Conducting Patterns
In this lesson, you'll learn to beat time in two, three and four, to subdivide at slow tempos, and to beat in one when the music is fast.
Beating time means showing the order and length of each beat with gestures of the hand. These gestures are called the conducting patterns.
In every meter, the first beat, called the downbeat, is beaten down, and the last beat, called the upbeat, is beaten up.
| Meter | 1st beat | 2nd beat | 3rd beat | 4th beat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 beats | down | up | ||
| 3 beats | down | right | up | |
| 4 beats | down | left | right | up |
- Beat 1: down
- Beat 2: right
- Beat 3 (upbeat): up
The first beat is always beaten down, the last always up (§ 235). In slow tempos each gesture can be subdivided; in fast tempos often only the first beat is shown.
Subdividing at slow tempos
At a slow tempo, you can show the division of each beat by repeating each main gesture in a smaller form. So a measure of 3/4 in Adagio or Larghetto can be beaten in six gestures: you give each direction twice, the second time smaller.
Beating in one at fast tempos
In meters of two and three beats at a fast tempo, you usually show only the first beat. That is why people sometimes speak of being “in one”.
Beat time to a piece in 3/4 that you know, a waltz for example, while you sing it, then do the same in 4/4 with a song. Finally, beat a slow 6/8 with six gestures, then the same piece with two gestures as you speed up.
One last lesson completes this part: a few special cases of notation linked to the measure.