How do French horn players stay creative and continue to learn? One hornist's video shows what a year of growth can accomplish.
Yes, that's me in yet another costume!
After my Elphaba appearance last year, I couldn't resist an encore. This year I chose Jack Sparrow, in full costume, playing Pirates of the Caribbean on the French horn.
Watch Jack Sparrow with the horn
I hope you love it!
But what isn't obvious on screen is how much changed in a year and the uphill learning curve it took to get here.
From Debut to French Horn Encore
Elphaba was my debut. This time I wanted more, and each piece of it was a different element that pushed my creativity:
- A much better audio recording. I upgraded my recording equipment from an iPhone to a Zoom H6 and used Audacity to combine native playing tracks and a backing track. The audio upgrade alone took a few weeks to implement.
- A much better video recording. I improved my video framing, included multiple shots, and added background elements, then synced the videos and music clips to my final audios.
- Improved playing on display. Thanks to Find Your True Sound, ongoing lessons, and playing lots of challenging repertoire this year, I sound better than ever. I wanted to challenge myself to produce a clean and polished recording.
- Purposeful music. I needed an accurate transcription that matched the backing track. Mars helped me adapt a piano transcription to a horn line that worked.
- A costume that helped me Superplay. Superplay is one of the tools we utilize in High Range Magic, and a costume turned out to be a great way to help me access it. I spent a lot of time researching the look and the persona to pull it off.
- Timing gave me a deadline. Done is better than perfect, and I committed to releasing it no later than Halloween.
That's a year of progress, and I'm celebrating it!
Why I Stuck With It
I stuck with it because I love the concept and the fun of delivering it. But there were days I almost gave up!
On the days it got hard, Mars and the Holistic Horn Academy community encouraged me, validated my struggles, and gave me workable suggestions. I didn't have to figure it out alone.
That's what a community does. And we're never done learning.
Creativity Unleashed by the Freedom to Play
I'm a long time High Range Magic member, and my creativity has been unleashed by my freedom to play what I want regardless of range. I’ve been able to move from the notes to the message and that’s the most empowering part.
When the high range stops being in the way, the question changes from "Can I play this?" to "What do I want to say?"
What's Your Jack Sparrow?
So what's your Jack Sparrow? The piece you'd play if you felt free?
An evaluation call is a good place to explore your vision.
Ready to change your story? Book a High Range Magic evaluation call.
Change your words, change your story.
Related reading: High Range Isn't Really Just About High Notes