Gas Prices & Trombone Playing
One of my hobbies is reading about social science and behavioral science. I am fascinated by how we make decisions, the underlying factors for why people succeed, and how rational we truly are compared to how rational we believe we are. In my reading, I have come across several books that I consider “must reads” for musicians. To name a few..
Outliers- Malcolm Gladwell
Blink- Malcolm Gladwell
Predictably Irrational- Dan Ariely
I am still wading through Predictably Irrational. In a nutshell, the book talks about how rational we truly are, compared to how rational we believe we are. The full title of the book is Predicabtly Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. One of the early sections of the book deals with “anchors”, and in laymen terms this refers to the initial exposure to a certain value. The easiest analogy I can come up with is gas prices.
Someone born 40 years ago has a very different “anchor” in regards to the value of gasoline when compared to someone born 20 years ago. The 40 year old was initually introduced to a market price somewhere around a $1/gal. Someone who is 20 was initially introduced to a market price somewhere around $4/gal. At 24, my view is a bit skewed. I remember clearly when gas was less than a dollar, but when I first started college, gas was quickly on the rise. Nonetheless, the 40 year old sees the current market price (somewhere around $2/gal.) as highway robbery. The 20 year old sees the current market price as a steal. So, if gas were to rise to $4.50/gal., the 20 year old would not be phased. Their anchor is not terribly far from this price. The 40 year old would probably suffer a mild heart attack.
This seems relatively simple. (Pun intended)
You are probably thinking “How does this relate to trombone playing?” Keep reading…
In the earlier part of this book, the author talks about the idea that these principles apply to as many situations as you can logically conceive. I started to ask myself about anchors in brass playing. I asked myself why certain players have real hang ups about certain ranges of the instrument, about playing fast, loud, soft etc. I found myself with an interesting thought…
Anchors.
We all have anchors in our playing. From a musical standpoint, these anchors can range from the words spoken by an early band director to aural anchors rooted in the first serious listening we did. Before I continue, I should tell you about David Mayfield.
David Mayfield was my first band director, and also the first influence I had as a young trombonist. I have the great opportunity to be exposed to the playing of J. Samuel Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan on a regular basis. These two individuals are incredible musicians, great people, and hellish tubists. I hold David Mayfield in the same regard.
Both of my parents are music educators, and thus I have musical anchors that date back farther than my ability to recall. One of the first anchors I am aware of though was an aural anchor. David Mayfield used to practice in the afternoons after school. My mother was the choral director at the middle school, and their respective rooms shared a copy/office/library area. I remember many afternoons sitting and listening to David play, and being awed at the sounds that came from his tuba. This was my earliest anchor.
Call it naeivety…but the thought never crossed my mind that any of the things I heard were unnatainable. I attribute much of my success to early exposure to great playing, and never having ANY of my early influences tell me that ANYTHING was difficult.
What are some anchors you can think of that might be detrimental later on in the life of a trombonist?
Trombonists can’t play truly legato. Really?
Playing high is hard. Really?
Trombonists cant play fast, because of their slide. Really?
There are numerous anchors like this that young brass players hear everyday from their well intentioned band directors. So how can we fix these anchors? Unfortunately, its very difficult to change your anchor. It is possible, and I think the best way is to surround yourself with great examples and positive thinking. Having issues with your upper register? Put on some recordings of playing with seemingly effortless upper ranges. Stay positive about your assessments. Thinking “Oh they are just freaks” will get you nowhere, but thinking “If they can do this, I know I can too” is a great start.
The more important application of this knowledge of anchors is how we teaching our young students.
John Drew used to always say “establish the positive, dont try to eliminate the negative.” In your teaching, be careful of how you phrase things, because often these words and ideas will stick with a student for their entire career. Chances are, they wont be cognizant of this, but its there. A student struggling in the upper register might be consoled by the instructor telling them playing high is hard, and many people struggle with it so they should not be frustrated.
What if you told them to just keep at it, that nothing is impossible?
What if you played great recordings for them?
What if you showed them what is possible?
Would they be better off?