French Horn Tips & Tricks

Holding a French horn

Holding the Instrument

When playing the horn, place the edge of the bell on your right knee and bring the horn to your lips.  Never lean forward to play it, and don't pick it up and hold it so the bell is pointing directly to the right.

Using the Right Hand

The right hand is always placed inside the bell; this is a characteristic of the French horn that has remained throughout history.  Usually younger students are told not to worry about their right hand since they have smaller hands, but more experience players who would like to play with good intonation will have to learn. The hand should go comfortably inside the bell, curved with the inside and not blocking it. The sound is muffled if you block the bell.

Single vs. Double Horn

A single horn can only play in F, whereas a double horn has extra tubing that allows it to play in both F and Bb.  (A thumb trigger switches between the two sides.)  This extra tubing makes it heavier and much more expensive.  Students usually start on a single horn because their repertoire isn't advanced enough to require the extra notes.  However,

all experience horn players will need to be able to switch between F and Bb.  The music store I go to doesn't rent double horns for this reason; they only sell them.

Cleaning out the Instrument
Mrs. Harvison showed me how to get the spit out of a French horn.  It requires emptying four different tuning valves since there isn't a spit valve (unlike other brass instruments.)  Take out the tuning slide one by one and shake them.  There’s a special wrist maneuver to perform with one that’s particularly curvy.  It's important to keep the valves pressed down while inserting and removing the slides in order to help with the pressure.  I've also seen a French horn player I know spin his French horn while he's holding it to distribute the spit.  This must make it easier to clean out later.

Embouchure
French horn requires a lot of stability in the lower lip and a small embouchure, so clarinet players are often good horn players.  Clarinet has a firm embouchure, especially in the bottom lip, and a strong foundation is essential with French horn.  (This was probably why French horn is easier for me to play than trumpet.)

French horn embouchure

Since the French horn embouchure is so small, it also tires easily at first.  If you find yourself unable to get notes out, no matter how hard you try, you should put the horn down for a few minutes and go do something else.  It happens sometimes.  Then, once you've rested for a bit, go back to playing.

As you play higher, the hole that you’re blowing air through gets smaller and your lips get tighter.  The lips are looser for low notes.  Mrs. Harvison suggested directing your air upwards and focusing on a point above you to help get the higher notes out.  Singing the note or hearing it in your head before you play it also helps.  (Yes, I just admitted that singing can actually help!)

Finally, becoming familiar with the embouchure is very important to playing music correctly.  Since the partials are so close together, it’s easy to start on the wrong note.  One of the first things to teach kids on French horn is to instantly start over if you don’t get the correct starting note.  If you don't start on the right note, the whole song could be thrown off.  Teaching students to reset their embouchure if they don't start correctly teaches them to listen to the other parts in the band and helps them develop and become familiar with their embouchure.

Trombone Tips & Tricks

The trombone was one of my easier instruments.  It may not look like it, but the size of the mouthpiece made it very user friendly for me.  This makes me understand why some beginning middle- or high school band students are put on baritone.  It has the big mouthpiece, but being in tune is easier because it has valves, not a slide.

Assembling and Holding the Instrument
Insert the end of the slide (the opposite side of the mouthpiece) into the slot in the body of the trombone.  Line up so it's at a 90-degree angle, with the mouthpiece slot to the right of the trombone.  Bring the tightening mechanism (not sure of the official term) up and repeatedly spin counterclockwise to tighten.

The main body of the trombone rests on your left shoulder.  The slide should be to the right, close to parallel to the ground.  With your left hand in the shape of an "L", put your thumb on the trigger with your pointer finger on the metal bar closest to the trigger (assuming that your trombone has one.)  You can also hook your finger around the second metal bar to hold up the slide.  (I learned the hard way that this is necessary - everyone loses control of the slide at some point in time!)  Your right hand holds the metal bar

Slide Positions

• 1st - slide all the way in - main tuning note
• 2nd - in between 1st and 3rd
• 3rd - hand touching the bell
• 4th - metal part of trombone even with bell
• 5th - a little farther
• 6th - arm comfortably extended



Click to zoom

• 7th - really reaching out

There can be multiple slide positions for each note, in the same way there are multiple fingerings for some notes on the trumpet.  Also, the number of slide positions used decreases as you go higher.  For example, the low end of my range uses 7th to 1st position.  Then I run out of ways to make the slide shorter, so I have to go up a partial and start at the lower positions again.  Only this time, I don't start at 7th.  I start at 5th.  This continues as I get higher and higher; soon, I would only use 1st through 3rd position.  Here's a diagram to further explain what I mean.

