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Starting the Beginning French Horn Student in the Beginning Band Class

An Undergraduate Thesis by Heather Fultz

November 30, 2009

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1-2

Selecting the Horn Student 2-3

Equipment 3-5

The Basics 5-7

In Class Instruction to Out of Class Practice 7-11

Bibliography 12

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Starting the Beginning French Horn Student in the Beginning Band Class

Introduction

It is impossible to learn everything that is needed to know about every instrument

in skill classes as an undergraduate and even more impossible to become proficient on

them within that time. However, there are resources to help and many who have this

knowledge.

Every band director strives to set their students up for success. They take the time

to match each student to the appropriate instrument followed by the introduction into

their method book of choice. Many are confident when placing students to their primary

instrument or to their primary section, woodwinds or brass, but what about those other

instruments? The French horn is one of those instruments that not many play and even

fewer play well. There are many factors that contribute to this with the main one being it

is simply a difficult instrument. In order to set up the student to succeed on the horn,

much thought and care needs to be taken in their development. The teacher needs to

consider how to choose the student for the instrument, what habits need to be instilled,

and what extra materials the student needs outside of the classroom method book.

The French horn is a difficult instrument for any musician to pick and play, even

more so for a beginner. Due to the fact that the horn is hard for beginners often times

directors will expect and accept mediocrity from those players as opposed to teaching

them the proper skills and habits that are needed to excel at this instrument. Included

below are simple guidelines to follow for placement and beginning instruction for a

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French horn student; so that directors have an aid in teaching students and teaching them

well.

Selecting the Horn Student

The first step in success for the beginning instrumentalist is matching them to the

appropriate instrument. To do this the instructor must first know the abilities needed for

playing each instrument successfully. French horn, like most brass, requires a strong buzz

with little tension. Have the student produce a siren to show what potential he or she may

have for low or high register. In order to help the student quickly explain that an increase

of air and slight tightening of the embouchure is needed for the upper notes as well as

stating a relaxed embouchure for the lower register. At this point short explanations are

fine as you are just testing the natural ability of the student. You want the student to set

easily within the range of concert f below the staff to concert g second line on the staff as

this is where most method books work within the first year. The student does not have to

play each individual note but rather be able to produce pitches within that range while

doing the siren.

Because of the long tubing and small diameter, the horn has many open tones

making it a flexible but unstable instrument. This puts the partials extremely close

together increasing the chance of placing a note on the wrong partial. Having the partials

close could be an asset allowing the player to not work hard but the player needs an

impeccable ear in order to place the note on the correct partial. For this reason it is

imperative and possibly the most important aspect to test each prospective student’s

ability to match pitch. The teacher should sing a pitch to the student and have the student

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sing that pitch back. The teacher should then have the student attempt to match playing

pitch on the horn. The student has already shown they can buzz as demonstrated in the

first step of testing, now the student will place the mouthpiece on the horn, continuing

their buzz. Have the student produce a low note then a high note. To help the student,

restate the same explanation in producing a siren. If the student is successful in producing

different pitches have the student attempt to play a middle C (concert F), E (concert A)

and G (concert C). Play the notes first on the piano before asking the student to play the

notes on the horn. This will give the student a reference. These notes are all within the

natural harmonic series of the horn and should be simple for the student to play. Each

student should be scored accordingly on each aspect.

The teacher must also take into consideration the student’s prior musical

experiences and their performance in the regular classroom. The horn is a challenging

instrument and will require much outside practice time in order to be successful. For this

reason knowing if the student is willing to work hard will only better their chances for

success. If tested carefully, students who are struggling can be placed on an easier

instrument or one better suited for them and those who show a strong ability for the horn

will most likely be successful. Do not put a student on the horn because more horn

players are needed. If the student does not show an ability to match pitch, he or she will

struggle on the instrument and end up quitting out of frustration.

Equipment

After the student has been placed on the horn, he or she must be set up with the

appropriate equipment. Unfortunately not all programs have access to high quality

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instruments. This should not cause great concern for as long as the instrument is in good

working condition it is usable. The horn should be looked over to make sure the strings

are strung correctly and not about to break. Also make sure the stops are not worn out to

the point where the valves do not open or close properly. This will make it hard or

sometimes impossible for students to play notes requiring the specific valve that is not

aligned.

