French Horn – Injuries, Tension, Pain, Strain, and Great Technique (Musicians)(Albuquerque)(Psychology)(Posture)(Alexander Technique)

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to French Horn Technique, is published on this website in a PDF format. It is very detailed and practical, and it will give you the physical tools you need to take the limits off of your ability to create the accurate horn technique you want without sacrificing your body.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)

This ebook is written to give specific and practical suggestions to help the technique that the French horn player has chosen, to work without causing any wear or tear or pain or injury to the French horn player’s body.

If your technique is causing you to hurt, then you are doing something wrong, and this doesn’t have to happen. Too many French horn players assume that at some point they will get into physical trouble, and that this is unavoidable. This is not true! In many cases a French horn player who has gotten into physical trouble doesn’t know why. The player may be playing with too much tension and trying too hard to play with precision. In this ebook I explain how to do less work to create a more effortless technique and posture, and to play with greater accuracy with trust.

I also go into great deal to show you how to analyze what you are doing technically and posturally, to see if there are fine tuning adjustments you can make to your playing that makes the French horn completely user friendly.
Posturally, so many French horn players hunker down with the head tilted forward and the shoulders locked forward when they play. This does not have to be! In this ebook I explain how you can be fully upright when you play, and how to be fully upright using less muscle, than when you are hunkered down.

This ebook also addresses how to keep a free neck, even when playing loudly. It also explains how you can have the mouthpiece securely against the lips without locking the neck. I have asked French horn players to free their necks and then play, and they couldn’t. It is amazing how powerful the habit of immobilizing the neck can be in playing the French horn, and it isn’t necessary to performing.

I also bring to this ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to French Horn Technique, my three year training as an Alexander Technique teacher. An Alexander Technique teacher taught me how to play the classical guitar without any discomfort and healed the carpal tunnel pain in my left wrist. I bring my experience of hurting and healing on the guitar, and my training in the Alexander Technique to this ebook, to make you aware that the French horn player can play for hours without sacrificing the body in any way.

Also, in this this ebook I look at playing the French horn standing and sitting, and how to do this with ease and fully support the arms on the torso with comfort. Finally, since the French horn player is always in motion when he or she is making a sound, it is the goal of this ebook to help you find a powerful support of your breath, but not to immobilize the torso and diaphragm when you play.

The French horn player’s torso is always in movement when performing, and it is the goal of this ebook to make this as effortless as possible.

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An Alexander Technique Approach to French Horn Technique

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Ethan Kind

AUTHOR, TRAINER "When you change old habitual movement patterns with the Alexander Technique, whether in playing a musical instrument, running, weightlifting, walking, or typing at a computer, you create an ease of body use that moves you consistently into the zone." - Ethan Kind Ethan Kind writes and is published extensively on all of the above activities. He teaches musicians, athletes, and computer operators how to stop hurting themselves, by showing them how to use their bodies with ease and coordination. He brings a unique perspective to his work, having been a musician and athlete all of his life. After training for three years at the American Center for the Alexander Technique (New York, NY), Ethan received Professional Certification credentials.

2 Comments

  1. Carl Williams on December 29, 2018 at 11:27 pm

    Hi. I look forward to reading your e-book, however, I do have one issue with a statement in the preamble.
    Specifically, “If your technique is causing you to hurt, then you are doing something wrong, and this doesn’t have to happen”. That is an overly generalized statement in that it is not necessarily the case by any stretch. I play on a heavy nickel-silver Holton H179 without issue, mostly!! I also lift weights. Periodically I get nasty right shoulder impingement and upper forearm and crook of the elbow tendonitis. I can assure, I’m not doing anything wrong in my posture or my hand position. It’s just “one of those things in life”. You’re doing fine for a while then something creeps up and causes issues. It’s just part of living and being active. So to use a blanket statement that because you get pain when you play does not mean you’re doing anything wrong.
    I’m sure you didn’t mean it like that, likely just your exuberance for the topic right?
    Cheers
    CW



    • ethankind on January 1, 2019 at 3:43 pm

      If you go to a certified Alexander teacher, the teacher will show you how you probably have too much tension in your body as you play your instrument and lift weights, even if posture and technique on the surface are very good.