Horn Matters | A French Horn and Brass Site and Resource | John Ericson and Bruce Hembd

David Kaslow has as arguably the central chapter of Living Dangerously with the Horn a chapter on “Fearlessness.” His discussion is substantial and should be read in the original context by advanced students of the horn, but a few topics should be briefly highlighted here, as he introduces several essential topics that were not addressed in the older horn texts that have been the focus of the Hornmasters series.

On the topic of fear

The first topic is “Fear.”

Some hornists fearlessly jump into the dangers and difficulties that the horn has in store. Others persevere despite fears. While I do not completely understand motivation–my name is Kaslow not Maslow*–I nevertheless believe it useful to ponder “fearlessness,’ which is a stance held by the most successful horn players.

[Kaslow offers this footnote, which I found useful: “*Abraham H. Maslow (1908-1970), American psychologist and philosopher best known for his self-actualization theory of psychology.”]

Pedagogical note: don’t pass your fears on to your students

He notes that it is easy for teachers to pass on their fears to students.

Many fears are common types, and may be acquired early in life, in adolescence, and in adulthood. They often are intentionally or unintentionally conveyed by parents, teachers, and other authority figures. A horn player’s scenario of a common early-acquired fear might be an authority figure (perhaps a teacher) communicating his or her fear of a passage, and the horn player’s subsequent fear of the passage—even before attempting to play it. Fear-provoking situations are, of course, individually defined.

This is absolutely correct and something we have to be very careful not to do as teachers, and it is a trap to be aware of as students.

Three kinds of acquired fear

Kaslow describes three kinds of acquired fear and keys to conquering them.

The first is an acquired fear of a concrete difficulty. An example is the fear—learned either through experience or through others—of playing a large, exposed slur, or of making a soft, high entrance. As a short hand I will call this “concrete fear.”

The second kind is an acquired response to an imagined danger or difficulty…. Such fear often arises from responses that were useful at one time but are now outdated, such as the fear of parental abandonment. This kind of fear is often more devastating than concrete fear. I will name this “imagined fear.”

Imagined fear and concrete fear may be present together in a single circumstance, producing a third kind of fear. For example, in playing the “long call” from Wagner’s Siegfried we may fear both its concrete difficulties and the possibility of failure. I will call these combined fears simply “fear.”…

Whatever its basis, fear is unnecessary. Despite concrete fear’s basis in real danger, it can be eliminated by solving—through study and practice—the problem that is causing it. Imagined fear is also unnecessary, and can be eliminated by removing—through study or psychotherapy—the problem that is causing it. I do not wish to seem callous or flippant about the difficulties surrounding the discarding of fear. I acknowledge that this is one of the most difficult tasks we can face.

Courage and fearlessness are different things

The next large topic for Kaslow is that of “Courage”

A composite dictionary definition of “courage” would surely include the ideas of acting in spite of fear, and of using courage to overpower fear. On the surface, courage seems to be a positive trait; it is, however, a waste of energy. Because fear is also unnecessary, so, too, is courage. At best, courage is only temporarily useful as we work toward fearlessness.

He notes that “courage and fearlessness are different traits” and gives this example.

Players using “courage” (in itself undesirable) to enable them to perform the Siegfried “long call,” for instance, follow cumbersome paths, paved with the misused or inappropriate behaviors, including the achievement of “courage” through will power. While will power is a positive trait, it is misused when employed to overcome fears which it would be more advantageous to eliminate altogether.

Beta-blockers and alcohol

In this discussion Kaslow addresses the important topic of beta-blockers and alcohol.

Another, and controversial, effort to gain courage is through the use of drugs such as anti-depressants, relaxants, beta-blockers, and alcohol. Many players have strong opinions about the propriety of taking drugs, and although it is open to question, most of us agree that some of them (for instance, propranolol, a commonly used beta-blocker which temporarily suppresses feelings of fear) can be, in a limited sense, effective. I believe that decisions about whether to resort to taking drugs ought to be individual, but that they must be reached within contexts of self- and other-awarenesses: awareness of our bodies and minds, and of the drugs’ possible side effects, including their possible abilities to produce physical or psychological addictions. When drugs are deemed appropriate, they should be used with caution, under medical supervision, for as short a period as possible, and they must not be considered substitutes for attempts to solve underlying problems. In the end, we should remember that the courage produced by these drugs is itself of limited value.

So what is fearlessness?

His final, central topic is “Fearlessness.”

Fearlessness is composed of a high degree of awareness, an understanding of “control,” and the belief in the benevolence of both ourselves and of the universe, of which we are a part. These three attributes take us beyond mere courage and increasingly into the area of fearlessness.

One general point he makes about fearlessness is that

A small number of people seem to have been born fearless. Most people who become fearless do so in stages. The first stage is fearfulness, the second courageousness, and the final stage is fearlessness. Fearlessness is not the same as ignorance. Fearlessness is a mature stance gained by study, thought, and applied spiritual underpinnings. Ignorance is an elementary state retained due to unawareness, thoughtlessness, and a paucity of spirituality.

