Instrumental Conducting

MUS 321, Section 1

Three Credit Hours

Winter, 2013

 

You must go through these exercises on a daily basis.  I can assure you that, if you don’t, you will have much more difficulty conducting the actual exercises in class.  Many of these exercises are better done in front of a mirror.  Check here often since new exercises may be added.


BASIC FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

  1. 1.Define flat planes with palms and backs of hands.

  2. a.8 beats horizontal and flip on 8 while breath-pulsing 8th notes

  3. b.8 beats vertical and flip on 8 while breath-pulsing 8th notes

  4. c.8 beats on hand horizontal and one vertical and flip on 8 while breath-pulsing 8th notes

  5. d.reverse hands for c

  6. NOTE:  Do at a different tempo each day.  If you have trouble keeping a steady tempo with your breath-pulsing, add a soft metronome.

  7. 2.Pull up huge rainbows from the floor with  alternating hands for 8 beats each.

  8. 3.Massage imaginary nerf ball--feeling like swimming.

  9. 4.With metronome on very fast, conduct (in 1) different number of notes per beat-2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and back.  Then do this without metronome but with breath-pulsing.

  10. 5.Set metronome on 120 and beat 8 wrist at 120; 4 forearm at 60; 12 wrist at 120; 4 upper arm at 40

  11. 6.Bouncing Ball: 

  12. a.on slow acceleration of beat, conduct in 1, switch to 2, switch to 4

  13. b.without stopping on rallentando of beat, conduct in 4, switch to 2, switch to 1


INDEPENDENCE OF HANDS

  1. 1.While conducting in four with right hand at MM=80

  2. a.smoothly and slowly raise left hand traveling about 18 inches in 8 beats and then flip hand and descend in likewise manner for 8 beats

  3. b.Do the same at different MMs and in three or in two or in six

  4. c.Do both a. and b. while changing the style of your right hand to legato, staccato, marcato

  5. 2.While conducting one of the patterns with right hand only and left hand in fist down at side, punch out rapidly the left hand on various beats.  (Always be breath-pulsing and use metronome softly at first and then get rid of metronome when your breath-pulsing is steady.)  Vary meters, punching beats, and tempi.


DEVELOPMENT OF ICTUS

  1. 1.Practice pin-prick down on flat surface of music stand

  2. a. in four, in three, in two, in six

  3. b.at various tempi

  4. c.in legato, marcato, staccato


PATTERN PRACTICE

  1. 1.Practice the pattern we are working on for 8 measures

  2. a.in each of the styles: legato, staccato, marcato

  3. b.all of the above at MM = 90, 120, 60  travel between beats should be smooth and larger in slower tempi, ictus remains constant pin-prick


CUING PRACTICE

  1. 1.In four, legato, MM=80:

  2. a.look at an object on the wall and point LH to it 2 beats early, prep beat LH one beat early, cue on the beat

  3. b.Cue on beat one for four measure, cuing a different part of the wall on each beat

  4. c.Repeat on beat two, beat three, and beat four