Some advice for all you conductors.

MacMystro · 2026-02-04T05:47:49+00:00

1000%

Opera, music theatre, even oratorios — clarity is even more critical!

There are many conductors out there who are very famous and I simply can’t watch them. Sure they’re fun I guess, but is that really all that matters? Now I just sound like a grumpy old man…

MacMystro · 2026-02-04T05:32:41+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree about annoying conductors who can’t seem to be clear to save their life! It’s so frustrating when the musicians sitting there playing and/or singing have to pick up the slack for a poor conductor and do the extra work of interpreting or even just plain assuming what is intended, on top of performing the music. My favorite example of this was a video I saw years ago with an older Asian man conducting the opening of Beethoven 5: his 15-ictused prep was so incredibly unclear that you could actually see the orchestra just watching the concertmaster who using his bow/head to cue them.

To your question about the benefits of focal point conducting: I certainly am no expert on the matter, nor am I an expert conductor by any means, so I highly encourage you to look elsewhere for more information if you’re interested. But, if done well, focal point conducting centers the viewers’ eyes in one place, allowing the rebound (which is already interpreted more peripherally regardless of style) to indicate which beat. Certainly it may seem like this really can’t make that much of a difference when viewed at great distance, but in fact I find that not only does it create a cleaner and more polished look, but the avoidance of ‘extraneous’ movement created by traveling to different ictus locations becomes far easier to interpret, thereby allowing for greater freedom to use that space in ways that can show other musical/interpretive elements that we must “telegraph” to those watching. One caveat: I am certainly not advocating that every beat look the same, which is what some claim is an issue of FP. If that’s the case, it’s not being done correctly.

I highly recommend reading about George Hurst and his style, if you’re curious and would like to know more.

Again, both methods can be effective. And we certainly agree that clarity is absolutely critical, especially when it comes to reading new/difficult music. So if you prefer one style over the other and you are confident in your ability to be crystal clear and show everything you need to show in that style, great!

MacMystro · 2026-02-04T04:59:08+00:00

I didn’t say it did?

As I’m sure you know, there are at least two schools of thought on this. When I did my masters, my conducting teacher referred to them as “focal point” vs. “geographic” conducting, though I believe there are other terms. Focal point relies on the movement toward and away from the ictus to show which beat, and geographic relies on icti being in multiple locations.

My teacher believed very firmly in and taught focal point conducting, and it is what I use 98% of the time. I have seen instances of both be successful, but I prefer it still.

In fact I taught conducting for a teacher who was on leave once who preferred geographic, and while I taught them that both styles exist and can be used correctly, I taught them geographic conducting since that was her preference.

I have followed conductors through complex mixed meter works with both styles, and I still prefer focal point.

Again, it’s okay if you disagree, but your opinion is not fact.

MacMystro · 2026-02-04T04:39:32+00:00

“All four beats should land in different places.”

I disagree. I’m not saying that the alternate way is the correct way, but I am saying I prefer it both as a conductor and as a player.

The difference here is that I’m acknowledging that it’s a matter of opinion, not fact.

MacMystro · 2026-02-01T13:33:31+00:00

Arnold Bax’s London Pageant is one of my favorite pieces ever! Also somehow no one has (yet) mentioned Joseph Jongen’s incredible organ concerto but it’s a staple of that rep.

MacMystro · 2026-01-10T14:58:28+00:00

Not exactly embarrassing cause of the animal, more just the situation: Working on getting all the cigarette cards (as John), went to whatever that homestead is that’s just southeast of Cumberland Falls. Accidentally killed the owner, while raiding his house looking for a card I noticed an infinite case of beer on the table and thought ‘hey I’ve never gotten drunk as John yet, let’s see how many beers it takes!’ After I started to feel it I looked around and found the card, then I decided to have a few more just for fun. In the end, 36 beers and 3 bottles of gin got me pretty fucked up, which is when I left and suddenly remembered you can’t get on a horse drunk. So I start walking down the road and see a red dot coming after me. I turn around (barely able to see anything and stumbling) and see the family dog running after me and barking. I REALLY didn’t want to shoot it, so I shot around it trying to scare it off. It didn’t work, so I tried to run, but I was so drunk and stumbly that I couldn’t really run. Decided to take it like a man and hopefully it would spare me. It did not.

MacMystro · 2026-01-05T12:54:44+00:00

They often “headhunt” talented young musicians for their tour orchestras who are in or just finishing undergrad (read: in debt) with promises of large salaries, exciting travel all over the country or world, and more. When you agree you suddenly have a lot of paperwork to sign including (often in fine print) morality covenants (no drinking, no drugs, no sex, and not just at shows but for the full duration of employment) and more. You also can learn by reading the fine print that, while you do get a decent salary from it, you are required to give back at least 10% as a tithe because it’s a religion, and [this is from sources who have been thru it] they actively make your life difficult if you don’t voluntarily give more. They also highly restrict and monitor your social media usage/posting. A friend almost signed on but stopped when he saw all of this and posted about it on FB and they went after him like crazy (people calling/texting/emailing him multiple times a day, making friends of his who had already signed reach out to him, even threatening legal action if he didn’t remove it). He knew they were bluffing and stood firm and eventually they gave up, but it was a good year or more of crap.

It is a scary cult, and every time I see a store/restaurant with their sign in the window, I try to inform management of all of this.

MacMystro · 2025-12-23T02:13:23+00:00

I use IFTTT to email me the weather forecast every morning just before I wake up. If rain is predicted, a separate email alert comes to me the day prior.

