Years ago in Munich, I was working with a young conductor on the opening of the prelude to La Traviata. Picture the opening chord; hushed strings, pianissimo, starting upbow. Trying to conduct two pianos, the student was unable to bring them in together using two hands. I suggested that it might work better with one hand, using the smallest possible gesture: Two hands, one holding a baton, cannot convey the same information at precisely the same time, and the strings need just the slightest piece of information to indicate when to begin moving the bow. Conducting the first bar with one hand, it worked, even with pianos, because the size of the beat allowed for no margin of error; there was only one point of focus, there was simply no space for the pianists to enter late, and so little space as to limit their options for when to attack. Having tried it successfully, the student insisted, "Well, if it works with one hand alone, it must work better with two, no?"
Where is it written that we need to start or that we need to conduct at all times with both hands?
Surveying the 7th edition of "The Modern Conductor," I am pleased to report that in this most traditional of approaches, even though there are beating and gestural exercises for the left hand, nowhere in the book does it state explicitly that we must start the orchestra with both hands up, parallel to each other, as is so often seen (although it is perhaps assumed that one will) and continue that way. For the record, one can start an orchestra as easily with one hand as with two, and often with more precision. Why? Because seeing one hand alone, the orchestra only has to focus on one "target.”
One reader has said that the orchestra might misconstrue the use of one hand as being overly casual. I can see this reasoning, but it would only be perceived as too casual if the conductor him/herself were too casual in general. I usually do begin with two hands, but I also employ “the drift.” This is a super tool from my teacher, Gustav Meier, in which the hands begin apart and slowly, but with intent, drift together until the moment of impulse for the upbeat, at which point the left hand is withdrawn.
We need to do better with our left hand, all of us. Some podium tricks for developing a more independent, useful left:
1) Start with your hands in different positions, i.e., if your right hand is holding the stick palm down, turn your left palm up. We call this “holding sound.”
2) While conducting, when using the left, keep in higher than the right. This will also keep the right from getting too high!
3) Separate the hands in space - though never too far away from the body - in depth as well as in height.
4) In practice (not in front of the orchestra!), try holding a cup of hot coffee or tea steady in your left while beating with your right. For extra credit, try drinking the beverage while conducting and maintaining a consistent pulse. Careful – don’t burn yourself!
Consider what happens when we don’t use these tools: In the same position, on a parallel plane, mirror conducting is almost unavoidable. When the left drops below the right, its effectiveness is usually compromised. Keeping the hands in the same position and plane limits the expressive range of both hands. Furthermore, when the hands are parallel, the right hand never has the opportunity to use space to the left of center. While this may be fine when conducting an ensemble that faces the conductor, in an orchestra where many musicians sit on the periphery, keeping the right hand on the right side of the body is often confusing for the outside strings.
Here’s another great tool for practicing independence of the hands: While at the piano, try tapping out the pulse on the fallboard with one hand while the other plays the tune, or another part of the score. Then switch hands. Not as easy as it sounds, just ask any of my students!
Another suggestion, from an unlikely source - the Buddha. Take a look at the placement of the hands in almost any sculpture of a sitting Buddha. Find a way to “translate” that placement into your setup and gesture.
We are not doing the orchestra any favors by the constant use of a “codependent” left. It limits our hearing, it limits our communication with the orchestra and it limits our ability to express the music. In fact, it is a crutch, one of many we resort to. A later bar will be devoted to more of these crutches, such as the bob-‘n’-weave, the conducting two-step and the count-off. For the moment, turn that left hand over, use it to hold sound and draw a phrase, and then let it go. If you are wondering what to do with the left hand when it is not actively engaged, that is why God invented lapels.
Back to work…
respect.
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