Beginners should start on single horns in F as the double horn is usually too heavy

for younger players. Allowing students to begin on the F horn gives them a solid

foundation and develops a strong ear. The player must rely more on the ear versus the

keys of the horn. Philip Farkas explains the F horn in having the “correct horn tone,” and

thus it is important to develop the ear to hear this tone even after switching to B flat

fingerings on the double horn (6). Once the player switches to B flat fingerings the player

will also succeed more in accuracy as they have the correct ear already developed. B flat

may be easier in the beginning but the player will benefit in the long run from starting on

the F horn.

Many horn players will go through more than a hand full of mouthpieces

throughout their career but for the beginning player a simple, “normal” mouthpiece is all

they need (Farkas 4). Mouthpieces that are good for high notes are often difficult to get

low notes. The same goes for articulations, making it even more important to stick with

an all-purpose mouthpiece. Some common all-purpose mouthpieces are Conn No. 2,

Bach No. 7, Reynolds 6D, King H-2, Schilke 27, and the Farkas-Model (Farkas 5).

Overall the mouthpiece should have an average rim, bore, and cup. Any extremes will

cause extremes in playing. Until the student has developed the fundamentals and are

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playing consistency through all aspects of the horn, experimentation with mouthpieces

should be avoided. When trying new mouthpieces, a few weeks must be given for the

adjustment in order to make a logical assessment of the mouthpiece.

The Basics

When asking the student to hold the horn, the director must make sure that the

position in which the student holds the horn does not inhibit their breathing. Many

beginning sixth graders are too small to hold the horn off the leg and some are even too

small to place the horn on the leg. Students grow quickly and adjustments to the

placement of the horn must change as they grow. It is fine to have the horn placed on the

chair as long as the student does not have to bend down to the horn thus closing off the

throat and airway. The same goes with placing the horn on the leg, as long as the player is

not straining to reach the horn, this is fine. The placement of the bell comes second to the

placement of the mouthpiece. Find a way to get the mouthpiece to reach the lips in a good

position (Clevenger and Render 40).

Placement of the hand is not critical at this point. The student is just learning

notes in the beginning and overall tone takes a backseat in the first few months of

playing. If the student is large enough to place the bell on the leg, then he or she should

place the hand in the bell properly. A very small student can place the hand on the outside

to help them steady the heavy instrument (Clevenger and Render 42). Hand position in

the bell effects tone and intonation. It should not block the sound in any way. Fingers

should be place together and up against the side of the horn. The hand should form a stiff

hand shake when placed inside the bell. The hand should be placed in such a way that if

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the student were asked to pick-up the horn off their leg, he or she could do so without

moving the hand within the bell. Having the hand too far out is better than having the

hand too far in. Hand placement should not be of great concern to the director as this is

an easy fix if taught wrong, but rather more emphasis should be taken in correct

embouchure and breathing.

Just as for every other instrument, having the student start with the correct

embouchure will instill good habits from the very beginning. Of course some students

will slightly differ from others because of the slight differences in their physical

appearances but some aspects of the embouchure will be the same from player to player.

The first point is having 2/3 of the mouthpiece on the upper lip and 1/3 on the lower. This

will have a tendency to slip and many students end up playing with half and half. A

student can easily play in front of the mirror to check whether or not he is playing with

the correct placement. Philip Farkas and Alice Render suggest having the student place

the mouthpiece just on the inside of the fleshy pink rim of the lower lip (34). Corners

should be firm and mouthpiece should be aligned in the center of the lips horizontally.

The director should make sure that the student has an open oral cavity but all other

aspects will differ slightly from student to student. If the student has a good sense of the

sound in which they want to achieve and have the other points listed already in line, then

the other aspects of the embouchure will fall into place (Wolbers 33).

Air becomes the most important factor when trying to achieve a characteristic

sound. This is not only true for the horn but for all wind instruments. It then becomes

imperative that the director teaches how to take in a full breath naturally and to push all

the air through the horn. There should be no tension in the breath and the mouthpiece

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should not have to move. If the mouthpiece moves in anticipation of a breath then the

student will have difficulty setting the note before their entrance and this will likely result

in a missed note.

