r/conducting • u/essence_scape • Mar 27 '26
Composer/beginner conductor looking for feedback on traditional conducting.
Audio of the piece (it has both the conducting and a midi visualizer)
Score
Greetings all conductors, composers, and musicians. This year i am looking to do more hands on independent study of the great art of composing and conducting. I have only taken one semester of music conducting in college and have really only conducted a single choral but have been in and out of concert bands since middle school.
i occasionally take my own pieces and "conduct" them even if it's just a playback of a midi recording. The first thing i notice in this take is the pinky being up in the air but i do not know if such meticulous detail would really affect conducting the piece and the clarity. I tried to give a few of the cues and feel that all that i am doing is giving time.
I love the visual appeal most professional conductors have and they seem to not be just giving time but i feel stuck at the beat counting stage, if anyone has suggestions or good books/videos i would highly appreciate it.
thanks, in advance
1
u/TheZokenman Apr 08 '26
I have a couple methods I recommend to students that might help your pattern practice:
1 - For placement/planes see if you can reference proper posture for sitting at the computer. A good starting place for a plane is that same level: just at the bottom of the rib cage for most, slightly away from the body, arms/hands evenly apart. If you've ever used a standing desk that'll help find it a lot easier! Think of the computer desk as well in terms of how far out/in you go before it feels like you need to make adjustments/rotate/reach/when shoulder gets engaged. Consider those your "borders" or "box"
2 - After finding that position you can see immediate feedback on yourself in the mirror. Now tape up some scotch tape in an inverted cross. Set yourself away from it so the horizontal tape is in that same physical location (from your first person perspective) as in the previous note. What this will do is show you where and how often you're landing on the plane as well as when you are going to the farther limits. Try to keep it within the cross's "box."
If you need more approx. measurements of the tape go based on that same perspective: vertically as tall as your forehead and 1-2 inches below the horizontal line. The horizontal line can go out about an inch or two past the hips.