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When playing within a section, I typically default to an on-leg position; I rest the bell of the horn on my right leg. The reasons for this are many but primarily I do it so as not to stick out above the principal.
This is not to say that a section player must avoid an off-the-leg position of course, and for the purpose of this article I would like to put this issue aside and focus solely on one particular aspect of the on-leg position.
I have seen many of my colleagues over the years dealing with making this playing position comfortable and more importantly, making it physically sustainable over the long haul.
I have seen flute and horn players using guitar foot stands and even a few horn players now who use PipStick-type devices. Some horn players, myself included, will prop up the heel of the right leg on their chair in order to get the right leg to a good height for a resting, on-leg position.
A few years ago I started using a different method in order to achieve a better fit for myself and to avoid stressing out my right foot with propping it up on my chair leg.
The Amazing SockBlock
Pictured here is a pair of SockBlockTMs.
Amazing aren’t they?
Actually there is nothing to be terribly impressed about; they are made from old black socks fitted over blocks of scrap wood.
I have two versions – the Symphonic Monkey and the Pit Viper. They both go on the floor and are used as supporting pedestals for my right foot and leg.
By my own estimation, my viewing angle in the pit to the opera conductor is something like 70 degrees upwards. Compared to a concert stage where the angle might be anywhere from 60 to 30 degrees, this is a huge difference.
This difference was something that my SockBlocks needed to compensate for and it explains the two different versions. They are of different heights.
Do-it-yourself
Using an old black sock, blocks of wood (that fit the necessary height requirements) and a pair of scissors (if needed), the SockBlock is easy-to-make.
I happen to have lots of old, orphaned black socks laying around and so sacrificing one or two is not a big deal. I also happened to pick up these small scraps of wood from a throw-away pile at opera productions.
For the operatic version, my wood-block was more rectangular and so no surgery was required. It holds a thicker piece of wood that raises my right leg higher than it normally would be on a flat, concert stage.
Rather than fastening or gluing the remaining sock material shut, I leave it be. It is useful for extra padding when needed and, as a very nifty carrying handle.
Why SockBlock?
Beyond giving my right leg some solid support, the black material itself makes this device stealthy onstage and virtually invisible in a pit. The fabric grips the floor nicely and it also pads the wood inside from loudly knocking around on the floor.
As further testimonial, I would attest that my personal SockBlock set has contributed significantly towards my overall survival in heavily-programmed Pops concerts and 3-hour operas.
A Pit Viper, primed for action
Speaking of long-term survival: holding the loose fabric like a nunchuck the amazing SockBlock is also a weapon of defense, worthy of an avenging Charles Bronson or madly-skilled Bruce Lee.
This defensive capability comes very much in handy, especially when the need arises to wave off potential muggers and derelicts on the way to your car in the downtown parking garage.
Imagine their bitter surprise when you start twirling your SockBlock Pit ViperTM in the air…
Other do-it-yourself projects
- The F.H.A.R.T.
- I am now calling this one the P.T.O.O.I.E. (Pencil Trick Orbicularis Oris Intensive Exerciser).
- On making an embouchure visualizer.
