Why is Salsa music counted in 8 if it is in 4/4 time?
The wikipedia page shows salsa notated in 4/4 time and the clave (which marks the rhythm) is written as 16th notes:
1 ee and aa 2 ee and aa 3 ee and aa 4 ee and aa
but most Salsa teachers seem to count it in 8 or two groups of 4 like this not using 16th notes at all but rather as 8th notes.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8
or
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4
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The shortest answer is: it isn't by musicians. There are 4 beats per clave. Dancers count in 8 because it's easier to count 'one two three four' than 'one and two and'.
Dancers count by steps rather than by measures, and salsa typically features eight steps per phrase (two measures of 4/4 time). See this similar question on Quora for details:
[In] each 4/4 measure, a dancer steps three times, either left/right/left or right/left/right. That means you need another measure to get back to the same foot. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to count 2 measures. Mostly salsa dance patterns span 2, sometimes 4, measures.
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