BalletGuide
How to Count Ballet Music in 3/4: The Waltz Count
Ballet waltz music is counted 1 2 3, with the weight on the 1. One bar holds one pas de valse or one balancé. Here is how to count it, hear it and drill it.
4 min readWritten at Count Studio
How do you count ballet music in 3/4?
Count it 1 2 3, with the weight on the 1, then start again: 1 2 3 | 1 2 3. A 3/4 time signature means three quarter notes in every bar, so each bar is one count of three. In ballet class that bar is also the length of a waltz step: a pas de valse takes three counts, one bar.
When the tempo is slow or the step is small, count the ands as well: "1 and 2 and 3 and". The 1 carries the weight and the 2 and 3 are lighter. That's the whole system. The rest is putting your feet on it.
Step by step: counting a waltz bar
Step 1: hear the bar. Listen for the strong beat that comes back every three counts. Clap on the 1 and tap the 2 and 3 softly: 1 2 3 | 1 2 3.
Step 2: say it aloud. Count "1 2 3" over the music for a few bars before you move. If the music starts with a pickup, the lead-in is often "and a" before the 1: "and a 1 2 3". Count Studio's Ballet 3/4 count uses that same lead-in.
Step 3: put a step on each count. Two steps fill a bar exactly, and the Glossary of ballet describes both:
| Count | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pas de valse | fondu (down) | relevé (up) | elevé (up) |
| Balancé | fondu (down) | relevé (up) | fondu (down) |
The pas de valse is a sequence of three steps, always advancing like a march, done in three counts to music generally in 3/4 time. It can travel in any direction or turn. The feet do not assemble on any step: each step passes the last. The balancé is a rocking sequence of three steps in three counts, down, up, down.
Step 4: string bars together. Here is an example to practise, not a syllabus exercise. Your teacher's combination will differ.
| Bar | Count | Step |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 2 3 | balancé to the right |
| 2 | 1 2 3 | balancé to the left |
| 3 | 1 2 3 | pas de valse forward |
| 4 | 1 2 3 | pas de valse forward |
Say the counts, not the step names, when you begin: "1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3". Count the bars out loud as you go, then let the steps follow the count. You can read more on how counts work across ballet in our ballet counts section.
How do you find the 1 in waltz music?
Listen to the accompaniment. According to Wikipedia, the typical waltz plays the root of the chord on the first beat and the upper notes on the second and third, which makes the first beat heavier. Dancers and musicians sometimes call it "oom-pa-pa": a low note, then two lighter chords.
If you can hear "oom-pa-pa", the "oom" is your 1. Say it with the music: "1 2 3 | 1 2 3". Our guide to finding the 1 in any song covers what to do when the accompaniment is less obvious.
Tempo changes how you feel the count. Waltz music in general runs about 84 to 108 BPM, per the same article. Count Studio's Ballet 3/4 count covers 72 to 180 BPM for class music, so trust the feel of the bar more than a single number.
| Tempo feel | How to count it |
|---|---|
| Slow | 1 and 2 and 3 and |
| Medium | 1 2 3 |
| Fast | Feel one beat per bar, with the 1 as the pulse |
The last row comes from the time-signature reference too: a fast waltz in 3/4 may be described as being "one in a bar". In that case you still dance three steps in the bar. You just stop saying "2" and "3" aloud.
Common problems
Counting in eights. Dancers used to jazz or hip hop reach for 8-counts. A waltz is not eight beats. Count the bar of three, and start again on the next 1. Trying to fit 3/4 into 8-counts leaves you one beat out every bar.
Accenting all three counts. If every count is the same weight, the waltz sounds like a march. Keep the 1 big and the 2 and 3 light, which is also what the music does.
Rushing the 3. The 3 tends to rush because it leads into the next 1. Keep the 3 light and late, and let the 1 arrive on time.
Mixing it up with the ballroom waltz. The ballroom waltz is also in 3/4 and also strong on the 1, but the steps and rise and fall differ. If you dance both, our guide on how to count the ballroom waltz shows how they relate.
Practise it with Count Studio
Drill it in three passes. First, clap the 1 and count aloud over a waltz for eight bars. Second, march the count on the spot: step on 1, 2 and 3. Third, add the pas de valse or balancé on each bar, still saying the count.
Count Studio has a Ballet 3/4 count for this: three beats to the bar, optional ands between the beats, an "and a" lead-in, and a tempo range of 72 to 180 BPM. You hear where the 1 is, see the tape move through the bar and can feel the count on your wrist with Apple Watch. Count Studio is coming November 27 to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Bottom line
Ballet waltz is counted 1 2 3, with the weight on the 1, and one bar holds one pas de valse or one balancé. Find the 1 by listening for the "oom" of "oom-pa-pa", count the ands when the music is slow, and say the count aloud until your feet agree.
Questions
How do you count a waltz in ballet?
Count 1 2 3 with the weight on the 1, and start again at the next bar: 1 2 3 | 1 2 3. One bar of 3/4 is one count of three, so a pas de valse takes exactly one bar.
What is the difference between pas de valse and balancé?
Both take three counts. A pas de valse is down, up, up and always advances. A balancé is down, up, down and rocks from side to side, front or back.
How fast is ballet waltz music?
Waltz music in general runs about 84 to 108 BPM, according to Wikipedia. Class music varies, and Count Studio's Ballet 3/4 count covers 72 to 180 BPM.
Do you count 1 and 2 and 3 in ballet?
Yes, when the tempo is slow or the steps are small. The and sits halfway between the counts, so a bar reads 1 and 2 and 3 and. At a fast tempo, drop the ands and count 1 2 3.