Modern Conducting Lessons From Frank Zappa

If you’ve ever gone to music school and studied conducting, you know that there’s common group of hand signals that you learn. This works well for orchestral music, but an electric band requires something more. That said, one has ever conducted a band like the eclectic Frank Zappa.

Frank got his players to express his music in a rehearsed yet spontaneous manner that makes perfect sense, but in a way that few bandleaders have ever used to the same degree. Check out this excellent video with a host of examples.

Boy, do I miss that guy.