« on: August 02, 2023, 11:03:20 AM »
Watching this man play a French horn with his foot is the most inspiring thing you'll see todayhttps://notthebee.com/article/watching-this-man-play-a-french-horn-with-his-foot-is-the-most-inspiring-thing-youll-see-todayProfessional French horn musician Felix Klieser was born without arms, which should technically make it impossible for him to play the instrument at all.
Not because he couldn't press the keys, he can do that quite adeptly with his toes, but because French horn players put their second hand inside the bell, both to hold the instrument and to modulate tone and keep the notes from going sharp.
(It's really quite awful sounding without the hand in the bell.)
But Klieser doesn't have a hand to do that and can't quite get his other foot in the bell, so he had to learn how to modulate tone and avoid sharpness with just his lips and breath control.
Here's a primer to give you an idea of the struggle he's faced:
In a new interview this week, Klieser said that it's a miracle he became a French horn player at all. He asked his parents to learn the instrument at age 4, and they didn't even know what a French horn was.
When he was a teenager, he and his teacher at the Hanover University of Music, Drama, and Media were interviewed by a reporter who asked if he wanted to play professionally.
"My answer was something like: 'Maybe it could be possible, I don't know because I'm still at school''."
Then his teacher, a famous player, interrupted him. "It's a good hobby for you, but you will never be a professional horn player. Never, never, never. You don't have the right hand, and the bell works differently. It will never work'."
Unlike a Republican fighting for real conservative legislation, Klieser wasn't willing to accept that "impossible" as an answer or compromise what he was fighting for.
He said,
"You have to decide, should I try to show that it is possible or should I give up? These situations happen quite often in my life."
He solved the problem of the bell by practicing changing the tone of the instrument with his mouth instead.
"The most important thing, when I grew up, is to learn to solve problems," he says.
"I never knew what is possible for me and what is not possible. But when you have a way of thinking, 'Ok, I can solve every problem,' then you have many, many possibilities in your life."
In the end, he's proved his old teacher wrong, several times over. He's played with orchestras all over the world, even went on tour with Sting.
And now for the full video I promised you at the beginning:
For once, the headline is accurate. This story IS inspiring. Kudos to this man for tackling a tough problem and solving it.
But I'm sorry - I'm evil enough to wonder about a much more difficult problem -- how does he wipe his ass? (I'm know I'm going to hell for that one.
)
Logged
Adams E2 Euphonium, built in 2017
Boosey & Co. Imperial Euphonium, built in 1941
Edwards B454 bass trombone, built 2012
Bach Stradivarius 42OG tenor trombone, built 1992
Kanstul 33-T BBb tuba, built 2011
Fender Precision Bass Guitar, built ?
Mouthpiece data provided on request.
