Stillness

The other day, my conducting professor was frustrated with several of his students’ attempts to begin a piece of music. The players were not beginning at precisely the same moment; rather than sounding like one richly-layered voice, the orchestra sounded like several people starting to speak at once.

When an orchestra conductor wants to start a new piece or section of music, she puts her baton in the “ready” position, gives a preparation, and then “follows through” the preparation motion to arrive at the downbeat - the signal for the musicians to play.

The preparation, or “prep”, is incredibly important. The speed, size, and direction of the prep motion allow the musicians to predict with unbelievable precision where the downbeat will be; that is, when they should play. The prep also indicates how soft/loud, fast/slow, etc., the music should be. This is how a huge orchestra can play as one, despite the musicians being spread over several square yards on a grand stage. It’s all in the prep.

If the conductor moves into the ready position and then goes into the prep in one continuous movement, it’s difficult for the players to distinguish between the action of “moving into position” and the actual “preparation”. Suddenly, the boundaries of the prep are blurred - where and when it started, as well as where/when it will arrive at the downbeat. The musicians can no longer predict with accuracy when and how they should play - they’re guessing. Usually, the guesses are pretty close - but not when compared with the result of a clear prep. This is what was happening in my conducting class.

In this scenario, the solution - the behavior that instantly clarified each conductor’s prep and distinguished it from the action of “moving into position” - was to start from stillness, because it clarified the musicians’ understanding of the prep.

If a conductor moves into position and then freezes the baton in space, even for just a couple of seconds, then the orchestra can use that “still” position as a reference point from which to gauge the prep and its resultant downbeat. Everyone is on the same page and, theoretically, everyone will play together. Indeed, after the conductors in my class made the adjustment, everyone did.

It’s not just good conducting advice. How much more clearly would you be able to understand your life - your choices, your decisions, your circumstances, your possibilities - if you could relate everything to a fixed reference point in your life that was unmistakably clear?

Carve out a few days of your life without indulgence, distraction, or escapism. See what dreams (or nightmares) bubble up from under the surface. Make sure you can see clearly who and what you are now; take the time to appreciate where you’ve come from; and give serious thought to who and what you hope, dream - or even fear - to become.

Clarify your understanding. Start from stillness.