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vocabulary. A particularly effective aspect of left hand communication that

McMurray introduces is the use of the sagittal plane to emphasise the importance
of the hands. If the left hand is projected forward of the right hand, then the left
hand gesture assumes prominence, and if the right hand is projected forward of
the left, then the right hand gesture assumes prominence. This simple gestural
concept is not covered as effectively in any of the conducting textbooks.
McMurray’s DVD is one of the most kinaesthetically effective materials
available for conductors, no doubt enhanced by the possibilities of the DVD
format, giving an insight into the possibilities of the medium for conducting
instruction into the twenty-first century.

One instrumental conducting textbook that was not identified inexplicably in the
surveys needs to be covered as part of this review, as Harold Farberman in The
Art of Conducting Technique (1997)(1st edition) proposes a completely new
system of teaching conducting technique.
A respected conductor and conducting teacher, Farberman takes a completely
new approach to the acquisition of expressive conducting technique in this
textbook, articulating his approach to the teaching of conducting in an article in
the Music Educators Journal:
After continuous years of score study, why do we devote practically no time at all to the
delivery of the music? Basic patterns do not have musical content, yet we cling to them.
Remarkably, we use patterns that have remained unchanged for hundreds of years, while
music itself has undergone successive revolutions in orchestra size, instrumentation, and
compositional concepts. … Is there, in fact, conducting technique beyond patterns? Yes.
The constantly changing physical movements drawn from the music itself create
technique. But we conductors tend to do the opposite. We impose the same repetitive,
nonmusical, metric patterns on every measure of every kind of music, despite its
changing content. In the cold light of day, this seems senseless (Farberman 2001:40).

As an alternative to traditional conducting textbooks, Farberman proposes a new

system whereby the conductor, through score study, selects gestures to use
appropriate to the music at the particular time. Farberman calls this new system
‘Visual Score Study/Baton Placement.’ New gestures are created through pitch
registration (Fig. 9):