In Class Instruction to Out of Class Practice

If at all possible the beginning band class should be divided by instrument or by

brass and woodwinds. Once the students have had several weeks of small group

instruction, then the class can be combined for further instruction. If the class is divided

then the horns should follow along on the “horn only” line. Many method books include a

horn only line in which the horns start middle of the range and within the natural

harmonics of the horn. Unfortunately not all programs have the benefit of having a

separate class for each instrument. This would be the ideal situation as the director can

better give individual help but this is not always possible. The problem with this is that

many method books start on a concert D. Ideally the horn player should start on the

fundamental notes, concert f or concert c. The other problem is octave jumps that occur

because of the range issue. Many exercises within the method books have to jump the

octave in order for the beginning horn player to play the written exercise. The solution is

to assign the “for horns only line” that exist in many books including Essential Elements

2000, Standard of Excellence, and Do It! Play in Band. The teacher should pull out the

horns and play through these exercises with them on the piano. When giving a playing

test to the horns, one may consider testing them on the horn line only. Otherwise one

would need to take into consideration the difficulty of jumping the octave within the

given exercise.

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Singing should be incorporated daily. Singing will serve as a necessity to all horn

players and the rest of the beginning instrumental class. As stated by Wolbers, singing

becomes “a tool to discover pitch, balance, and, most importantly, musical syntax (35).”

From experience, a student who can sing the pitch can almost always play the pitch. The

earlier the student is introduced to singing the more comfortable he or she will be with

singing in front of and among the band class. Once the student learns intervals and scales,

he or she can then begin to correct sight sing and better set themselves up for success in

reading music. “Hear the pitch and you can play the pitch (Wolbers 33).”

The students should understand that their instrument is a transposable instrument

and does not sound the same note if it were pressed on the piano. Many students may get

confused when they try to match pitch on the piano and struggle to match when fingering

the wrong note. They should understand that their written note sounds a fifth lower.

Understanding this concept can be difficult for the student but it becomes imperative for

them to understand this. When the teacher gives instructions to play concert Bb the

student should know to play their f. The student must also transfer the concept to singing.

When singing in class the student should be thinking about what note they would be

playing on the horn. This will help them solidify their pitch and better the transfer to the

horn.

Many teachers forget to teach a correct practice procedure. The student may

spend the right amount of time for practicing but still fail at playing the exercise

correctly. The procedure then becomes frustrating for the student and effects their

confidence when playing. David Padrick lists five components of practicing: “set-up,

preparation, warm-up, maintenance, and advancement (32).” If presented to the student

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he or she can have greater success in and out of the practice room. The first step, “set-

up,” requires removal of any distractions. This includes phones, television, computers,

video games, or anything that would take away the students concentration. The room

should be quiet leaving the student to concentrate on the task at hand. Then the stand,

music, tuning device, metronome, and instrument should all be set-up and in reach of the

student so he or she does not have to leave the room. After all materials are gathered and

distractions removed, “preparation” for the session can begin. This includes physical and

mental preparation. Mentally the student needs to know what he or she wants to

accomplish during practice and the goals for that session. This can either be for a solo

performance, class test, or for a piece the class as a whole will perform for the public.

This becomes the point when the student must leave all outside stress at the practice door

and focus on the music and their playing. Physically the student must relax with deep

breathing, making sure that the shoulders and throat remain loose. “Warm-up” is the first

part of playing in the practice time. During this time the exercise is simple so that the

student should focus on intonation and overall tone production. For the horn it is

important that the student starts on the fundamental notes. It is suggested by Reynolds to

start with middle C on the horn as this is the true middle register of the horn. If the player

begins on the same note everyday he or she can develop a tonal memory and later use

that note for reference when reading other music (Reynolds 21). The third step as

mentioned by Padrick, “maintenance,” is the area that many students neglect (34). It

becomes frustrating when an ability that was mastered several practice sessions ago is no

longer mastered for the student did not maintain that particular ability. During this time

the student reviews what they have learned and “mastered” recently. After a quick review

