Teaching Younger Horn Players

Home , Embouchure, Leadpipe

Teaching Younger Horn Players: A Presentation for the 2006 Louisiana Music Educators Conference November 20th, 2006 Baton Rouge, LA Presenter: James Boldin, Assistant Professor, University of Louisiana Monroe

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Playing position and posture. 1) Bring the horn to you. 1) 3/4 size horns--various General Horn Information manufacturers including Holton Farkas, Philip. The Art of 2) Sit at least a few inches away from the back of and Ricco Kuehn French Horn Playing. the chair. Evanston, IL: Summy- 2) Horn support to allow "off the Birchard, 1956. 3) Keep feet flat on the ground. leg" playing. Hill, Douglas. Collected 4) Let the angle of the leadpipe match as closely as Thoughts on Teaching and possible the structure of your jaw and teeth. Since Learning, Creativity and many horn players have at least a slight overbite, a Horn Performance. Miami: proper playing position usually results in a Warner Bros. 2001. descending leadpipe angle. 3/4 Size Horns 5) Make sure the bell of the instrument is not facing http://www.gleblanc.com/ins directly into your body, as this will result in an truments/query.cfm?model= overly muffled sound. H652M

6) If your playing position looks or feels http://www.ricco-kuehn.de/ 1 uncomfortable and awkward, then chances are it is not the most efficient one for you. Horn Support http://www.paxman.co.uk/

7) Feel the “sits bones” as you find a balanced and 2 relaxed sitting position. http://www.ergobone.com/Er goHorn/eh-mainpage2.htm 3) Horn holding strap or left hand support. Holding Strap/Left Hand 4) Adjust valve levers to fit size of Support hand. http://store.osmun.com/brow se.cfm/2,62.html 5) Use clarinet thumb rests to extend valve levers.

1 Image Obtained from Pip Eastop, "My Inventions: The PipStick," Professor Pip Eastop, . 2 Ibid. 2

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Breathing 1) At the beginner and intermediate level, There are numerous types of The following texts contain focus on a sensation and a few useful images breathing exercises, including those excellent information on rather than on detailed physiological developed by Arnold Jacobs, breathing as well as explanations. Douglas Hill, Verne Reynolds, and detailed breathing Sam Pilafian. exercises. 2) Balloon imagery (ala Arnold Jacobs) As a balloon fills with air, it naturally expands If practiced regularly, breathing Farkas, Philip. The Art of without needing to be forced out, and as it exercises can help increase Brass Playing. Rochester, expels air it naturally contracts. Another efficiency in playing and help NY: Wind Music, Inc. helpful image is a bellows. develop tone, range, and endurance. 1962.

3) Feel the sensation of air rushing across the Breathing exercises ought to be Hill, Douglas. Warm-ups bottom of the mouth, like a reverse waterfall. practiced as a precursor to warming and Maintenance Sessions up on the instrument, or as a for the Horn Player. Eau 4) Thinking round syllables on the inhale relaxation exercise. Claire, WI: Really Good such as "how," "hoh," or "hah" help to keep Music, 2004. the throat and oral cavity open. (As opposed Numerous possibilities exist for to syllables such as "hee" ) incorporating breathing exercises Pilafian, Sam. The into an ensemble format, both as a Breathing Gym. Fort 5) The sensation of a relaxed, full breath is warmup routine and as a relaxation Wayne, IN: Focus on similar in many ways to an open mouthed technique prior to performances. Excellence, 2002. [Includes yawn. DVD and 32 page guide] Feel free to create your own 6) Remember that the diaphragm is an variations on well known breathing Reynolds, Verne. The involuntary muscle. regimens, as well as to create Horn Handbook. Portland, wholly original exercises. OR: Amadeus Press, 1997. 7) Remember that playing with good "air support" does not require a tight or tensed stomach and abdomen.

