The Power of Music

In our society, music serves many purposes. It surrounds us continually. It is in the grocery store, the mall, stores within the mall, work, music on hold, music playing at restaurants, you name the location and music is present.

Music is no longer used to exclusively to entertain. It is now used to motivate people to buy, sell, smile, frown, relax, and yes - even to learn skills. So, how many people actually listen to music just to listen... with no agenda? For a while, people discussed the "Mozart Effect" where one listens to the music of Mozart and they become instantly smarter. There is merit there. Music is a collection of organized sounds presented in a coherent and hopefully, pleasant form. It's organization of music that stimulates our brain. How does one decide what note will follow the last? Or, how long the duration of note should be sustained and to what intensity? What makes it interesting?

When one is able to create a logical order of sounds in a fashion that is enjoyable by many, you'll find a musician. Next time you find yourself anywhere out of your controlled environment, listen to the music surrounding you and determine what the motivation or point of the music. Usually, at restaurants, it will be to stimulate an appetite, at stores it is to stimulate the spending and excite the customer about the products displayed.

Take control of the music that is within your control. Listen to what you want and enjoy it for what it can do to you and millions of others.

Funny, with music everywhere, it is sad that musicians can be paid so poorly.

Part II: Body Language – The Unspoken Word. What do I do with my hands?

This blog entry may be a bit dry for those not interested in ensemble conducting. Feel free to hit the snooze button again.

Body language and the use of the hands.
The questions: Does the fingers mean anything while conducting, do they serve any purpose? And, how does the conductor manage their hands when not actively being used?

Two good questions rarely discussed. Firstly, when using the hands, are the fingers open and spread apart? Are they closed and cupped? Or, perhaps the hands are somewhere between the two. The thought here is all about the psychologically transmitted and perceived communications. In essence, closed fingers resemble tight controls, organized, and a bit stifling. Open or spread fingers is just the opposite. It usually signifies loose controls, unorganized thoughts, and too many directions to follow. So, where does that leave the conductor, somewhere in the middle? What communication is intended? Find something comfortable perhaps with fingers together with a one or two spread. Think about the music and the response desired, then decide on what your hand and fingers should show. Next time you go to the ballet, look at the dancers fingers. What message does it convey. Next time you see a mime, notice how the fingers communicate volumes. The same applies with conductors and conducting.

Secondly, what to do with the hands when not actively used? Do they drop to the side, held neurotically to the body, or what? Actually, the best action is…no action. Forget about the hands, they will take care of themselves. The more a young conductor focuses on a static hand, the more it becomes a problem and the quicker it gets in the way of the music. This may seem like a weak answer, but let the hand drop when the music permits...naturally, if at all.

This blog entry is brought to you by: Short and sweet with a "straight to the point" philosophy.

Body Language - The Unspoken Word

Body Language - Positive, Negative, or Simply Informative?

Two events sparked my current blog addition. This article on body language (http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/seven-common-body-language-mistakes-480085/) and looking at my friends photography blog (http://grantblair.bigfolioblog.com/). Visual images spark a message to the brain. Do you know what you're telling your ensemble with your body position and posture?

Body language is the conductors most significant vehicle for communication. Unfortunately, there are so many young conductors out there that are simply learning the beat patterns and basic ensemble language skills. Get beyond the patterns and think about what needs to be musically communicated.

Since conductors rely on unspoken communication, it is important to recognize what is being communicated. Make sure your communications are conscious decisions and not reflections of your poor mood or attitude.

Let's start with the primary avenue of communication, the hands. Some messages are obvious, cue the oboes by gesturing in their direction just before their entrance. This is straight forward and clear. However, what if the cellos have an important entrance at the same time or slightly after the oboes? It would get awfully cumbersome to give two quick cues back to back. You can easily get caught up in becoming a traffic cop instead of music inspiration leader. One solution would be to cue the oboes while facing the cellos or vice-versa depending on the significant of both passages. After cuing the oboes you can think just look at the cellos for their cue. If you've spent any time in an ensemble you will know this is your cue.

Another quick thought - it may seem trivial, but if the conductor moves their hand up to scratch their nose while conducting (silly, I know) someone may misunderstand this as a gesture to get louder or even worse, as a cue for an entrance. Remember, the musicians are not actively looking at the conductor, they are watching by using their peripheral vision to simply glean the musical "big picture".

This is a rather lengthy topic that I will revisit again soon.
Until then, watch what your saying by watching what your doing.