Intonation

Intonation can be tricky on the trombone because there aren't valves or keys.  Therefore, it's important to have a good ear and always be listening to everyone around you.  Mr. Klepacki puts our trombone next to the baritones because they have valves and are more likely to be in tune, so the trombones can listen to them.  Their sound is also similar, which helps.

Some slide positions are more stable than others.  1st position is stable because it's as short as the instrument can go.  It provides the most reliable tuning notes.  Also, intonation tends to be off (particularly flat) in the higher positions.  This is because students don't do as good a job as estimating where the slide should be.

Trigger
Some trombones come with a trigger which allows access to extra tubing.  This extends the range and allows for more flexibility.  (A trigger becomes necessary for advanced players.)  At first, my finger hurt from holding up the trombone at the trigger.  I'm not sure if this happens to many players.  Maybe I was putting too much weight on it.  It stopped hurting eventually, so I must have gotten used to it or stopped doing it.

Instrument Size
Elementary school students often have a hard time playing the longer slide positions, such as 6th and 7th.  It's important not to let them get discouraged because of this.  Make sure they know those slide positions exist and are comfortable with the others so they can start playing 6th and 7th position when they grow and their arms get longer.

Percussion Tips & Tricks

While my time with percussion was short, I did learn a few important things about being part of an ensemble's rhythm section.

Percussion is so much more demanding than other instruments. It’s why percussionists are more dedicated further on in their music careers.  If needed, elementary school teachers sometimes "weed out” prospective percussionists by having them do hand-eye coordination exercises.

Holding the Sticks/Posture

Holding a drumstick

Mallet sticks you can hold naturally, but snare drum sticks are difference.  You put your thumb parallel to the stick near the bottom.  This is the “pivot” point, for lack of a better term.  Your pointer finger hooks around the stick, and this gives it a lot of room to move while still being able to control it.  This is crucial, because the drum won’t make a good sound (and you won’t be able to roll) without this freedom of motion.  It’s hard to explain, and I wish I had another lesson to confirm it all.  I had to keep correcting my grip, but I think I’m getting it now.

You should stand a comfortable distance away from the drum, like you’re holding a cafeteria tray. Stand up straight, right in front of the drum, with your feet a comfortable distance apart.

Rudiments (Patterns)
The pattern L-R-R-L, etc. or R-L-L-R is called a paradiddle. Strong hand lead is starting a “phrase” with your strong hand (right hand in my case.)

Example of strong hand lead

I would start each phrase (after the rests) with my right hand (or left hand, if I’m a leftie), instead of strictly alternating hands. It feels natural, like stopping and resetting after you speak a sentence. A way to remember when to do this is to count the rests as if they’re beats. I could hit the air with my left hand during a rest and land on my right hand for the next note, just like is written.

Buzzing isn’t quite rolling, but it’s a good introduction. It’s represented on the staff by a z on the note. Basically, you let the stick bounce off the drum repeatedly and apply downward pressure on it so it vibrates quickly. (A roll, I think, is simply a lot of these put together, but I didn't have the time to learn a drumroll.) You have a lot of control over how fast the stick hits the drum.

How to stand when
playing snare drum

Flams are like grace notes in music - they come just before the beat as decorations. You hold the sticks at slightly different heights above the drum and let them fall at the same time. It’s slightly harder than it sounds. A good habit to get into is letting the momentum switch the sticks’ positions. So if you start with the left hand higher, you should finish the flam with the right hand higher before resetting your sticks.

Technique
You shouldn’t hit snare drums in the middle.  There’s a sweet spot about halfway between the middle and the rim; hit it there.  Also, young percussionists have a tendency of “hammering” their sticks or mallets (lifting them too far above their head.)  This decreases accuracy and tone quality. There should be minimal wrist movement while playing.  If a quarter on the back of your hand doesn't move, you’re good.  If it’s moving, you need to change something.  Keeping the wrists still allows the sticks to bounce off the head of the drum.

History of percussion

Since there are so many different percussion instruments, I'll focus on the ones usually found in bands or orchestras.  (An orchestral percussionist will usually learn snare drum, xylophone, and timpani.)

Snare Drum
The snare drum originated in the Middle East.  It's been used in the orchestra since the beginning of the 18th century, but its role was significant starting in the 19th century.  Snare drums can have different diameters, resulting in different pitches.  For example, the orchestral snare drum is lighter in tone than the marching snare drum.

