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Contents
Exposition ........................................................................................viii
Development ..................................................................................... 1
Chapter One: Te Right Hand ................................................ 3
Chapter Two: Two Hands ......................................................17
Chapter Tree: Expressing Ideas ..........................................31
Chapter Four: Repertory and Programming .....................47
Chapter Five: Te Score and the Rehearsal .......................55
Chapter Six: Singers and Choirs ..........................................73
Recapitulation ..................................................................................87
About the Author ...........................................................................89
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Singers live from
ictus to ictus,
while conductors
live from rebound
to rebound.
Introduction
Conducting is communication through gesture. Te language of gesture, like all languages,
takes time to learn and perfect. Subtlety of speech communication takes years to develop,
and so will expressive communication as a conductor. Many elements factor into this unique
form of talking to a musical ensemble, among them eye contact, body language, and clear
mental and intellectual intentions. But the foundation of communicative gesture lies in the
bodily movements that we call conducting patterns.
In this chapter, we will discuss basic conducting patterns and their execution. To begin,
there are two terms you should know. Te rst is the ictus, or the point of the beat; and the
second is the rebound, that portion of the beat that lies between two ictus points. An ictus
is dened by the rebound, by the change of direction in the pattern at the exact moment of
the beat.
Singers live from ictus to ictusthis is where their activity takes place. Teir response to
your gesture begins on one ictus point and ends on the next. Once the conductor has given
the third ictus of a pattern, the singer begins the activity (the notes or rests) that occupies
that beat.
Te conductor, on the other hand, lives in the rebound of each beat. It is in the rebound
of the beat preceding each ictus where the conductor has the sole opportunity to convey
performance information: not only tempo (indicated by the speed of the rebound), but also
dynamic, style, articulation, and other crucial performance indications.
Traditional conducting styles, at least those outlined in many textbooks, rely on patterns
that do not have an ictus point, that moment of rebound that denes the end of one beat
and the start of another. Te ictus is extremely important in dening
a clear pattern and hence in creating concise ensemble singing. Te
sweeping patterns often illustrated in textbooks, however, do not al-
low for an ictus point on each beat, rendering them ineective. If one
closely observes experienced, professional conductors in concert, it
is rare to see any of them use these sweeping gestures when informa-
tion needs to be clearly communicated. While experienced ensembles
can sing cleanly without continuously provided beats, younger groups
usually cannot.
Chapter One
The Right Hand
3
4 Conducting Choirs: The Promising Conductor
Conducting
requires more than
reproducing beat
patterns in front of
your ensemble.
Tere is another problem with these sweeping gestures, and that is that they are inher-
ently unbalanced in execution. In a sweeping four pattern, for example, beat one takes X
amount of time to execute as one moves, say, ten inches to the conductors left, to the second
beat of the pattern:
1 3 4 2
Beat two to beat three covers nearly twice that distance, yet the conductor is expected to
cover this greater distance in the same allotted time as he or she covered the distance traveled
to the rst beat. Tis means that the conductor must now change the speed of the rebound
in order to get to the next beat in the same, exact amount of time.
Changing the speed of the rebound is an inherently dangerous thing to do, since the pri-
mary job of the conductor is to convey an accurate tempo in order to allow the ensemble to
perform together. To continually change the speed of the rebound invites a distorted tempo.
While a good conductor may instinctually rely on his or her innate musicianship to keep a
steady pulse, it seems easier to learn from the beginning a technique that allows the young
conductor to regulate and maintain this steady pulse.
A modied version of these common sweeping patterns is presented here for two prin-
cipal reasons. First, the patterns outlined here are more balanced in their design, doing away
with the need to constantly make shifts in the speed of the rebound. Secondly, they provide
clear ictus points, and consequently relay a strong, steady internalized pulse. Since the pri-
mary function of a conductor is to keep an ensemble precisely together, the ability to inter-
nalize and communicate a steady pulse is critical to conducting success.
Study and eventual mastery of these exercises and patterns will develop a technical basis
for conducting. One learns three-octave scales in every key as a pianist, but that does not
imply that the players upcoming recital will consist of showing o how well she can play
scales. Conducting, likewise, does not consist of performing textbook
techniques in front of your choir. It consists of drawing on the techni-
cal skills you have acquired, combined with experience and musician-
ship, to develop conducting gestures which are not only individual, but
clear, concise, and meaningful. Good communication as a conductor is
further reliant upon other factors as well. Among these is meaningful
eye contact with your choir, an active and involved posture, good body
language, breathing with your singers, and clear musical intentions.
5 Chapter One: The Right Hand
Do you use a baton?
A conducting baton is a magnifying glass. It allows the conductor to make larger gestures
more easily. Tis allows for clear communication to a larger ensemble, which is the reason
that instrumental conductors typically use a baton and choral conductors (who often deal
with smaller ensembles) more typically do not. Tose lines are blurring more frequently in
recent times, as more well-known orchestral conductors are opting not to use a baton (free-
ing their hands to be more expressive), while more choral conductors use one. Te choice
is really the individuals to make. I usually have my students begin without a baton, but I
introduce its use relatively early in the course of study so they can be comfortable using one.
