1284 Handout PDF
1284 Handout PDF
1284 Handout PDF
Or…
Ten Easy Ways to be a More Effective
Conductor: From Traffic Cop to Artistry
Or…
Conducting Tune-up
Principles and Solutions for Common Conducting
Challenges
Dr. Frank Eychaner- University of Texas Permian Basin
1) Changing Efforts…
Laban Effort explained
Second Step, freeze. The critical second step in initiating sound is to become
completely still and wait until all musicians are watching. Our stillness makes the
impulse gesture that follows clear to everyone. There is an important truth we’ll
discover later in the discussion of the Laban Effort Actions: physical stillness,
immediately before a gesture, clarifies and amplifies that gesture. Movement
draws the eye and is more significant in the absence of other movements.
The third step is to Audiate, without movement and without the presence of
sound, the music you will be conducting. The conductor must hear the entrance
they will conduct: its quality, tempo and articulation. Some struggle to audiate the
appropriate tempo. It can be useful to identify the fastest musical figures and
slowest musical figures in a work. These figures often reveal the tempo that
matches the composer’s intent and the musician’s technical ability. Auditate the
sound and count the meter in your mind. Once the quality of sound that is
desired is fixed in the conductor’s mind, we are ready for the next step.
The fourth step is to begin conducting, in time, as if the hands had already
been in motion. It is important to recall that the initial, slight downward motion,
the Impulse Gesture, is accompanied by the conductor’s inhalation. The first
motion must be a subtle drop into the ictus of the beat PRIOR to the entrance.
This subtle drop defines the ictus of the previous beat, essential for establishing
and communicating both tempo and articulation. The space used in the rebound
communicates the volume while the speed and weight of the gesture contributes
to and reinforces the appropriate articulation. The conductor should exhale as the
ensemble initiates sound as if the conductor were an ensemble member.
3) Unhelpful Movement
Rehearse/illustrate using gestures that are contrary to human non-verbals. I
can teach anyone to respond to gestures.
• What they see IS what you get- the Eichenberger revelations- Understanding
and using universals of non-verbal communication will increase the clarity and
effectiveness of our gestures. By using adopting cultural norms in our
conducting gestures, we ease communication between conductor and choir,
making gestures universally clear and easy for singers to follow.
• Tension- Tension anywhere in the body or the mind will adversely affect the
sound. Safeguard relationships and avoid tense gestures and attitudes! Practice
relaxing. Breathe low and in the body. Hands and arms not too high our you’ll
develop shoulder/neck/back problems.
• Still body vs. “heads and shoulders, knees and toes”- Eichenberger cites
research that demonstrates that a calm body is universally recognized as more
confident and grounded than an active body. Further, a calm body doesn’t send
mixed signals to the ensemble. There are clear implications for the conductor.
All of the common conducting challenges below are variations on the same
theme. That theme: We send mixed (and even contradictory) signals when
there is extraneous body movement. Demonstrate.
o Swaying in the breeze
o Dancing
o Unproductive/unintentional movements
o The bobble head doll…
o Bending knees
o Toe tapping and up on your toes.
o Head and Shoulder, Knees and Toes…(more than a popular children’s
song)
o Shifting weight, “conductors waltz”…a popular dance…in any meter…
• Posture- Our posture is the model that is reflected in our singers. Good singing
posture, relaxed yet ready and welcoming, is the basis of good conducting
posture. Some common conducting posture problems include:
o Leaning forward ‘please?’ Trust your singers!
o Drat, foiled again (sword fighting posture)
o Wrestler, military stance
o Dancer
o Blowing in the wind
o Heads, shoulders, knees and toes…more on this later…
o Our body type impacts the sound
`
4) Gesture Speed, Weight and Space…key to articulation
• Low gestures and moving lower are generally perceived as louder and
heavier.
• Higher gesture and moving higher are generally perceived as softer and
lighter.
• Moving out and away (on the sagittal plane) gestures result in a less
focused sound that projects into the space.
• Moving in and to the conductor results in a more focused sound that is
contained.
• Bulging gestures (imagine holding a large box) and growing larger (on the
table plane) are generally perceived as loud or growing louder.
• Collapsing gestures, imagine cupping the hands like you are holding a
butterfly (in on the table plane), are generally perceived as soft or growing
softer.
6) When the Pattern isn’t Helpful- Dry Beats and Beats of De-emphasis
a. De-Emphasis- Less Space, Less Weight, Less Distance
b. Dry Beats…drawing attention to what is next
7) Issues of Tempo:
Although we can make almost any conducting gesture work, some clearly work
better than others and as we improve the clarity and expressiveness of our gesture, we
improve both the efficiency of our rehearsals and the quality of our musical artistry. The
session will explore recent research applications to reveal how our conducting helps us
communicate the expressive artistry inside us with compelling power, clarity, ease and
authenticity. Beyond a ‘basics’ session we will apply foundational principles while
exploring advanced conducting concepts for those with a solid technique. Topics to
address include: Laban Movement Theory and implications for conductors,
Eichenberger’s revelations, an exploration of non-verbal communication and implications
for conductors and a discussion of the ‘inner game’ of conducting.
Frank F. Eychaner
Director of Choral and Vocal Studies
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
1310 N. FM 1788
Midland, TX 79707
Frank.eychaner@gmail.com
303-875-5499