Now, armed with the steady gaze and communicative brows of the butler we discussed yesterday...
...here's a link in case you missed it...
...you're ready to follow Mr. Carson's lead in raising the bar in your Sacrament Meeting hymn leading.
Tip #2 from this majestic manservant comes directly after he raises his bushy brows to get his player's attention.
There's a swift upward motion of the right hand.
A motion that seems so simple as to be unimportant.
But it turns out, this upward motion is even more crucial than perhaps any other motion in all conducting of any kind...
...be it hymn leading, marching band directing, or symphony conducting.
It's the "preparation" gesture.
Now, if ever there was a pregnant moment of movement in all music-making...
...a movement poised to deliver...
...a movement that on it's own, gives life to the entire musical experience...
...it is the "preparation" gesture.
You almost don't need a downbeat if you get your "preparation" right.
With just an upward swoop, Mr. Carson inspires the players and gives a sudden gush of information they need to make a clean, clear, confident entrance.
The "preparation" communicates tempo, mood, intensity, articulation, dynamics, and more.
All with a simple...
...yet easy to completely botch...
...swoop.
So, what's the secret to getting your "preparation" gesture delivering in this perfectly pregnant musical moment?
Entire sections of conducting books deal with this topic.
It's endlessly intricate, fascinating, and mess-up-able, depending on context.
But here are two tips that often cover up the most common mishaps.
First...
...make note of which beat the congregation enters on.
Is their first word on beat 1, as in "Hark All Ye Nations"?
Do they begin on beat 4, as in "The Spirit of God"?
Or do they enter on the most commonly screwed-up beat in a 4/4 time, beat 2, as in "Be Still My Soul"?
Which ever beat they enter on...
...your first job is...
...when raising your eyebrows for attention...
...and setting your hands at the ready...
...to place your conducting hand (whether you're a righty or a lefty) clearly in the place of the beat that's 2 beats BEFORE the singing begins.
So, if the congregation begins "Hark All Ye Nations" on beat 1, you place and hold your conducting hand "out" where beat 3 lives.
Then, when the organ completes its intro, you give a clear, full of the emotion in which you desire the congregation to sing in, swooping pulse "up" to where beat 4 lives, motion COMBINED with a clear opening of your mouth that says to them... BREATH! And they will. Which means, they'll come in correctly on beat 1.
If the congregation begins "The Spirit of God" on beat 4, you place and hold your conducting hand "in" over the center of your body where beat 2 lives.
Then, when the organ completes its intro, you give a clear, full of the emotion in which you desire the congregation to sing in, swiping pulse "out" to where beat 3 lives, motion COMBINED with a clear opening of your mouth that says to them... BREATH! And they will. And they'll enter on beat 4 without a hitch.
Or, if the congregation begins "Be Still My Soul" on beat 2, you place and hold your conducting hand "up" where beat 4 lives.
Then, when the organ completes its intro, you give a clear, full of the emotion in which you desire the congregation to sing in, bouncing pulse "down" to where beat 1 lives, motion COMBINED with a clear opening of your mouth that says to them... BREATH! And they will. And they'll have no trouble entering on beat 2.
Second...
...and though this is simpler to explain...
...often escapes the memory of music leaders and conductors of all shapes and sizes...
...you take a few moments to think through a few bars of the music you're about to lead.
Because even in conducting it is true, that by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass.
You set the tempo in your mind.
You feel the mood with which you desire the singing to take shape.
In other words, you do as was done in creating the world.
You create it first in spirit, in your mind.
Of course it helps that you have an organist giving you an introduction.
But, depending on the organist and your working relationship with them, could make this even more difficult because what you have in your mind may be VERY different from what they have in their mind.
So, just give a steady glance at the organist during your "preparation" beat, and a few beats thereafter, to make sure you're on the same page.
Here's the video of Mr. Carson once again.
Take a close look at how all of what's explained above happens literally in 1 second.
Like I said, small and simple things. Great things coming to pass.
Come back tomorrow for the las of Mr. Carson’s hymn leading tricks.
Take care,
Doug