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2.4.1: Triple Conducting Pattern

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    258467
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    Outline of upper body showing the upwards movement of the arm for the upbeat. Coming from the waist up to the shoulder

    Pattern of Three

    In addition to the downbeat and upbeat that we discussed in 2.2.1: Duple Conducting Pattern, the triple conducting pattern adds an additional weak beat. This additional beat goes between the downbeat and the upbeat.

    Again, we need the upbeat to come from the outside of the body toward a neutral middle of the body. The best way for this to happen is to place beat two off to the outside.

    This triple conducting pattern is often described as being a triangle shape where one point comes straight down in front of you and is about waist level, the second point is parallel but off to the right, and the third point is at the top closer to shoulder level. The reality is that a conducting pattern is never quite this angular and strict.

    As the hand comes down for beat one, there is a little "bounce" as we move to beat two. You might think of it as down-out-up as you practice this pattern.

    Triple meter conducting pattern with arrows to show down, out, and up

    Practical Application

    Watch the first few minutes of Kevin M. Geraldi conducting Holst's "First Suite in E-flat major" (opens in a new window) that is in triple meter. This version provides a nice view of the conductor.

    The following video contains music only. There is no text.

    QR code for the previous link

    Attribution, conducting pattern: Foundations of Aural Skills Copyright © 2022 by Timothy Chenette is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License


    This page titled 2.4.1: Triple Conducting Pattern is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lauren C. Sharkey.

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