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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 7:12 pm
by windshieldbug
+10

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 7:18 pm
by THE TUBA
L.U.F.U.

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 1:45 pm
by Rick Denney
My favorite conductor of all time is Dr. Wavarm Circularian (a fine old Armenian name, I'm given to understand). He looks as though he's making fun patterns with sparklers on July 4.

Fortunately, he's passed out of my life. My current conductor is Dr. Tempus Screamus, who has taught me just how behind the beat the percussion section usually is. He is vastly preferred to another conductor of my past, Dr. Grajal Y. Sloughdoun, who generally required the tuba section to do the conducting. Or Correctus "Fix" Huatznotbrowch (ch with a "K" sound--he was quite picky about that), who demonstrated clairvoyance by working on the parts we were screwing up before we had every actually played the bit he wanted to rehearse. He was so good at his predictions that he could write them down beforehand, and present them to the band by placing them on the podium before the first read-through.

Rick "just scratching the surface" Denney

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 3:11 pm
by Uncle Buck
In my experience, symphony patrons (who pay the bills) often want and expect that kind of thing from conductors.

It seems to me to be less common in situations where a higher percentage of conductors have experience as performers in circus bands, pit orchestra, and similar gigs.

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 3:15 pm
by Ace
That's odd-----I've worked for every conductor discussed in this thread. But, my all-time peeve is the amateur choral conductor who has no ups and downs in his/her arm movements-------everything is sideways, waving right to left, left to right. (I endured a Brahms Requiem playing bass trombone under the "leadership" of one of these characters.)

Ace

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 3:57 pm
by Rick Denney
Ace wrote:...amateur choral conductor...
Worse (Or at least a subset thereof): Church choir directors.

Rick "saying no more" Denney

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 4:00 pm
by Rick Denney
On the general topic: A symphony musician once summed up the skills of a particular associate conductor with this statement, "He didn't get in our way too much."

Rick "suspecting the skills at impressing the little old ladies of the 'junior' league are as necessary as stick-waving" Denney

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 4:52 pm
by tbn.al
My pet peve is choral conductors who conduct the choral rhythms, usually whole notes, at the end of a piece leaving the orchestra to rallentando syncopated eighth notes all by itself.

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 7:54 pm
by windshieldbug
I once worked despite a conductor that the low brass dubbed "the diode".

Why?

Only a semi-conductor.

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 7:39 am
by hubert
But......nevertheless it seems that all your conductors have a chance to become world famous, as the video behind the following www-address may show.Look and enjoy. (And please, look to the very end of it!!).
Hubert

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/itay_t ... ctors.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 8:26 am
by tbn.al
Thank you for sharing that. That is truly remarkable! That video should be seen in every conducting class.

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 8:51 am
by jsmn4vu
Adam Peck wrote:The preparatory upbeat..if done properly, will relay all the information we need as to tempo,volume and articulation...before the ictus.
This.

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 2:06 pm
by pierso20
Curmudgeon wrote:Please, Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD (and other conductors/future conductors), realize that if you "hang" precariously in the upbeat and make people guess when precisely when your ictus will occur two things will happen. Your victims will either never hit a down beat together and you will look incompetent, or, if they are a seasoned group of players, they will override you and you will be along for the ride and you will look incompetent.

Ranting will not solve the problem.

Pouting will not solve the the problem.

Only you can solve your problem.

Sincerely,

Curmudgeon and friends :tuba: :D
BRAVO! + 10

I was just working with a conducting students today about this. You can't give a prep beat from the ictus and then hang out at the top in a different tempo. Oh, and you have to STOP moving the hands/baton at the end of a note if there is a pause. If you keep moving it how the heck does anyone have any reference to tempo!?

Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 7:27 pm
by Toobist
KiltieTuba wrote:I felt this video was appropriate for the discussion.



Accuracy sure... But think of the young dairy farmers out there who will benefit from this cow-milking instructional video! Fantastic!