My Friend, Joe Dennison

My friend Joe passed away on July 3, 2009. It was sudden and unexpected. It was a shock.

He was both a consummate teacher and student of life. Joe and I were both Adjunct Professors at High Point University. He taught Social Work I taught Music.

For a few short semesters, Joe studied trumpet with me after university orchestra rehearsals. Over time, we built a healthy friendship through lengthy discussions of university politics, careers, social interactions, and of course, music. Since I was also going through a “transition” with my girlfriend, Joe also got an earful of my woes. We were both good listeners for each other. During the “hour” trumpet lesson, we spent about an hour and a half discussion and playing trumpet, then another two hours discussing philosophy, religion, national news, and generally resolving issues that constantly surrounded us. Joe was one of the most profound individuals I have ever met. With his curiosity for life driving him, he obsessed with learning the unspoken secrets to playing the trumpet. As with all performing arts, there is a specific psychology behind successful performing and in our short time together, we crossed many bridges and solved many problems surrounding trumpet performance. He absolutely understood every idea presented and added an extra dimension of consideration at every turn. Joe was an open-minded and cohesive individual who unconsciously healed all woes with his kindly smile and worldly acceptance.

Although Joe and I met about five years ago, it seems like we have been life-long friends. Because of our busy lives, we were only able to meet occasionally in the last months – usually over breakfast at Mimi’s. However, every time we met, it was like we had just spoken to each other the day before.

I will miss his accepting smile. When we last spoke, we were going to a ballgame together. I’ll miss the game that never happened.

I'll miss my friend Joe.

The Orchestral Conductor's Baton

The Conductor's Baton

The conductor’s baton is one of the significant tools that conductors employ to add clarity, precision, and varying character to a beat style. Batons can be extremely personal and if used properly can help a conductor achieve his or her desired results more effectively than with the hands alone.

Baton Balance
No matter the baton you prefer, it is best that the baton is properly balanced to give the feeling of weightlessness and unobtrusiveness when used. The proper balance point is at the seam between the shaft and the handle. One should be able to balance the baton on a finger at this fulcrum point. A properly balanced baton should feel like part of your arm.

What kind of Handle?
There are many considerations when choosing a baton. Common handle options are wood, cork or plastic. Most handles are made of wood or cork. Plastic handles are usually the “freebies” typically found at trade shows. These are the most inexpensive type and least desirable because of poor craftsmanship and design. Cork is easy to come by and easy to shape. However, because of it's lightweight, it is difficult to find a properly balanced baton with a cork handle.

The best method for choosing a handle shape is to see what fits the hand the best. Hand sizes and baton grips vary enough that suitable handles shapes and sizes cannot be generally recommended. The typical handle shapes that can be widely found include: hourglass, inverted hourglass, tear shaped, round ball, and football shaped. One size and shape does not fit all. As far as non-functional or cosmetic features in handles, one has the option of different grains, stains, colors, lengths, weights, diameters, and shapes, especially with wooden handles.

A newcomer to batons is the aluminum handle. These are purported as durable and “aesthetically pleasing”.

What kind of shaft?
The most common shaft choices are made of fiberglass or wood. Other options include shafts that are battery lighted or fluorescent. These more luminous varieties are used in darkened theatres for easy viewing by the orchestra and singers on stage.

Because of its durability and extreme flexibility, the best option for student conductors is probably a baton with a fiberglass shaft. Fiberglass batons range in price quite widely, but they can be found rather inexpensively (~$5 US) online. The downside is that they are slightly heavier and are more difficult to balance with a wooden handle. Fiberglass batons are ideal for students because they are less likely to break in a backpack as compared to wooden shafts.

Wooden-shafted batons are preferred by most conductors because of the light-weight and well-balanced design. Additionally, wood-shaft batons are so easy to make, that vendors are plentiful and widespread. Quality, both high and low, is also widespread. Buyers beware. Ultimately, what feels right, is what works best. The more exposure and practice with batons, the more comfortable and discerning one will become.

Lighted and fluorescent batons are used in theatre pits for better visibility for both the instrumentalists in the pit and actors on stage. Lighted batons usually carry battery packs – if the batteries are kept in the handles than that extra weight, no matter how little, will eventually damage the rotator cuff in the shoulder of the conductor. Be careful of any extra weight imposed on the conductor. Damage to muscles and joints may occur very easily with repetition. An alternative to battery-weighted, lighted batons is a baton painted with a fluorescent coating. Although these may seem effective, they may also be more distracting then functional. Use with caution and ask the musicians after rehearsal if it worked for them. After all, it is for them that you use it.