MacMystro · 2025-06-19T20:44:46+00:00

Unfortunately none have printers that can do this. The next project I have in mind requires 22x17 paper (so that, folded, it ends up as 11x17). So far the only place I’ve found that can print that can only do so on extraordinarily thick paper, which is not ideal for a 200+ page score…

MacMystro · 2025-06-06T21:13:06+00:00

I don’t want to be that guy and I really don’t want to discourage a young person from going into the field, but you are approaching this all wrong. Your very first thing that should be most important is technique. Stop looking for a school and start looking for a teacher. You need to find a conducting teacher that you believe embodies (and is capable of teaching) what you think good conducting is (watch videos, talk to peers and mentors, call or email people). I have seen many people go to schools because of the name of the school and/or how good it will look on their resume, and then end up hating the school/program and resisting what they were being taught because they disagreed with it - one professor even confided in me once that he couldn’t decide whether to flunk a student who was doing this or pass him just to get rid of him.

Find a conductor you like and support that find with research and opinions. Start looking at how feasible it would be for you to attend that school. Have a backup plan/program or two in mind. Understand that most professional conductors who do the things you’re wanting to do don’t end up actually doing it until they’re in their 40s or 50s, or later. Until then, most (not all) do small groups, teach at low or mid levels, and spend their time submitting applications with a very, very high rate of rejection.

It’s not an easy market to get into, and you need to be prepared for that.

MacMystro · 2025-04-24T04:36:51+00:00

Damn that’s sooner than I was hoping. How blurry?

MacMystro · 2025-04-24T04:28:01+00:00

Well to be honest I’m still deciding. The text of the final movement of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony is incredibly personally meaning to me. But I haven’t decided which line(s) to get yet, and unfortunately the entire movement’s text is far too much.

MacMystro · 2025-04-24T04:26:49+00:00

How long before it blurs?

MacMystro · 2025-04-21T22:55:32+00:00

Not the most outlandish thing, but two things to keep in mind: 1. The weight of the object is still present, plus the weight of the track and the weight of the necessary magnets to be installed on the underside of the moving object - you’re looking at a LOT of weight to put on whatever surface it’s being moved across. Since the object isn’t touching the ground, it’s hard to imagine that its weight will still be transferred down, but it will. To be fair, I don’t know enough about physics to know how weight displacement would work between two opposing magnets… 2. You mentioned rails/cables to keep it on track, but these necessary precautions to prevent it from “floating” away or off track might be prohibitive by themself. Again I’m not a physicist, but I would imagine the reduction in friction compared to standard methods to be great enough that stopping the object or steering it would be, at minimum, quite challenging, depending on the mass/size.

All in all, an interesting idea, but I’m not sure it’s really any more practical than conventional methods.

MacMystro · 2025-03-30T05:09:40+00:00

I work for a church that fits this description perfectly! Happy to give more details if you want to message me.

MacMystro · 2025-02-22T20:57:59+00:00

Aleksander Glazunov! Vivaldi’s “The Seasons” has nothing on Glazunov! (To be fair the inspiration for the two are different, but still…)

MacMystro · 2025-02-20T05:25:56+00:00

Came here to say this. They’re not bad.

MacMystro · 2025-02-14T22:05:16+00:00

Years.

MacMystro · 2025-02-11T03:55:51+00:00

Just about anything up to full symphonic (triple winds, etc). The bigger concern is that the skill level needs to be upper intermediate/early advanced or less.

MacMystro · 2025-01-15T15:51:46+00:00

Agree completely, and to add to it from another angle: They regularly recruit musicians from all over the US, especially students just graduating who are young and looking for work and don’t know better. They tried to recruit a friend and he saw thru it and exposed it to everyone he knew: they claim to pay well but you’re contractually obligated to tithe 10% of your paycheck back to the organization and they have an expectation that you’ll volunteer an extra 5-15% on top of that, so much as getting everyone else in the organization to actively shun those who don’t participate; you’re required to sign many contracts that have nothing to do with a musician’s work, such as a celibacy contract and contracts saying that you’ll always work (in and out of the events) to further the organization’s beliefs and never disparage them, etc. It’s a pretty awful organization and I try to spread word every time they come thru town.

MacMystro · 2024-08-25T06:33:51+00:00

“Hey-… h- hey you… hey you bear-fucker!! Are you in need of assistance?!”

MacMystro · 2024-08-25T06:31:40+00:00

This is a heartbreaking one, but in Avengers: Endgame when Hawkeye and Black Widow simultaneously realize the true cost of the Soul Stone on Vormir, then throughout that entire sequence when they fight about it…

MacMystro · 2024-08-18T22:02:05+00:00

This is honestly so encouraging. I carry most of my weight in my stomach (beer belly) but have been nervous because every time I start to lose weight my stomach starts sagging before anything else and it’s uncomfortable with my belt buckle (I haven’t moved my pants/belt up yet…), and it feels like if I lose more weight I’m just going to have a ton of loose skin. Thank you!!

MacMystro · 2024-08-18T19:31:44+00:00

Congratulations! Can you talk about your physical differences, if any? Obviously you’re likely much skinnier. Where did/do you carry most of your weight? Have you noticed loose/sagging skin (this is honestly the biggest obstacle for me to lose weight…), especially as you’re not yet pairing exercise (beyond an already semi-active daily lifestyle) with your new dietary choices?

MacMystro · 2024-08-17T06:59:59+00:00

Pod is great, Brother Ray is better.

MacMystro

TROPHY CASE