I advocate choosing a light-weight baton
anywhere from 12 to 18 inches in length. Use
a grip that rmly but lightly grasps the cork or
wooden end of the baton. Allow the ngers to
curl under; avoid the index nger on top of the
baton and dont let the pinkie nger stick out
to the side. Hold the baton so the tip is point-
ed away from you, forming an extension of the
arm. Dont allow the baton to turn sideways so
that you conduct parallel to the body. Finally,
make sure the ictus points are indicated at the
tip of the baton, not in the ngers or wrists.
Imagine that the tip of the baton is a piece of
chalk and that you are writing your pattern on a
chalkboard, and you should get the proper idea.
Common Pitfalls
Ideally, conductors should be able to conduct clearly with or without this magnier. If
used, remember that the baton should function as an organic extension of the arm and hand
that hold it. Te key to its eective use is to move the ictus point to the very end of the stick.
With practice, the baton can become a familiar and comfortable tool.
Conducting a Pulse
Te rst step in building these patterns for conducting is to nd and hold a steady, recur-
ring pulse. Begin by taking a relaxed body stance, with the shoulders squared and both arms
hanging loosely at your sides. Ten, slowly lift the right arm from the elbow until the forearm
is parallel to the oor. Let your hand be relaxed, with the ngers held lightly together. Try not
to move your elbow out from your body, but let it be relaxed at your side (at the same time,
do not keep it hugged tightly to your torso).
Finger on the baton shaft Extended pinkie Baton turned sideways
Correct Posture with Baton
6 Conducting Choirs: The Promising Conductor
The conducting box
occupies an area roughly
from the bottom of
your chin to your waist
and from shoulder to
shoulder. The bottom of
this box is the conducting
plane. The depth of the
conducting box should
also be consistent.
Repeat this several times until your arm begins to feel comfortable in this position. Tis
relaxed position, parallel to the oor, will dene the bottom of the conducting box and is
sometimes called the conducting plane. It is at this plane (shown as a dashed line in the g-
ures above) that you will communicate the majority of the information you need to give to
your ensemble. By establishing this plane, you are telling your singers or players where the
important information will come: here lie the ictus points that provide the consistent pulse
that conveys a steady tempo. Note that the conducting box also has a third dimension: depth.
Your conducting should also normally lie within a regulated distance away from your torso.
Once you feel comfortable with your plane, raise your hand to chin level, trying not to move
your shoulder too much. Tis level, for now, will constitute the top of the conducting box. When
you have established this level, let your arm fall relaxed back to your side. Do this several times,
feeling each time the weight of your arm as it falls. Tis weight is important: begin to internalize
the feeling of falling by thinking of it happening simultane-
ously in the center of the body. Practice letting your arm fall
with no muscle tension and no feeling of resistance.
Next, let your arm fall from the top of the box and stop it
at the conducting plane (rather than letting it fall all the way
to your side). Dont lose the feeling of the weight of gravity
that you had when your arm fell to your side. Tis feeling of
internalized weight is essential to maintaining a steady, even
pulse or beat. Te bottom of the conducting plane should
be slightly elastic so that when your hand falls down, there
is a bit of rebound. Dont break your wrist. For now, think of
your arm, wrist, and hand as one unit, with the elbow as the
primary hinge for movement.
7 Chapter One: The Right Hand
The downbeat
should always drop
on an axis from
the right shoulder.
It should not be
placed in the
center of the body.
Now pick a fairly relaxed tempo, say quarter note = 80. Simply bounce up and down on
the vertical axis you just established, without losing the feeling of weight and rebound at the
bottom of the conducting box. Practice this exercise in front of a mirror until the feeling of
weight is internalized and the motion looks and feels natural and comfortable. Watch your-
self to be sure that your shoulder isnt moving unnecessarily, and that your arm returns to the
conducting plane for each ictus point. (Te downbeat of the three and four pattern will be
performed in the same way as this bounce beat.)
Basic Patterns
Tere are really only three basic patterns, which suce for nearly
any meter in music: the two, three, and four patterns. Te tempo,
the meter, and the equality (or inequality) of every beat in a measure
are the factors in deciding how to conduct that measure of music.
The Three Pattern
We begin with a three pattern, the easiest one to balance and prac-
tice. Te downbeat of the three pattern is performed like the bounce
beat introduced above. For the second beat of the pattern, simply
add a smaller bounce to the right of the downbeat. It is smaller for
two reasons: it is not as important an ictus to your ensemble as the
downbeat, and because the time vs. space ratio needs to stay the same.
Te upbeat, or anacrusis, is the upward motion of the bounce preceding the rebound just
introduced. Tis can be shown schematically like this:
1 3 2
When you practice, make sure that each ictus or beat has rebound to it, and that each main-
tains the internalized feeling of weight you rst practiced. Ensure, as well, that each of the
three ictuses lands on a level, consistent conducting plane. Te three pattern is also used for
measures of meter in a fast tempo.