From there this discussion goes much deeper, with subsections titled “Control,” “Paths Toward Fearlessness,” and “Taking Orchestral Auditions.” The full publication may be purchased from the publisher Birdalone Books.  Kaslow concludes the chapter by noting,

Bringing newly-achieved fearlessness to an audition, we have already realized considerable inner success, whether or not the results are those for which we had hoped. When we bring long-standing fearlessness, we often also enjoy outer success: we “get the job.”

With that thought we end this look at the topic of performance anxiety and, for now, the entire Hornmasters series. In a few months actually there will be a tail end of two more articles, be watching for that as well. And thank you for following along in this substantial series! If you read all of these articles, explore the original publications, and apply a bit of critical thought you will not only improve substantially as a player but also likely know more than your teachers.

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Return to Week 14 of Pedagogy Course

Frøydis Ree Wekre in Thoughts on Playing the Horn Well notes that

The best remedy against stagefright and nervousness is to always be in the best possible shape and well prepared for what you have to perform. Thus, to practise regularly and frequently is your best “secret”, besides positive thinking, a constructive attitude and a few other details…

The “Anyway” principle

But her central approach to nerves is to embrace the concept of “Anyway!”

Does your mouth tend to become dry during a performance? Make the mouth really dry when practising: Eat some crackers without drinking anything, for example, and then play ANYWAY!

How about a high pulse rate? Run around the house a few times, do some quick jumps and then play ANYWAY!

Do you feel uncomfortable when the concert place gets very warm? Put on another layers of clothes or two and practise playing ANYWAY!

What about the legs shaking for a stand up solo? Stand on one foot then, and keep playing ANYWAY!

The list could go on and on. Only your creativity will decide.

There will be good and bad days but “The state of the mind will decide a lot more than the state of the body.” It may cost more to make the result but in the end Wekre encourages the reader to “Play well ANYWAY!”

Consider the first rehearsal as an important starting point

Verne Reynolds weighs in on performance anxiety in The Horn Handbook in the context of large ensemble rehearsals.

Our performance at the first rehearsal for a concert reflects the thoroughness of preparation. The first rehearsal also sets the psychological framework for the remaining rehearsals and concerts. If we do not have a good first rehearsal of the Beethoven Seventh Symphony for example, we are left with a wound that probably will not heal completely before the concert. This wound becomes a scar that can affect future performances. For the Beethoven Seventh Symphony, horn players, before the first rehearsal, must have worked out the dotted rhythm, soft high attacks, loud high attacks, A-horn transposition and intonation, breathing places in the loud passages, and the endurance necessary to do all of this. To arrive at a rehearsal with doubts about any of these components is the first step toward a long battle with performance nerves. Conversely, confidence is the manifestation of the expectation of playing well. A bad first rehearsal cannot lead to a justifiable expectation of playing well at the second rehearsal. Better to be thoroughly prepared at the first rehearsal. This thoroughness is the link to the practice room.

To close this series we turn to the topic of fearlessness and more.

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Professional horn players certainly know something about performance anxiety.

Balancing of positive and negative thinking

Farquharson Cousins has an extended examination of “the mental side” of horn playing in On Playing the Horn. He suggests that “For those whose anxiety borders on ‘nerves’ there is a path back to normality.” That path includes the elements of health (exercise), playing form (mechanics), and the mental approach to playing the horn. The mental approach is for Cousins in part geared around balancing positive and negative thinking and positive and negative mental images. For example

We might remind ourselves that negative thought consists of seeing enormously in the mind’s eye the approach of a lonely entry of which we are terrified. Such thought convinces us that we are going to crack it. That we shall feel even worse when the moment comes than we do now. That everybody is waiting for us to mess it up. That the entry (which is a delicate pianissimo) is going to sound like a tomato splashed off a whitewashed wall, and that we shall be found petrified, holding a note that sounds not unlike a lost sheep on a mountainside. This—and I pause to wipe the moisture from my typewriter keys—is negative thinking. Join me as I wipe that paragraph from my mind. Positive thought must stand heavily on the scales and hoist such thoughts away from us—for ever.

We could have chosen an instrument that is easier to play

As did Farkas, Cousins offers several deep thoughts that go beyond the topic of nerves.

The horn is a strange and unpredictable mistress. It has to be wooed to be won. Show fear and it will recognize it as easily as the horse senses the novice rider. The horn is not difficult. Like the game of golf we make it difficult through our own inadequacies….

We have said that true music-making sometimes demands the suffering performing. The suffering may start days beforehand. It is a perfectly healthy sign. Usually, as soon as the artist starts to play a sudden calm descends upon him and he gives of his best. This is a common phenomenon and one which many players deliberately cultivate. In fact many artists are suspicious of themselves if they find that their emotional life is unaffected prior to an important performance. They know that there is then a likelihood of a serious attack of nerves coming on whilst playing—a wretched business for all concerned. The added danger of such a nasty experience is that there is a deeply implanted fear that it will happen again….

