The sound of the alphorn is calm, expansive and deep. Unfortunately, this calm and breadth can quickly turn into strain and narrowness when playing. The sound is not responsive, the pitch is lacking, the quick and clean change between notes is not successful or the sound does not carry as far as desired. Instead of remaining calm and meeting the challenge in a thoughtful way, we usually try harder and restrict our breathing in the process.
At first, we may even achieve our desired goal. This often works well for a while. Sooner or later, however, the undesirable side effects overshadow the joy of making music: Tension, pain, frustration etc. are possible complaints.
I turned to the Alexander Technique as part of my second training. I originally studied saxophone. During my studies, I increasingly had severe pain in my shoulders, neck and head. This pain sometimes kept me from practicing for days. I tried various medications and therapies until I was lucky enough to discover the Alexander Technique. Only the Alexander Technique allowed me to experience and understand how my physical experience and actions are connected to my thoughts and feelings. I found out that my tension pain had no physical cause, but was a symptom. The cause was mental. I believed that I had to prove to those around me that I was right to study at university. So I practiced hard, a lot and hardly allowed myself any breaks. Effort and tension were normal. The maxims “No pain, no gain” and “Work first, pleasure second” were well ingrained in me. Through the Alexander Technique, I realized that I was putting big obstacles in my way with this attitude. And I realized that I had an opportunity to practice with more well-being. As a result, I gradually changed the way I dealt with myself, my thoughts and the instrument.
I soon got rid of the pain associated with my instrument and was able to devote myself fully to music again. I felt good and the Alexander Technique faded into the background until, after a few years as a music teacher, I looked for another field of activity. And so today I am also an Alexander Technique teacher and therapist. My example is intended to show how we as beings are connected physically, mentally and emotionally and that complaints can be resolved in a roundabout way.
We all wish for the ideal situation in which the instrument plays easily, sonorously and with a clean response. Unfortunately, in most cases, this is not the case. Nevertheless, if someone plays with ease and virtuosity, we like to call them a natural. However, no one should be deprived of a relaxed approach.
For most people, it is normal to try harder and exert more effort when things don’t go as planned. But there’s a catch: our efforts and exertions cause us to tense our muscles more than would be necessary to play an alphorn. We pull our shoulders up, push our heads forward, frown, squeeze our legs. The list is long – and varies from person to person.
Box: Personal Experienc with AT by Mary Archer *
I’m probably not alone in dreaming of playing the alphorn so beautifully that people stop, listen, and—for a moment—feel world peace is within reach. The alphorn’s pastoral roots seem naturally suited to evoking a sense of calm and wonder. Then reality hits: the sound emitted from my horn reflects that my body is tense and my mind over-taken by a self-critical chatterbox.
Four months ago, I began weekly Alexander Technique lessons with a teacher who is also a musician. There’s been small shifts which I feel have made a big difference in my playing —especially the core idea of freeing the head and neck. For example, instead of bringing my head to the alphorn – something I wasn’t even conscious of doing – I bring the alphorn to my head, and the result is a more open sound. Also, I’ve learned how to consciously widen my back and adjust my stance to facilitate less restricted breathing. Another important thing for horn-playing is letting the jaw release—often with the help of what’s called the “Whispered Ah.” And finally, I’ve learned how important it is not to push through discomfort. If I don’t feel ready to play, I pause, pay more attention, and use what I’ve learned from my teacher to make corrections. Some of this may seem obvious but when your goal is world peace, you aren’t thinking of these subtleties.
I’ve learned to take extra liberties while I play to experiment, reflect, and let the Alexander Technique work ripple into other parts of life. A result has been to be more at peace with myself, and maybe this will help with world peace after all.
* Mary Archer lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has played French horn off/on for over 20 years and alphorn for the past three, visiting Switzerland as much as possible.
When we practise, we don’t just practise playing the alphorn, but all the other idiosyncrasies that we constantly repeat. Even the smallest efforts develop into habits. Muscular tension is associated with playing the alphorn. This goes unnoticed for a long time. Until tension becomes tension. Poor posture becomes the norm. Natural breathing becomes restricted. And the desired sound, the desired lightness have still not been achieved. How could they?
The Alexander Technique, named after its developer Frederick Matthias Alexander, focuses on our unconscious habits. Even when we consciously set out to learn an instrument, we develop habits that we are primarily unaware of. Alexander called this goal fixation: we basically only pay attention to the fulfillment of our expectations. If I want to go high on the alphorn, I probably pay attention to the embouchure and the air pressure. What my feet, legs, back, shoulders etc. are doing, on the other hand, I am not aware of at that moment – or even worse: I believe that my squeezed legs and tensed gluteal muscles would help me. These behaviors are also rehearsed. Inevitably, our brain assumes that a high note requires tension in areas of the body that defy all logic. The high note is associated with body tension and vice versa.
It is important to recognize that we have worked hard to develop these patterns of play. Unfortunately, there is no quick recipe for finding an easy way to play. But the path is exciting and promising.
The Alexander Technique invites us to observe ourselves with curiosity so that we can become aware of our patterns and recognize them. Only what we are aware of can we specifically change and refrain from doing.
Habits are always the same reactions to the same stimulus. These stimulus-response patterns occur immediately and, in the vast majority of cases, unconsciously. Using self-awareness and mental instructions, we create a pause between stimulus and reaction. During this pause, other reactions can be tested. In this way, we can learn to refrain from patterns that restrict, block or hurt us. Useful patterns can emerge instead.
In addition to this article, we are offering an introductory workshop “Alexander Technique for Alphorn Players” in cooperation with Alexander Technique Mario Schenker on September 21 in Baden. You can find additional information here: https://alphorninthealps.ch/at_workshop/?lang=de
Further information: Sean Slatter from the Alphorn Association of North America has written an extensive article on the subject with his experiences, see here.
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