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Embouchure 1) One of the main purposes of the 1) Saying the words “emm” while Clevenger, Dale. “Basics embouchure is to allow for the formation of pointing the chin towards the for Beginning Horn an aperture. The function of the aperture is to ground can be effective in forming Students.” The vibrate, in much the same way that the double a working embouchure. Instrumentalist 51, no. 8 reed on an oboe or bassoon does. (March 1997): 34, 36, 38, 2) Feel the lower teeth firmly 40, 42. 2) Philip Farkas describes a properly formed behind the lower lip—avoid letting horn embouchure as a “puckered” smile— the flesh just below the lower lip Ericson, John. with neither too much lip in the mouthpiece bunch up. “Embouchure 101” and (pucker) or too little (smile). “Embouchure 201,” Horn 3) Practice “free buzzing” as an aid Articles Online. 3) Firm (but not flexed) corners and a flat chin to embouchure formation—if you . formed embouchure. then you are forming a basically correct embouchure. Farkas, Philip. The Art of Brass Playing. Rochester, 4) A common problem that NY: Wind Music, Inc. becomes apparent when young 1962. students attempt to “free buzz” is a lack of lower chin control—the chin Farkas, Philip. The Art of and lower lip have a tendency to French Horn Playing. bunch and creep up. One way to Evanston, IL: Summy- assist in producing a free buzz is to Birchard, 1956. place the index finger directly on the lower lip and chin, holding it in Hill, Douglas. Collected position. Muscular development Thoughts on Teaching and and control will gradually replace Learning, Creativity and the need for the index finger. Horn Performance. Miami: 3 Warner Bros. 2001. 5) To initiate a free buzz, imagine 4) Especially at the beginner level, work to Robinson, William C. “The identify and eliminate any air pockets that spitting a hair off the end of your tongue, or spitting out a seed. Beginning Horn may form behind the upper or lower lip or in Embouchure-Pitfalls, the cheek area. The flesh of both the upper Problems, and Progress.” and lower lip should rest against the upper The Instrumentalist 22, no. and lower teeth respectively, with no air 4 (Nov. 1967): 68. behind.

3 Philip Farkas, The Art of Brass Playing (Rochester, NY: Wind Music, Inc., 1962), 18. 4

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Mouthpiece Placement 1) The age old prescription of 2/3 upper lip 1) To find the proper proportion of Ericson, John. “Embouchure and 1/3 lower lip really does work, although upper to lower lip, first lightly 101” and “Embouchure 201,” jaw and lip structure do play a very significant moisten the lips and form the Horn Articles Online. role in the specific placement for an embouchure described in the previous . on the upper lip to rest just inside the 2) For players with thin to medium lips, lining mouthpiece rim. Farkas, Philip. The Art of Brass up the bottom of the mouthpiece with the Playing. Rochester, NY: Wind lower outside edge of the bottom lip can help 2) Think of the lower lip as an anchor Music, Inc. 1962. in finding a correct embouchure placement. point for the mouthpiece, while the upper lip acts as a “hook” for the Farkas, Philip. The Art of French 3) For players with thick or full lips, the upper 2/3 or so of the mouthpiece. Horn Playing. Evanston, IL: bottom of the mouthpiece may not need to Summy-Birchard, 1956. rest on the outside edge of the lower lip, but 3) Consistent practice with a mirror somewhere above it. on the stand is very important for Hill, Douglas. Collected Thoughts beginners, until the embouchure on Teaching and Learning, 4) It is important that the angle of the muscles become accustomed to a Creativity and Horn mouthpiece follow the natural contour of the regular mouthpiece position. Performance. Miami: Warner player’s face. Since most people have at least Bros. 2001. a slight overbite, this results in a descending 4) A good test of mouthpiece angle. Players with even bites or under bites placement is being able to produce a Matlick, Eldon. “Solving Horn will have straight to slightly ascending fairly loud, “buzzy” buzz. A buzzy Mysteries.” The Instrumentalist mouthpiece angles. buzz on the mouthpiece is one 48, no. 9 (April 1994): 34-49. produced by lots of air, and one in 5) Moist lips are important in finding a which the buzz sounds free and open, Perrini, Nicholas. “Basics for comfortable and workable mouthpiece rather than tight and constricted. Beginning French Horn position. Moistening the lips allows the Students.” The Instrumentalist 24, mouthpiece to settle into the “sweet spot,” as no. 7 (Feb. 1970): 64. well as keeping the embouchure from “sticking” during lip slurs or wide leaps.

6) Many young players end up with too little top lip in the mouthpiece, making it difficult to produce higher pitches or a characteristic tone on the instrument.

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Right Hand Position 1) Along with embouchure formation, mouthpiece 1) Allow the right hand to conform to placement, and breath control, right hand position is the shape and size of the bell—this Farkas, Philip. The Art of important in producing a characteristic sound on the will result in a slightly rounded shape French Horn Playing. horn. An improper position can affect tone quality, when the back of the hand is pressed Evanston, IL: articulation, and intonation. against the far right side of the bell. SummyiBirchard, 1956.

