Eric Gabriel Marx Brass Methods April 28, 2020

French Horn TPO

 Out of the case:
o Lay case flat on floor, latches to open upward
o Lift the horn out of the case
o Lift mouthpiece out of the case and place in the mouthpiece receiver, giving a
quarter turn to secure the mouthpiece in place.
o Oiling the valves: Press down the valve keys and remove each of the valve caps.
Drip oil on the outside exposed metal of the usually covered portion of the valve
and let lubricate the full valve. Continue to hold the keys down and place the
valves back inside, rotating the horn to move the oil around.
 Posture
o Seated upright in a chair, either against the back of the chair or on the front.
o Straight back, hips in line with shoulders.
o Two feet flat on the floor.
 Hand Position
o Left Hand Carriage –
 Hold left hand like a C shape.
 Thumb in the thumb ring OR on trigger (Double Horn)
 Pinkie in the pinkie ring
 Pointer, Middle and Ring finger curved, tips resting on 1st, 2nd and 3rd
valves, respectively.
o Right Hand Carriage –
 Right hand curved, placed in bell to act as a bell extension
 For correct hand shape, place right hand on back of neck and curve
to fit the shape around the neck. This is the hand shape to place
inside of the bell. Weight should be supported by flesh in between
first knuckles on thumb and pointer finger.
 For extended technique, right hand palm can “stop” the horn in
order to raise instrument by a half step. This will require almost
double the air support for the same sound. Use fingerings ½ step
lower.
 Initial Sounds
o Say the letter “M” to form the embouchure.
o “Spit out a watermelon seed” to establish a focused buzz.
o Place mouthpiece on lips, 2/3 upper lip 1/3 lower lip.
 Half and half up and down, half and half left and right.
o Say M and spit out a watermelon seed into the properly placed mouthpiece.
o Support with full breath of air.
 Articulation
o Tongue should interrupt air stream, placed between top teeth and gumline.
 o Ta – Regular articulation
o Ti – Separated articulation
o Doo – Connected articulation
 Quick Problems and Solutions
o P: Student having trouble with high notes?
o S: Use more air, support from the diaphragm, less tension on mouthpiece.
o P: Student having trouble finding correct partial?
o S: Remove mouthpiece and find the correct pitch without the horn. Use piano for
concert pitch assistance. After finding the pitch with the mouthpiece, place back
into horn.
 Idiosyncrasies
o Transposition – Beginning horns are a FOURTH UP from Concert Pitch! – Open
C on F horn (no trigger) = F on piano
o C on Bb horn (trigger down) = Bb on piano
o NO VIBRATO in solo horn, ensemble horn, etc.
o Too much pressure against the face
 Can cause nerve damage
 Overusing muscles and tiring out too quickly
 Relax face, pull trumpet away from face
o Adjust intonation with the right hand in bell.
o On the double horn, players should switch from F horn to Bb horn when playing
the G# in the staff or above.
o Emptying water can be done by rotating the horn with the valves pressed down
and removing the mouthpiece. Water can exit in all three valves AND out of the
mouthpiece receiver.
 References
o A Complete Guide to Brass – Scott Whitener