According to my source, the tradition way to hold the sticks is the left stick horizontal and the right stick extending from the thumb and index finger.  There are may different types of strokes, such as single, double or bounced.  In addition, a roll can be open (a series of double strokes) or closed (each stroke bounces - the hands are just moving quickly).  All strokes are normally played in the center of the drum head, except for a rimshot.  This is hitting the center and the rim at the same time, or laying one stick across the drum and hitting it with the other stick.

Timpani

The ranges of various
percussion instruments

The timpani originated in Africa and the Middle East and first appeared in the orchestra in 1675.  In 1812, a master screw was developed that could alter the pitch of all the tuning screws at once.  However, this was at the cost of the purity of the tone.  By 1880, pedal-tuned drums had been developed and became the norm of the orchestra.  Then, plastic timpani heads were introduced in 1960.

A typical orchestra has five timpani, each of which has a comfortable range of a fifth.  It can take years for a timpanist to achieve dexterity, coordination, and a good tuning ear.

Xylophone (and other keyboard percussion)
The xylophone originated from the balafon, an African xylophone.  It first appeared in Europe in 1850s and became an orchestral instrument in the 19th century.

Keyboard percussion is struck at either the middle or the very end of the bar to achieve a resonant sound.  Therefore, a percussionist must be able to accurately move and hit notes.  This fluency requires a good memory and lots of practice.

  

Oboe Tips & Tricks

Oboe is a very difficult instrument to master, so there was a lot for me to learn.

Embouchure

Embouchure, as suggested
by Standard of Excellence

Oboe utilizes a "double embouchure".  Both lips are curled over the teeth to create a cushion for the reed.  This allows the reed to vibrate since it's a flattened tube that doesn't use a mouthpiece.  I read you should your lips under to the point where you can't see them anymore, but I've learned that isn't necessary.  It wears out your embouchure, and the reed plays just fine without doing it.  Plus, my Standard of Excellence lesson book says you should close your lips in a "drawstring fashion", but I think that's misleading.

Musicians who play other instruments need to build embouchure endurance.  When I first started playing, my lips got tired of staying in the same unnatural position for so long.  They would try to unfurl and revert to clarinet embouchure, with one lip partially curled under.  But I got used to it with practice.

Posture
The oboe needs to be held farther away from the body than the clarinet.  The angle between the instrument and your body is greater.  This allows the reed to go straight into the mouth, which helps it vibrate.  If it's at angle, it will affect the pitch.  Other than this, posture is the same as clarinet.  Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor and your back away from the chair.  Your hands are comfortable at your sides.

Reeds
Oboe reeds are REALLY fussy.  Many serious oboists carve their own reeds so they can personalize them and guarantee they'll play correctly, but I didn't have time to learn that.  I ordered my reeds online, so I was constantly at the risk of buying a bad reed.  All woodwind reeds have their imperfections, but there are more possible double reed imperfections, and they have a greater impact on the reed's performance.  If a reed's opening is too big, the pitch will be flat.  If the opening is too small, it will be sharp.  Either way, it's hard to play.  You can try squeezing the reed to try to get it to open or close more, but it's tedious and not guaranteed to work.  I've bought four reeds this year, and two didn't work right off the bat.  (Another I dropped and chipped two minutes after arriving home.)

Intonation

Blue = fully covered hole
Green = half-hole

The reed can present its own intonation problems as stated above, but, like other instruments, embouchure plays a big role in keeping the instrument in tune.  One way to adjust the pitch is changing how much reed you have in your mouth.  More reed will make the pitch go down, and less reed will make it go up.  I've noticed the angle of the instrument changes the intonation, too.  It takes a lot of practice to completely play the oboe in tune, and I'm surprised I've gotten as far as I have.

Fingerings
One difference between the oboe and other woodwind instruments is the "half-hole".  I don't know why the oboe requires it - it's similar to lifting your pointer finger for some notes on the flute.  In fact, it's the same notes.  Younger students tend to pick their finger up and put it down again when moving from a half-hole to a full fingering.  This isn't good, since they might have to do it quickly.  The key is rolling your finger.

There is a seemingly infinite number of alternate fingerings for the oboe!  For example, Bb in the staff has 9 possible fingerings (including trill fingerings that shouldn't be used for anything other than trills)!  It makes me wonder why the oboe, of all instruments, needs this many alternate fingerings and other instruments don't.