2) Many younger horn players play with their hand 2) Line up the knuckle of your thumb Hill, Douglas. Collected too far into the bell, or with an overly covered hand with the bell brace, and then insert the Thoughts on Teaching position. right hand until the thumb touches the and Learning, Creativity upper part of the bell and the bottom and Horn Performance. 3) Ideally, the right hand should be considered an edge of the hand makes contact with Miami: Warner Bros. extension of the instrument, allowing for flexibility the bell. 2001. in tone quality and intonation. 3) Avoid the temptation to curl the Smith, Christopher M. 4) Hand positions vary among professionals, but fingers inside the bell or to splay them “Misunderstood Basics of some general characteristics of good right hand out. Horn Playing Among position are: Even Advanced 4) Keeping the right elbow well away Students.” The a) fingers bent at the knuckle and fairly straight from the side of your body helps Instrumentalist 56, no. 8 from the knuckle to the tips of the fingers maintain an open hand position that (March 2002): 36, 38-40. b) thumb close against the side or top of the will not muffle or otherwise obstruct index finger, with no spaces between the sound. c) no spaces between fingers d) palm of hand slightly cupped, as if swimming the freestyle or holding shampoo

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Producing a characteristic Assuming that a player is breathing 1) Providing beginners with examples of Numerous solo recordings tone quality properly and has a well formed characteristic horn sounds is very available on amazon.com, embouchure, an individually correct important, and much easier today with the ITunes, etc. mouthpiece placement, and a proper right availability of solo and orchestral hand position, a characteristic tone quality recordings in Mp3 format. Ericson, John. “Striving for involves: Tone,” Horn Articles Online. 2) Imagine blowing the air through every http://www.public.asu.edu/~jqerics 1) A full, ringing sound that projects more bend and coil in the horn, all the way into /Striving%20for%20Tone%202003 than just a few feet. your right hand. .pdf

2) An ease and openness in the sound— 3) Try to make the entire room vibrate, no Farkas, Philip. The Art of Brass most easily demonstrated in the middle matter what size it is. (Make the room as Playing. Rochester, NY: Wind register and at a comfortable dynamic well as the horn your instrument.) Music, Inc. 1962. level. 4) Feel the vibration of your sound in Farkas, Philip. The Art of 3) A distinct “core” to the sound, without your nasal cavity, as if you were French Horn Playing. air or “crackling” around the edges. humming. Evanston, IL: Summy-Birchard, 1956. 4) Although concepts of “bright” and 5) Imagine your sound as a continuous “dark” are largely subjective, a stream of liquid flowing out of your bell Hill, Douglas. Collected characteristic horn sound is in general not and to a listener’s ear. Thoughts on Teaching and brittle or piercing, nor is it diffuse and Learning, Creativity and Horn unfocused. Performance. Miami: Warner Bros. 2001. 5) Most of these issues can be addressed by reexamining embouchure formation, Matlick, Eldon. “Teaching mouthpiece placement, breath control, Horn Tone.” The and right hand position. Instrumentalist 42, no. 10 (May 1988): 40.

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Braces (possible complications 1) THESE EFFECTS ARE NOT 1) Brace guards to relieve Brace Guards include playing discomfort, loss of PERMANENT! discomfort--AVOID WAX--it will http://www.dentakit.com/brgul range and endurance, lack of get blown into the horn. ippr.html dynamic contrast, unfocused 2) Work slowly but consistently, remaining sound, frustration and focused on producing a characteristic sound 2) Use a mouthpiece with a wide, Mouthpieces discouragement, etc.) in the middle range. flat rim to more evenly distribute http://www.hornmouthpiece.c pressure and allow greater playing om/ 3) Avoid excessive mouthpiece pressure as comfort. an aid to producing higher pitches. Articles and Advice Laudermilch, Kenneth. 4) Work towards a relaxed and open aperture "Coping with Braces on Brass in the middle register, as a precursor to high Students." The Instrumentalist range development. 48, no. 4 (November 1993): 46-53. 5) In the middle and upper registers, allow more mouthpiece pressure on the bottom lip, Ericson, John. "Suggested while relaxing pressure on the top lip to Horns, Mouthpieces, and allow it freedom to vibrate. 4 Mutes." Horn Articles Online. 3) Practice middle register long . range. Morehead, Twanette. 4) Practice slow, slurred scales in “Dentures, Braces, Overlays, the middle register. and Brass.” The Instrumentalist 36, no. 8 (Mar. 5) Incorporate mouthpiece buzzing 1982): 38. into daily practice.

4 Comparison of normal mouthpiece rim (right) with Neill Sanders rim (left) Image obtained from Thomas Greer, Moosewood Hornists' Requisites, .