Basic Conducting Patterns (Part 1)

The next several articles deal with the basic patterns for conducting. Knowing how to use them and then applying them in your rehearsal (and eventually the worship service) can clearly communicate your interpretation of the music without saying a word. Note: These patterns are for the hand you use with a baton or use to establish tempo (usually your right hand).

1) The Non-Expressivo Pattern - It has a plain, continuous motion. The pattern is medium in size and is done with a fluid motion in the forearm.
2) The Light Staccato Pattern - It has a quick, straight motion with a stop on each count. The gesture for this pattern is small.
3) The Full Staccato Pattern - It has a quick, slightly curved motion with a stop on each count. It is snappy and energetic, with a noticeable bouncing on the downbeat.
4) The Expressivo-Legato Pattern - It has a curved, continuous motion. It is done with some tension in the forearm. Of course, the intensity and degree of curve vary with emotions of the music. The size of the pattern can vary from small to large.

More patterns next week!

Basic Conducting Patterns (Part 2)

Here is the completion of Part 1. A good exercise: Turn on PBS or go to the symphony and study the director's patterns. How are they doing in communicating to their players?

5) The Marcato Pattern - The typical maracto pattern has a heavy motion with a stop on each count. It is forceful, sometimes aggressive in character. The pattern can be medium to large in size. The gestures used to connect the counts are slower than staccato.

Note: There are two types of the marcato pattern. The first type uses straight lines similar to the Light Staccato Pattern, but at least three times larger. The second type uses curved lines. It combines the Expressivo-Legato Pattern with the Full Staccato Pattern. You would use this pattern for slow music of passionate intensity and strong rhythm.

6) The Tenuto Pattern - The Tenuto Pattern utilizes a smooth motion with a stop on each count. It resembles the marcato pattern, but lacks the aggressiveness. Each beat is sustained with or without intensity, depending on the music. The size of the pattern ranges from small to large.

Remember: Practice these before you use them… Practice in front of a mirror at first, then in front of a friend… Have your friend tell you what they think you are communicating in your conducting.

Conducting Techniques (Part 3)

Now that you have the basic patterns, it's time to go a little deeper. Disclaimer: I am only scratching the surface on conducting. Volumes of books have been written concerning techniques. I am writing these articles merely to "tweet" your memory from your days in school and apply those lessons learned to your ministry today. With that being said, I'll continue…

· Practice your patterns in different meters, even odd or rare meters. It seems that many arrangers (David Hamilton, Gary Rhodes, Don Marsh, etc.) are using more compound and composite meters in their arrangements than ever before. We need to be ready before we get in front of our people!
· Practice starting your patterns on other beats. Not every song starts on beat one! The key to this is your preparatory beat… Practice your entrances without using body language… Take a breath on your prep beat… It will help players and singers come in at the right time.
· Practice crescendos and decrescendos. You can go bigger (wider and/or taller) for crescendos, smaller and inward for decrescendos.
· Incorporate cueing in your patterns. Not all cueing takes place in the left hand (or non-baton hand).

Conducting Techniques (Part 4)

Here's the continuation of mastering elements in your conducting patterns.

· Practice subdividing the beat… Use wrist movement to create a small pulse in-between beats… large, fluid motion for legato, small, quick motion for stacatto.
· Practice conducting rests… Most rests are passive (obviously)… Direct them as such.
· Practice ritards and accelerandos… Enlarge pattern before a ritard or rallantando, shrink pattern before accelerando.
· Practice fermatas (holds) and cutoffs… practice dynamic changes while holding… baton gradually raised and moving away from your body for crescendo, lowered and drawn close to your body for decrescendo… Use a small prep before cutoff for cleanliness… Use short wrist "flick" for quick release, slow, drawn wrist for long release.
· Practice accents and syncopation in your patterns… Prep gestures are crucial… Make prep clear… In extremely syncopated musical intros, give one full measure of preparatory beats and establish syncopation before they play… This will work for accents as well.