July 1, 2009 by John Ericson

Archived under: Accuracy, Deep thoughts   |   Gunther Schuller, Orchestra

Conductors Say the Darndest Things


Earlier this year I had a couple interactions with conductors (not in Arizona) that gave me pause. One conductor, on a work that was in a jazz idiom, asked several times for us to make it more “sleazy” or to play it in a more sleazy manner. What would that mean to you? Eventually I figured out that mostly meant louder.

Another younger conductor I spoke with had an undergraduate degree in conducting. No methods sequence was involved with this degree program at their school and the conductor was almost proud that they knew almost nothing about the horn. Their training focused on conducting. I have never seen this person conduct; they may conduct wonderfully and have great rehearsal technique. Still, it is a somewhat frightening fact that many conductors really know very little about the horn.

I thought about that as I recently read this quote from Gunther Schuller as related in his classic 1962 publication Horn Technique. Schuller addresses the topic of accuracy in this section from his chapter of notes for composers and conductors.

As for conductors, they are well advised to look the other way when a passage includes some delicately placed high notes. If the horn player ‘muffs’ a note, he is at least as sorry as the conductor: he has a lot more at stake. A look of surprise, disdain, or distemper on the conductor’s part will do very little to alleviate the situation. High notes are always a treacherous matter, and if a man misses one occasionally, the conductor should not take it as a personal affront. This is all too often the case, because some conductors have the quaint notion that the modern double-horn player need only to push down his thumb (Bb) valve, and out pop a series of perfect high notes. This actually happened to me quite a few years ago at the Metropolitan with a world-famous ‘maestro’. A few minutes of thought about the position of those notes in the harmonic series (even on the B flat horn) would have revealed to this conductor how eminently silly his remark was.

Part II continues here

JOHN ERICSON has wide-ranging experience as an orchestral player, soloist, and teacher.» About John Ericson » More articles » Horn Notes Edition » Contact

Related to this article


  • Three Things Conductors Want
    Yesterday I visited a rehearsal by the ASU symphony orchestra and the conductor confirmed something I have said a number of times before. Conductors love players who can play with character. He mentioned an example of the great woodwind players of the past having very distinctive...
  • Pet Peeve: Conductors that Talk too Much
    I have started following several arts related blogs lately. Today the post at Arts Addict hits exactly on a pet peeve I have: conductors that talk too much during concerts. His post is titled “The Babbling Conductor.” My theory is people come to concerts to hear...
  • Top Ten List: Advice for Conductors
    A top-ten list for conductors from a musician’s view. INTRODUCTION Having been a professional musician for around 25 years now, I have seen my share of conductors – the good, the bad and the ugly. I have performed with groups around the world with a variety...
  • Napoleanic Conductors
    Because there can never be enough conductor humor:...
  • Conductors are Your Audience
    This time of year the topic of seating auditions is a big one for college students. I do my best to help all students prepare for these auditions at ASU, and have over the years I believe done better with this each year. Of course you...
  • Things Horn Teachers Say: Ineffective Teaching
    Derek Wright posted recently on something a teacher (not me!) said to him in a first lesson. The teacher asked him “do you have a backup plan?” Like Derek I have taken lessons with quite a number of teachers and can remember things certain teachers said...
  • Two Things from a Trumpet Class
    I often say that you can pick up a lot from other brass players. Soloist and Arizona State University Regents Professor of trumpet David Hickman gave on Wednesday a version of his presentation/demonstration for the ITG conference this summer for our Brass Area. In it there...

Comments ()


Conductors Say the Darndest Things
Published on July 1, 2009 by John Ericson

Archived under: Accuracy, Deep thoughts   |   Gunther Schuller, Orchestra
John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.