Submitted by TerminationClause t3_1167kqz in Music
I've seen several orchestrated pieces in my life and I have watched for any similarities in the movements of the conductor. They wave their arms around and the musicians aren't even looking at them. But once in a while the conductor will point to a section and they'll get louder. All in all, is a conductor necessary if the musicians can read sheet music?
Sheet music will not give players the absolutely exact instructions for playing a piece - if it says get faster, slower, louder, softer or whatever, it's not (usually) going to say exactly how faster or louder etc. It's also not going to tell each string player precisely how loud they need to play to be heard properly above to the brass section.
It'd be generally a bit unreasonable to expect musicians to follow such instructions, as they deal more will relative precision than absolute precision i.e. matching a beat you see/hear, no problem, picking out 144bpm at 50db with no reference, good luck.
Those things can be largely a matter of personal taste and expression, and dependant on the characteristics of the venue or ensemble anyway. It just matters that the group as a whole is making coherent decisions - how much faster can be discretion as long as everyone gets just as fast.
So you kinda need one person with an ear on the whole piece, centrally controlling those variables. With a smaller ensemble you might get away nominating a player to do it, or each player using their own discretion. But with a bigger group that's going to be difficult.
Also worth noting that for a big enough group or stage, the time lag (limited by the speed of sound) of sounds from one side of the stage reaching another can have a perceivable effect. A central visual cue gives everyone a common time to work off.
This has been a debate for a long time. Some music ensembles eschew a conductor. Generally, though, the value of a conductor lies in deciding on an interpretation of a piece -- it's not all on the page -- and in providing real-time feedback to the performers.
My favorite conductor joke:
What's the difference between an orchestra and a bull?
On a bull, the horns are in front and the asshole's in the back.
​
I took a conducting class when I was a music student, and as a kid who played in rock bands, the only frame of reference I had for coordinating an ensemble was maybe 3-5 people playing a song together? So it was easy for me to think, "Well, if everyone knows the music front and back, they're in tune, and they start and end at the same time, what do they need this guy for?" But when you imagine an orchestra of 70-100 players who are meant to sound like one big well-oiled machine, it does become necessary to have a central figure dictating tempo, balance, dynamics and overall feel.
a friend of mine showed me this video of the EVE online game soundtrack as performed by an orchestra. there are moments where the ensemble is executing a feel that's extremely hard to achieve among a large group of people.
truly remarkable performance 💯🏆
Find videos of good conductors.
My kids sang in choruses and played in concert bands and would complain about bad conductors. I guess they keep it all together. Their might be groups that get out of synch and the conductor notices and gets everyone back in order
the conductor spent hours in rehearsal guiding the orchestra through the sheet music for a performance. the conductor is an interpreter, an arranger, a guide, and a constant reminder for all the production notes that went into the preparation.
the sheet music tells only half of the story. the conductor is visible not only in peripheral view but the musicians each have their own way of glancing at the conductor for a cue on every nuance.
sure, orchestral music can be set to a metronome, but where's the fun in that? it's the conductor's responsibility to inject dynamics and ensure that everyone knows what to do at every moment throughout the score.
You're the second person to respond similarly. Okay, I didn't know because in videos they cut it so you never see a player glancing at the conductor. Small misunderstanding on my part. But I'm still unsure of what a conductor can tell someone that couldn't be conveyed through sheet music.
I'll go ahead and apologize for my last response because I'm sure it's very obvious to you. I honestly don't know. I'm a musician, but not one that reads notes. I'm closer to a jazz musician than a classical musician.
no apology needed. both conductors and producers are definitely mystifying. they're entirely responsible for the "delivery". amazing musicians make their jobs easier.
in short, if you're underwhelmed by a professional orchestra, you can blame the conductor. when it comes to recorded music, it's the producer's job to make it special.
It may not be obvious, but the musicians are constantly looking at the conductor. Many many quick peeks in between reading music. Playing in a orchestra requires a high level of multi tasking. My college director would often give subtle volume instructions if i were playing to loud, or needed to play louder. Eyes always met because everyone is always looking at him. Conductor has that position at the front of the performers, he can hear the ensemble's sound as a whole. And he's elevated so everyone can see him easily.
It doesn't look like the players ever look at the conductor, but the camera keeps moving around for a reason. Clever. I suppose there's always the deus ex machina that creates the magic.
It's usually just the eyeballs moving. Peripheral vision (front/ upper peripheral? I don't know the term for it) plays a part as well.
Adding my interest.
farkedaccount t1_j95ew8b wrote
The musicians are most definitely watching the conductor.
A conductor is the one who sets the tempo and dynamics of a song.
The conductor will help each section of the orchestra to balance themselves with the rest of the orchestra, especially during rehearsals because they can hear the entire orchestra.
A conductor makes decisions about the overall mood of the piece beyond what's written on the score.