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So, I'm a software consultant but my degree was in music and I've taken conducting classes, written some (small) pieces for orchestra, etc. If you take a highl

So, I'm a software consultant but my degree was in music and I've taken conducting classes, written some (small) pieces for orchestra, etc. If you take a highly trained orchestral ensemble that knows a certain symphony cold, and you have them perform the symphony twice, once apiece with two highly trained conductors, then the two performances will be different interpretations, and will deliberately sound very different. The conductor doesn't only do rehearsal prep, entrances, and cutoffs. Nor about synchronization, timing, any of that technical stuff - that's all a very small part of it. The conductor emotes the entire interpretation and inspires the musicality of the ensemble in a particular direction. Some of this might be rehearsed ahead of time, but it's also alive during the live performance. It is also completely possible for an ensemble to do their own rehearsal preparation, and to perform without a conductor. It'll be fine and musical, but they're not including the interpretation that a conductor themselves can bring to the performance. Even the conductor-less orchestras will discover new interpretations during live performance if an excellent conductor hopped up on the podium to lead them. And for pieces that require a lot of certain elements (rubato, many changing tempos or meters), a lack of conductor will leave the music sounding a bit rote. Anyway, it's always an old joke to consider that conductors aren't really needed... in high school, we pissed off our orchestra teacher before the final concert by putting a sign on his podium: "1. Raise arms. 2. Wave arms around until the music stops. 3. Lower arms." There are also the pops in the park concerts where the local bank president will be invited up on stage to lead a Sousa march... all of that stuff is well and good, but it's all a joke. Of course conductors are needed - music suffers without them. [edit] I should note that conducting to video is an entirely different art form than traditional conducting/performance. Different conversation.

gcb0 12y ago
one shocking thing i learned once i got some professional music friends, was that they show up to a live gig without never hearing the music before. they just sit in front of the papers and play. with my limited music training, i never thought that was even an option.
- tunesmith 12y ago
  That's especially common with jazz. Lead sheets are just a bunch of chord symbols and a melody, and if you're in the rhythm section you're not playing the melody anyway. Someone counts off the tempo and you just go. Not to make jazz sound easy; jazz theory is way harder than any of the classical theory you'll learn in college music classes (speaking as someone who aced all the college music theory courses and just can't seem to get a handle on bebop).
- analog31 12y ago
  I'm just a part time jazz musician with a day job. ;-) Not all musicians can do that kind of work, but I was fortunate to have taken classical musical lessons throughout my childhood, so I've developed and maintained good "sight reading" skills. In any typical mid sized town, there is a small cadre of musicians who handle most of this kind of work. It is a business necessity for any larger ensemble because the chance of keeping (for instance) 19 players together long enough to rehearse everything together is a losing proposition. Likewise, bandleaders who want to be able to ride out personnel changes will make sure that they keep their "charts" in order, so they can call in a sub to read a gig if they need one on short notice in whatever town they're in. But it's definitely a skill like any other, that requires practice to maintain, and where there is always room for development. I can handle most written jazz material, but would have a hard time sight-reading a modern symphonic work. If music is over my head, either from a theory or technique standpoint, being able to read will be rather cold consolation.
pgwhalen 12y ago
>It is also completely possible for an ensemble to do their own rehearsal preparation, and to perform without a conductor. It'll be fine and musical, but they're not including the interpretation that a conductor themselves can bring to the performance. This is the part that most people like to glaze over. Yes, it's totally possible to go conducter-less (even for, say, high school musicians), but something is lost without one.
colomon 12y ago
The summer band I used to play in would auction off conducting a march during each performance to raise funds for the band. We actually rehearsed playing the march with someone who didn't know how to conduct leading the band, to practice ignoring the conductor. :)

gcb0 12y ago

one shocking thing i learned once i got some professional music friends, was that they show up to a live gig without never hearing the music before. they just sit in front of the papers and play. with my limited music training, i never thought that was even an option.

tunesmith 12y ago
That's especially common with jazz. Lead sheets are just a bunch of chord symbols and a melody, and if you're in the rhythm section you're not playing the melody anyway. Someone counts off the tempo and you just go. Not to make jazz sound easy; jazz theory is way harder than any of the classical theory you'll learn in college music classes (speaking as someone who aced all the college music theory courses and just can't seem to get a handle on bebop).
analog31 12y ago
I'm just a part time jazz musician with a day job. ;-) Not all musicians can do that kind of work, but I was fortunate to have taken classical musical lessons throughout my childhood, so I've developed and maintained good "sight reading" skills. In any typical mid sized town, there is a small cadre of musicians who handle most of this kind of work. It is a business necessity for any larger ensemble because the chance of keeping (for instance) 19 players together long enough to rehearse everything together is a losing proposition. Likewise, bandleaders who want to be able to ride out personnel changes will make sure that they keep their "charts" in order, so they can call in a sub to read a gig if they need one on short notice in whatever town they're in. But it's definitely a skill like any other, that requires practice to maintain, and where there is always room for development. I can handle most written jazz material, but would have a hard time sight-reading a modern symphonic work. If music is over my head, either from a theory or technique standpoint, being able to read will be rather cold consolation.

pgwhalen 12y ago

>It is also completely possible for an ensemble to do their own rehearsal preparation, and to perform without a conductor. It'll be fine and musical, but they're not including the interpretation that a conductor themselves can bring to the performance. This is the part that most people like to glaze over. Yes, it's totally possible to go conducter-less (even for, say, high school musicians), but something is lost without one.

colomon 12y ago

The summer band I used to play in would auction off conducting a march during each performance to raise funds for the band. We actually rehearsed playing the march with someone who didn't know how to conduct leading the band, to practice ignoring the conductor. :)