. In modern ballroom dancing, an example is the Canter Pivot in the Viennese Waltz. In

Vals Vals is the word for waltz in many European languages. Vals or VALS may also refer to: * Peruvian waltz * Venezuelan waltz * Vals (dance), a dance related to Argentine tango * VALS, "Values And Lifestyles," a psychographic segmentation tool Place ...

(a style of Tango), the canter rhythm is also known as medio galope (which actually means "

" in Spanish) and may accent beats 1 and 2 of the measure. The Canter Waltz or Canter is a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

with

waltz music A waltz (German: ''Walzer''; French: ''Valse'', Italian: ''Valzer'', Spanish: ''Vals'', Polish: ''Walc''), probably deriving from German ''Ländler'', is dance music in triple meter, often written in time. A waltz typically sounds one chord ...

characterized by the canter rhythm of steps. A 1922 dance manual describes it as follows:Charles J. Coll and Gabrielle Rosiere (1922
"Dancing Made Easy"
(

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired ...

since December 4, 2002) "The Canter Waltz has been revived and presents an opportunity to show the use of "direction" in the straight backward and forward series of walking steps. This dance is walking to waltz time but walking most quietly and gracefully. There are two steps to the three counts of music. Step forward on 1 and make the second step between the 2 and 3 count. Give the first step the accent, although the steps are almost of the same value. It may, perhaps, help the student practicing alone with the aid of the victrola to count "one-and two-and three-and", making the second step on the second "and", until able to do the step smoothly."

References

{{reflist Rhythm and meter Waltz, Canter Waltz

See also

References