Baton down the hatches

Oct 17 2007
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Gaylon Patterson
Gaylon Patterson

Gaylon Patterson joined the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 1985, where he is is currently acting principal second violin. He is very active in strategic planning and in developing community engagement initiatives with the MSO, and served as negotiation chair for the most recent contract renewal.

He spent seven years as ROPA delegate for the MSO and two years on ROPA’s executive board, and was the local host for ROPA’s 2003 conference in Memphis. He is still ROPA’s trustee for the AFM Strike Fund. Gaylon enjoys playing chamber music, and is regularly featured at Memphis Chamber Music Society concerts. He has taught violin and chamber music at the University of Memphis and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

Gaylon’s day jobs before becoming a full-time musician ranged from retail sales through cotton marketing to ag-chem research, in keeping with his perplexing educational background. He studied electrical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, and transited through the architecture and fine arts departments at the University of Arkansas before finally completing a B.A. in Music Performance. He also holds an M.M. in performance from the University of Memphis.

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In my thirty-odd years of orchestral experience, I’ve encountered all flavors on the podium. I’ve seen micromanagers, and the ones who just want to go home early. I’ve seen great technicians who have nothing to say, and artists with a lot to say who don’t know how to say it. The “ahead-of-the-beat” phenomenon isn’t necessarily my first complaint, but I do recognize that it’s an issue worth exploring.

I would estimate that 80-90% of the conductors I see (as in, right in front of me, on the podium) are “ahead-of-the-beat” conductors. I don’t know where this tradition started, but I’m happy to join any chorus of players who would prefer to see an ictus in real time. On the rare occasions when I meet a conductor who wants to be on top of the beat, s/he always has to tell the orchestra, “No, you’re behind me — the beat is here, and I want the sound to coincide.” The first iteration is useless, of course, but the second generally produces an orchestra that responds very quickly and precisely.

I have never understood the “behind-the-beat” phenomenon, and would submit that if more conductors would insist on accurate rhythmic precision, then we’d all be playing better performances.

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Gaylon Patterson
Gaylon Patterson

Gaylon Patterson joined the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 1985, where he is is currently acting principal second violin. He is very active in strategic planning and in developing community engagement initiatives with the MSO, and served as negotiation chair for the most recent contract renewal.

He spent seven years as ROPA delegate for the MSO and two years on ROPA’s executive board, and was the local host for ROPA’s 2003 conference in Memphis. He is still ROPA’s trustee for the AFM Strike Fund. Gaylon enjoys playing chamber music, and is regularly featured at Memphis Chamber Music Society concerts. He has taught violin and chamber music at the University of Memphis and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

Gaylon’s day jobs before becoming a full-time musician ranged from retail sales through cotton marketing to ag-chem research, in keeping with his perplexing educational background. He studied electrical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, and transited through the architecture and fine arts departments at the University of Arkansas before finally completing a B.A. in Music Performance. He also holds an M.M. in performance from the University of Memphis.

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