An exact basic position is essential if we want to develop  correct gestures.

The freedom, naturalness and character of our arm  movements, grow from this basic position.

The  sforzando is based upon the principle of the held-back attack (see previous article).

This means that if we want to produce a sforzando we have to give a preparatory gesture  just in front of the passage for  which we want it

Now, in the following video I'm going to  discuss  the principles which control the sequence of  subsequent   attacks , principles which represent the most practical  and natural way of “filling up” the space between two beats  conferring to this space the role of a driving force carrying everything forward during the performance.

If a student learns how to master  these notions and render  them  emotionally alive , he will be making excellent progress.

IN ONE OF THE PREVIOUS ARTICLES WE HAVE SEEN THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIND A CONNECTION BETWEEN GESTURE AND RHYTHMIC FIGURATION.

Analogously and simultaneously this connection can be found between the gesture and the melody, the aim is to be able to show its evolution, the salient points, the phrasing, in practice providing more information to the musicians, to those who are in fact entrusted with the performance of the piece. You need to know how to take and bring the melody forward until its climax and the subsequent descent.

Sometimes to show an initial upbeat attack can create some difficulties for a beginner.

We must remember to position the arm and start the gesture from the previous movement, in the following case from the second:

Even today, some people ask what use is studying orchestral conducting using a piano duo.

In some forums, where they don't know how to use them, they unsuspectingly give out certificates without any merit. In other institutions, fortunately very few, pianists are not used; the student sings or whistles alone. In some others, there is only one pianist ... but we’ll draw a veil over that and continue with our discussion.

Orchestral conducting masterclass with Ennio Nicotra. Shostakovitch V, 8 pattern and double dot

Sometimes students are faced with passages that for them, are real puzzles.

Actually the vast majority of these are resolved with great simplicity.

Ilya Musin argued that any problem always had its gestural solution.

Ilya Alexandrovic prepared us for the extreme situation of having to conduct a concert without rehearsals

(an event which is difficult to imagine, but which can be dramatically verified and which has happened to me and some others. One of my colleagues actually had to direct Gounod's Faust in Kirov theater, which he did not know, without rehearsals and with one day’s warning: nightmare),

and therefore for this reason everything in our conducting had to be crystal clear and not leave any doubt or misunderstanding.

Many of you will surely have found yourselves in the situation of having to conduct a rallentando or allargando.

Most probably at first, you will have tried to hold back the orchestra by suddenly conducting the beats more slowly in a big and flashy way, and separated from each other; even in some cases by resorting to subdivisions, by a way of solfège. Usually, contact is lost with the orchestra, the musicians begin to get out and the results are quite embarrassing, but nothing is stranger than retrying the passage a few times and still being unable to obtain something.

This video, together with the previous, confirms the pitfalls that lurk using the pattern of two in quick time.

The pattern of two is characterized by the presence in a measure of two impulses, strong and weak (thesis / arsis), this sequence must be clearly  visible by the players.

Many of you will have found yourself in the situation of having to conduct a “stringendo” or “accelerando”.

Initially, it is most likely that you will have experienced the feeling of wanting to move the orchestra forward, but to no avail and to have felt a mass of sound under your hands, that is difficult to push forward from the speed in which they play.

Generally in these situations, a beginner starts to beat the beats more quickly little by little, but without getting great results.

The attack is divided into three stages

- UP ( upward movement and breathing in)

- DOWN ( downward movement ) or falling

- UP AGAIN or re-ascent  ( upward movement , during this last phase we have the emission of sound )