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the student can then move on to the “advancement” step. Now the student is ready to

work on new material. Be careful to explain how to work through new material. The

student should not get into the habit of making a mistake and starting back from the

beginning again. Once a mistake is made the problem should be isolated and broken

apart. The problem section should be taken at a slower tempo if needed and performed

three times in a row without mistakes before moving on (Padrick 35). Encouraging the

students to ask how they can improve and how they can fix problems will give them the

information for the future. Finally suggest that the student plays something they enjoy at

the end of the practice session for a parent or a friend. This sets up the student to end on a

positive note (Kostka 26).

Giving students the appropriate materials to practice outside of class will also

ensure correct development. For a student to progress quickly, he or she needs materials

to practice other than the assigned number out of the beginning band book. Challenging a

student will encourage them to work towards a higher level and will offer them a goal to

reach (Cooper 160). One recommendation for beginners is the Rubank Advanced Method

Volume 1. This book would be proper for first to second year students with volume 2

being introduced soon after. The book begins with a good layout of the harmonic series

on each valve. Once the student has a year of playing, he or she should start

experimenting with the harmonic series. Page 61 of the book contains flexibility

exercises that are based on the natural harmonic series. This will enable them to feel and

shift easily around notes while developing the skill to identify when they are on the

wrong partial. As mentioned before, transpositions should be explained to the student.

The Rubank Advanced Method Volume 1 briefly explains this concept and enforces what

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the student should have learned in class. The book then presents major scales and

arpeggios with simple exercises that work within each scale. Scales up to two sharps and

two flats are introduced and no exercises within the book go beyond this. Rubank

Advance Method Volume 2 continues the study of scales and new key signatures.

Exercises that follow the scales begin with duet studies that can either be played one part

at a time or together with a more advanced player. The duets are composed in such a way

that if the student is listening to the other part, he or she can easily place their part in

context with the other. Duets continue to be included throughout the book among solo

passages that increasingly get harder. Encouraging the students to play duets will help

develop a better ear. If the teacher places advanced students with beginners both will

benefit from playing duets. The advanced student can work on sight reading skills while

also developing a better ear as they will have the responsibility of pointing out when the

younger student is on the wrong partial. Rubank offers an entire book of duets in Selected

Duets for French Horn Volume 1.

While it is difficult for non-horn players to teach the French horn, the guidelines

presented give a good starting place for any director to use with a beginning horn student.

Making sure the student is an appropriate match for the horn is the first step to

developing a good horn student. Then a good working horn, mouthpiece, and method

book, with a well established practice routine will enable the student to progress

sufficiently with the information that is presented throughout. If directors follow these

guidelines, more beginning horn players will thrive while less will fail.

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Bibliography

Clevenger, Dale and Alice Render.“First Lessons on Horn.” The Instrumentalist 63.3(2008): 54-57

Cooper, Lynn. Teaching Band and Orchestra. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc., 2004.

Farkas, Philip. The Art of French Horn Playing. Chicago: Summy-Birchard Inc., 1956.

Froseth, James. Do It! Play in Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc., 1998.

Gower, WM. and H. Voxman. Rubank Advance Method: French Horn Vol. 1. Chicago: Rubank, Inc.

Higgins, John and Dr. Charles Menghini. Essential Elements 2000. Wisconsin: Hal Leonard Corporation, 1999.

Kostka, Marilyn.“Teach Them How to Practice.” Music Educators Journal 90.5(2004):23-26

Parshall, Harry. “The Horn and Horn Playing.” Music Educators Journal 23.2(1936):58,60

Pearson, Bruce. Standard of Excellence: Comprehensive Band Method. California: Alfred Publishing Co., 1996.

Pedrick, David. “Effective Practice Makes Successful Performance.” Music Educators Journal 85.2(1998):33-35

Reynolds, Verne. The Horn Handbook. Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1997.

Voxman, H.. Selected Duets for French Horn Volume 1 (Easy-Medium). Chicago: Rubank, Inc.

Wolbers, Mark. “Singing in the Band Rehearsal.” Music Educators Journal 89.2(2002):37-41