Sooner or later all hornplayers are asked why they took up the horn instead of some other instrument. We can only mumble. Perhaps our superficial replies hide motives about which we are hazy, if not oblivious. Of course the instrument has an irresistible charm and a thrilling sound and we love music. But few play it well. We all knew all this even before we blew our first note. It was a musical challenge and a little voice dared us to accept.

Cousins further speaks to the topic of there being “some instinct, drive, intelligence or whatever” that seems to be found more commonly among horn players.

On medications, and especially alcohol

Cousins closes with one more topic of importance, that of medications and alcohol, and a caution.

We have left to the last a somewhat delicate matter. In any orchestra it is estimated that half the performers resort to a little something to ‘steady their nerves’. These players are usually seniors. Perhaps a harmless pill is employed, but more often a modest shot of alcohol. This latter, though not recommended, is often resorted to when all else fails. It is a dangerous habit…. Many an aging player has prolonged his playing life by the judicious use of a little something. But the cure can be worse than the disease if not properly understood and rigorously controlled. Each of us must work out our own system for dealing with fear. The trained embouchure will work well under limited sedation, but the key lies in the word ‘limited’.

Certainly words to heed. Any professional today can tell you stories of people they have known that have seen their career ended because of the stresses of aging as a player leading them to the wrong solutions, hinted at above.

But on the positive side I would note, over my lifetime, I think when I was younger there were a lot of heavy drinkers in the brass world, and thankfully it is much less of a problem today.

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The final major topic touched upon in The Art of French Horn Playing is performance anxiety.

A traditional view on nervousness

Farkas kicks it off by noting

When a student has gained enough proficiency to play moderately difficult works, he is often shocked to find that performing these works in public is such a disconcerting experience that the performances go very badly. A few experiences of this sort and the new concert performer has a full-fledged case of stage-fright….

The question “How can I control nervousness while performing in public?” is such a common one that I would like to enumerate a few of the physical and mental processes which I (and others) have found useful in controlling this fear. First comes technical proficiency. Nothing will create more confidence than to know that “My lip is in fine condition—I know the composition thoroughly—and I can play it at home perfectly almost a hundred times over.” To practice so that you can honestly say this to yourself is most confidence-inspiring. Second, play in public as often as possible. Most stage-fright comes from the novelty of facing an audience too infrequently…. Third, remind yourself that your work comes under the heading of entertainment. You are not about to perform an operation in which someone’s life will be at stake! You are simply going to make some music and make it as beautifully as possible. Like the baseball player, you must try for a high batting average; but you must not be dismayed if you occasionally bat less than a thousand….

Take several deep breaths…. Consciously relax the shoulder muscles….

Finally, remind yourself that your desire, ability, and hard work have all combined to put you on that particular stage at that particular moment. Whatever destiny is guiding you is certainly not going to let you down at such a moment—IF YOU KNOW IT AND BELIEVE IT.

Some deeper thoughts on stage fright

Expanding on that thought, the final major topic addressed by Farkas in The Art of Musicianship is also that of stage fright. In particular he presents not only expanded advice on stage fright, similar in content to that just quoted, but also he presents a glimpse of his personal motivating philosophy. I have long thought this quotation to be a fascinating one, and have had a brief article on this quote online since 2005. People who achieve big things are motivated and driven by many different things, often including elements of a desire for fame, riches, love, and respect. Farkas relates about how as a young professional hornist he had often wondered why he was there, but gradually he had a change of thinking.

Formerly, I had assumed that all the events leading up to my engagement by the Chicago Symphony were completely haphazard–a bit of luck here, a chance encounter there, until I eventually ended up in the Chicago Symphony, as unpredictably as a seashell washes up on a beach. But, with my change in thinking came the realization that perhaps all these apparently haphazard events weren’t haphazard at all. Perhaps, back in high school, when I had had that fight with the gym teacher, and the supervisor had suggested that I could fill my physical education requirement by switching to the marching band, it was not just an aimless suggestion. Was it mere chance that the street-car conductor, after telling me I could no longer bring my beloved tuba on board the street-car because it blocked traffic, pointed to a French horn being carried by another bandsman that I would be allowed to bring “one of them” aboard? … The more I pondered these questions the more convinced I became that it wasn’t all just haphazard–that I wasn’t just a seashell washed up willy-nilly on the Chicago Symphony’s “shore.” So it wasn’t just a series of unrelated, random events which eventually put me on that stage. It was a series of incredibly interwoven and predestined events which put me there. … I was there because I had been led there by an amazing chain of events, not just mere coincidence, and, because I had been led there, certainly I could do the work assigned to me, and failure was not a part of that plan.

Farkas goes well beyond the topic of “stage fright” in this passage and into his motivations for all of what he did. It is a most interesting finale to all his publications. The section itself goes on a bit further, presenting a motivational quote based on a Psalm and making clear his faith in a Supreme Being. My 2005 article has a bit more on this for those interested in further insight into the man Philip Farkas and what made him tick as a player and teacher.

Of course there are a wide variety of tactics out there in relation to dealing with performance anxiety. Be watching for more on the topic next week.

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