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Continuing from the ideas presented in part I of this series, this time we have a few more practical suggestions.
Finding the balance of building stamina and conversation of energy
For Barry Tuckwell in Playing the Horn stamina “is a combination of muscular development and conservation of energy.”
Immensely strong people may not have to worry so much, but the average player does and should give a lot of thought and attention to saving every scrap of energy. We are all provided with a certain amount of built-in stamina, but we can also develop our muscles with careful and intelligent training. Many players waste their hard-won physical condition by carelessly and needlessly squandering energy. With only a little attention it is possible to increase stamina by 100% ….
Another important point that needs considering is that good physical stamina is quite useless if it is handicapped by poor co-ordination, pressing, bad posture, or defective breathing. Training and practice are methods of clearing the channels through which energy flows. When most have been removed, energy is immediately available for any purpose desired and the player is able to make full use of his body. Provided training is not on faulty lines, stamina can be enhanced beyond belief.
Don’t damage your face muscles by over-straining them
In terms of training toward the goal of better playing Tuckwell notes
One can be sure of one thing: nothing remains constant. Either there is progress or there is deterioration, mostly the latter….
A student stands a far greater risk of damaging his face muscles by over-straining them. An experiences player in tip-top condition runs less of a risk, as he has a much bigger reserve to fall back on. He also knows how to recognize the danger signs and with his far greater experience is more able to cope with the situation.
Introducing a solution, the assistant first horn
Finally, in his later publication Horn, Tuckwell brings up the topic of the use of an assistant first horn.
If the first horn might become over-tired in particularly testing pieces an assistant player is sometimes used to take some of the strain. Concert-goers are puzzled to see five horn players sitting in the orchestra to play a work in which the composer only asks for four. The fifth, sitting outside the first horn, is there to increase the volume in fortissimo passages and play occasional passages while the first horn recovers his strength.
Wise use of the assistant horn is an important topic for the aspiring orchestral player to understand. For more on typical use of the assistant first horn please see my article on the topic.
Keep the mouthpiece pressure even
David Bushouse in Practical Hints on Playing the French Horn touches at the same time on the topics of mouthpiece pressure and endurance. For him a key was for mouthpiece pressure to be evenly divided between the upper and lower lips.
Uneven mouthpiece pressure is a common cause of excessive pressure and a lack of endurance. The usual symptom is too much pressure on the upper lip. Equalize the pressure in this case by adjusting the angle of the mouthpiece downward. This adjustment is easier if the player will change the bell position toward the rear, lower the left hand and arm, and turn more to the left with the upper body. Equal pressure will feel at first as though the pressure is all on the lower lip. However, the bottom lip is very strong (unless the mouthpiece is set inside, too far on the red inner part of the lip) and is able to resist more pressure, while the upper lip needs less pressure for easy vibration and tone control.
“Interval training” is another method to apply
Frøydis Ree Wekre in Thoughts on Playing the Horn Well believes that strength (endurance) is “gained by QUANTITY practising.” But also practice with quality and quantity. This combination “on the horn means up early and late to bed; use interval training to avoid the danger of ruining or overworking the face muscles.” She also advises that “The other side of endurance is SMARTNESS.” By this she means that one will apply principles such as:
1) Use a flexible and dynamic embouchure, as opposed to a static one, with minimum mouthpiece pressure on the upper lip….
2) Be conscious of the advantages of using AIR….
3) Be conscious and take advantage of your lower abdominal muscles….
4) In addition: RELAX your face quickly and totally in every possible mini-second of rest, especially whenever you inhale.
Be smart! And some practical suggestions
In short it is an important topic but one where the answer will be somewhat individualized. Be smart! Endurance will tend to come with time and the overall building of strength. But I would offer these three suggestions to close, that were of help to me in my studies, and a tip that could make a huge difference if your struggle is with endurance.
1. Warm up a bit. Don’t do an overlong warm-up before a playing session (practice, rehearsal, or concert) but don’t underplay either. You need to set your face up; without a decent warm-up my endurance falls dramatically.
2. Realize there is only so much you can play in a day. I find three sessions pretty manageable day after day, but if you start going over into four or five solid playing sessions you will pay the price. When those days come (they will) try to take it easy the day before and the day after if possible.
3. Warm down too. It does not need to be long but it will set up your lips better to recover.
See also this article, Practice and perform effectively with the “three session a day” plan, which expands on ideas presented above.
A tip on rim shapes for endurance
The tip is this. Endurance can be greatly impacted by rim shape. Traditionally people would say that narrow rims take more out of you compared to a wider rim. For me personally, a rim can be somewhat narrow and work well, but it has to have some flat area and a little bit of “bite.” If it is too round, no matter how wide it is, might as well just punch me in the face, my endurance will suffer. Some people can play great on very different rims than you or me might be able to use successfully. Don’t feel like a failure if you can’t use the rim that some famous person can use. They have different lips than you! Look patiently for the rim that works for you.
When the Hornmasters series returns the topic will be dynamics.
Continue in Hornmasters Series
