CJ Replay: The Two-Pattern

(From the Choral Journal article “Is Your Baton Suffering from the ‘Terrible Two's’?” by Michael Yachanin, p.37)

 

       Which is the only conducting pattern with a downbeat that does not move straight down? In what pattern is it most difficult to achieve variety? Which pattern is most prevalent in Renaissance music? It is the two pattern. While in many ways it is the simplest pattern to execute, it also can be the most unmusical. The purpose of this article is to provide some options and alternatives for taming this "terrible two." In its simplest form the two pattern can be a straight line angled down and back up. This is the infamous "marching band" look. The gesture stops on the ictus of beat one and moves on the exact moment of beat two. It is not terribly expressive, since its main focus is meter at the expense of line; however, it can effectively unite a two-hundred member marching band spread across a football field.

       The traditional two pattern taught in conducting courses around the country is the backwards J-pattern. This pattern does not have a true downbeat, since just before the ictus there is a slight curve . . . .  (READ MORE on p.37)