Book: Blow Your OWN Horn by Fergus McWilliam

Book: Blow Your OWN Horn by Fergus McWilliam

The title blow your OWN horn! can be understood in different ways: as encouragement, invitation, even as a command. Regardless, confronting the problems of learning the horn demands greater self-reliance, independence, and a more pro-active attitude than is usual or comfortable. “blow your OWN horn!” is certainly no traditional Horn Method – perhaps it is more a kind of Anti-Method. Much may seem iconoclastic and it is certainly my intention to be controversial. I describe “Truths” about learning and teaching the horn which I had been forced to accept over decades, but which frequently collided with conventional or “official” thinking. One of the most important and controversial themes of my book is that true technical mastery of the horn is only achievable through musical playing. It is in fact musical playing which guarantees good technique and security, not the other way around. The reader may not be surprised therefore that for a long time my working title was: “Horn Heresies”.