Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

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windshieldbug
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post by windshieldbug »

+10
Instead of talking to your plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow, but only to be troubled and insecure?
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

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L.U.F.U.
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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.

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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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.
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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.)

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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post by Rick Denney »

Ace wrote:...amateur choral conductor...
Worse (Or at least a subset thereof): Church choir directors.

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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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.
I am fortunate to have a great job that feeds my family well, but music feeds my soul.
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post by windshieldbug »

I once worked despite a conductor that the low brass dubbed "the diode".

Why?

Only a semi-conductor.
Instead of talking to your plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow, but only to be troubled and insecure?
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post by tbn.al »

Thank you for sharing that. That is truly remarkable! That video should be seen in every conducting class.
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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.
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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!?
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Re: Dr. Nebulous Ictus, PhD

Post 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!
Al Carter
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