Finally, there are some extreme similarities and differences between the oboe's fingerings and the clarinet's (half-hole aside.)  There are just a few weird differences, such as F and F#.  The fingerings for clarinet are almost switched on oboe!  I posted a diagram of the differences earlier, but here it is again.

History of French horn

The French or orchestral horn, often referred to as simply a horn, acts as a bridge between the woodwind and brasswind sections of an ensemble.  It has an early history similar to the trumpet's.  It originally didn't have valves, so players used their hand to alter the pitch.  Half-covering the bell lowered the pitch by a half step, and completely covering the bell raised it by a half step.  By the mid-18th century, this so-called "hand stopping" was the norm.  Even after the introduction of valves, a player still puts their right hand in the bell because it's part of the instrument's character.

Players still needed to change crooks to make the key of the horn closely match the key of their music.  One attempt to change this was the omnitonic horn.  It included all of the different crook lengths on the horn's body.  Instead of manually inserting and removing these crooks, players switched between them by turning a dial.  However, the instrument was heavy and cumbersome, so it never caught on.

Valves were introduced in the early 19th century by Stölzel and Blühmel.  These new valved horns had a consistent tone, were easier to play, and could play all chromatic notes.  They became standard by the late 19th century.

Today, the horn consists of a body, bell, valve system, mouthpiece, and mouthpiece.  The shape of its mouthpiece produces a mellower sound than other brass instruments.  The most popular horn is the F/Bb horn, which utilizes two sets of tubing to play in two different keys.  This allows the player to play some extra notes and keep others in tune.  The horn's compass extends from D to c'''.

Questions, questions, and more questions

Over the past week, my new knowledge of these instruments has finally caught up to me.  Last night, I suddenly had a lot of questions about how everything I've learned fits together, as well as how the different instruments function.  I can never remember the word that describes that concept (the function of an instrument and the process of playing it.)  But I would really like for these questions to be answered by the end of the year, so I need to start seeking answers soon.  Here they are:

1. A general assumption I've developed based on experience with clarinet and other instruments: the more "instrument" a note uses (the farther the air travels through it), the richer and more stable it sounds.  Evidence from experience is as follows:

• Third-space Bb vs. B on the clarinet.  The Bb doesn't use a lot of the instrument and is really airy and hard to tune, whereas the B is a rich note that ideal for tuning because it uses a lot of the instrument.
• Third-space C and C# on saxophone are unstable are really out of tune if you're careful. [Diagram coming soon]



Click to zoom

• Db on flute (in or above the staff) is relatively airy and extremely out of tune [Diagram coming soon]

So, based on this logic, why is...

• F# stable on the saxophone?  In fact, it's considered one of the most stable tuning notes on the instrument, considering it's only halfway down the instrument. [Diagram coming soon]
• G#/C# unstable on clarinet if it uses roughly half the instrument?

Click to zoom

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2. What makes notes suddenly really hard to play on brass instruments?  (One note will be easy, then the next note will be really hard.)  Examples are as follows:

• F to G to A (in the staff) on French horn
• E to F (first line and space, respectively) on trumpet
• I understand why F to G is a reach.  A "partial" seems to last C - F# on trumpet. You have to completely change your embouchure on G. Is this true?

I already know that...

• Going over the break is hard on clarinet because you're going from using hardly any instrument to all of it.
• Eb to E on flute is hard because you start putting your pointer finger down and have to change your air and embouchure.
• So why do you have to change your embouchure again for the high Bb, B, and C above the staff?

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3.  What are the partials on French horn?

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4. Is there a relationship between the fingerings on either side of the French horn (F and Bb)?
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5. The tuba has a pedal tone pitched in Bb but plays in C. Why?
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6.  What are the pedal tones for the different instruments?
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7. Why is it easy to play really quietly on the clarinet and hard on the saxophone?
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8. Why is learning these instruments so easy for me? (A leftover question from last week that I forgot to ask during my French horn lesson.)
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9. Today I discovered that, if you put together half a Bb clarinet and half an A clarinet, the resulting pitch splits the pitch difference in half. So, if I played a written B (concert A for Bb clarinet and concert G# for A clarinet), the resulting pitch would be concert G# 30 cents sharp, or "concert G# and a half!" However, this still applies to notes that don't use very much of the instrument, like open G. Why does it apply when the bottom half of the clarinet was in A? Wouldn't notes get progressively out of tune as they use more instrument?