Computer-chipped “smart” batons are making an appearance in an extremely limited fashion. There are computer programs that use these special batons to read a conductor’s gesture and pass the information remotely to a computer either for evaluation or for computer generated musical performance. One Japanese-based company has a computer-chipped baton for gesture recognition and learning assistance. It is designed to detect and transmit the conductor's beat by way of an electronic signal to a computer showing the music.

Choose the right baton for the right ensemble
Choosing the right baton for the right ensemble is a skill that can be learned rather quickly. Essentially, the larger ensembles demand a longer-shafted baton and conversely, smaller ensembles do not require large, visually-demanding batons. A good starting point is a 12" baton length. If it seems too cumbersome for the ensemble size than move to a shorter length. Or, if your ensemble is spread out with antiphonal brass and large orchestra and choir, then a longer more visible baton may be required.

How to hold the baton
The baton serves as an extension of the arm. With that, the baton should essentially extend the length of the arm when held properly. Occasionally, batons may be held with a slight turn from the wrist, thus creating a very open obtuse angle. Try to avoid extreme angles, that is, angles approaching a hard right angle. Extreme angles can lead to a double ictus between the hand and the tip of the baton thus creating an unclear beat style and audible ambiguity from the orchestra.

There are several acceptable grips, but the most common is with the handle of the baton cupped in the right hand with the butt of the handle resting inside the palm. The weight of the shaft rests and balances on the middle finger. The index finger and the thumb are used as left-right/up-down leverage. Two main positions are utilized with this grip, palm down for easy up and down gestures and palm facing the left for easy left and right gestures. No matter the direction of the palm, the baton remains an extension of the arm.

Keep in mind that many conductors do not use batons. Personally, I let the music choose whether or not I use a baton. But, that may be a topic for another post.

Cheers,

David

Interesting Notes
Image of balanced baton: http://www.custom-batons.com/about.php
Baton collector http://www.strugala.com/kol_en.html

Baton prices found on the Internet
$5-$8 on Amazon
$5 for fiberglass http://www.jwpepper.com/jpg/10042420.jpg
$42 for aluminum from http://www.mollard.com/core/batons.l.htm
$75 for Lighted batons
$23 for Fluorescent batons

This blog and it's contents are copyright protected and sole ownership of the author. Do not use without permission for the author. Copyright 2009.

What is the role of the conductor and why are you standing there??

What is the role of the conductor and why are you here?

This is a typical rudimental and pedagogical question and many young conductors may not have the answer or their answer may not be entirely correct! I once had a professor ask me, when I was on the podium in front of my colleagues who were behind a piano, "Why are you standing there?" At first I thought to myself, "because you TOLD me to!". But, after some ponderings I realized he was asking why was I on the podium leading the orchestra and not someone else! Well, this was a very good question, perhaps odd timing, but nonetheless a good question.

So, what was the correct answer? These days there are really two directions you can take this. However, the answer he was looking for was that the conductor has that position for a reason. That reason is because he/she is the expert. They know the answers to the questions that have not yet been asked. This is accomplished through years of study and preparation, thorough examination of the scores in question, and knowledge of the instruments. This is all very basic information. So, what is the role of the conductor then?

This is where the two directions come into play.
On one hand, the conductor can be a dictator of musical will and fearless leader for all. On the other hand, the conductor can be just another member of the ensemble, musical collaborator, and just happen to be the guy up front.

Both extremes are acceptable, however I find a combination of both are preferred. One can characterize the role of the conductor as a rehearsal leader, group interpreter and discussion leader, traffic cop, cat wrangler, as well as ensemble member, musical collaborator, orchestral musician, and partner.

These are just some key words for discussion and food for thought.

So what was my answer to the professor's question? Well, in my awkward sense of humor I responded to my very dry European professor with a twinkle in my eye, "because I am a DEMI-GOD!". I swear I saw the corners of his mouth rise in a smile. Of course that was just before he shouted, "NO!".

:-)

Muppets in Rondo Form?

There are some things in life that are classic. You know, things that are timeless in quality. No matter how much time has passed it is still valued in culture...whether it's a car, a symphony, or in this case a short musical video from the first episode of the Muppets. Mena mena, or however you spell it is simply classic humor. And, I might add in a classic form too. One might suggest that it is presented in a classic (not Classical), but classic rondo form A B A C A D A... The B, C, and D sections are the jazzy parts that change everytime with a repeat of the main idea as A. Check it out. Am I wrong? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynjIoymWHvU