Teaching the French Horn: Part Two

Written by William C. Robinson / republished with permission from Conn Selmer Keynotes Magazine

William C. Robinson studied horn with George Yaeger, Philip Farkas, Dale Clevenger, and Arnold Jacobs and also had help on the horn from Frøydis Ree Wekre and Hermann Baumann. He is presently active in teaching horn students of all ages from schools in Orlando FL and surrounding areas.

This article is a continuation from William Robinson’s Teaching the French Horn where the many “mysteries” stems from a lack of understanding in basic fundamentals are lifted through the understanding of a clear, concise, logical explanation of teaching and playing procedures.

This procedure section is explained through points 4 – 8.

4. Holding Position of the Instrument and Left Hand Position

Because of its unusual shape the horn is a very awkward instrument to hold. There are three things to keep in mind:
(1) The position of the instrument must not upset the embouchure by changing the angle of the mouthpiece.
(2) The bell must not be pointed in toward the body, thus deadening or muffling the sound.
(3) The holding position must allow the left hand to remain relaxed so that the fingers can work properly.

This four-step procedure can simplify the holding position:
(1) Sit in a position with the body turned at about a 45-degree angle to the right.
(2) Face the front from the waist up, without changing the sitting position.
(3) Bring the bell of the horn to rest on the right leg. It should fit easily at this angle so that the bell will not point toward the stomach. The mouthpiece should not point to one side or the other, but should go straight forward, at a slightly downward angle from horizontal.
(4) Lean forward slightly, bringing the head down a little to meet the mouthpiece so that the angle at which the mouthpiece meets the embouchure will be correct. Care should be exercised so that the embouchure will not be upset by the mouthpiece position.

The fingers of the left hand should be gently curved so that they touch the valve levers in a “relaxed but firm” manner. The fingers should always maintain contact with the valve lever–they should never rise above the lever. The fingering should be part of the attack; the finger should not move before the attack. Concentrated practice on this point will result in a clean, precise technique.

5. Right Hand Position

The right hand must be in a comfortable position, must cover the tone just enough to give the desired “sheen” to the tone, but must not distort or muffle the sound.

Here is an accepted procedure:
(1) Keep the fingers together and straight; let the thumb touch the first finger at about the second knuckle, or between the first and second knuckles. This will cause a slight cupping of the palm.
(2) Place the hand in the bell of the horn in a vertical position, with the back of the fingers against the side of the bell opposite the body.
(3) Do not cup the hand to the point where the sound will be muffled or distorted.

6. Use of the Double Horn

Herein lies a “mystery.” Many teachers have asked:
“How do you teach a student to transpose when he starts to learn to play on the Bb side of the double horn?”

The answer is, of course, that you don’t teach the student to transpose. When playing the double horn you are playing one instrument. Certain tones are played with the thumb valve depressed and certain tones with the thumb valve not depressed. Historically speaking, the F horn has always been the instrument that produced the most characteristic quality of French horn tone. Therefore it seems logical to try to produce the “F horn tone quality” in all ranges of the horn.

For this reason it is advisable to start beginners on the single F horn or on the F side of the double horn. The single Bb horn can be used of course, but care must be exercised so that the tone does not become thin, sharp and piercing. It is not a difficult task for a young student to learn the F horn fingerings, even if he has changed from the cornet. Much more complicated fingerings are learned on many woodwind instruments without too much difficulty.

Assuming that the student starts his study on the F horn and is ready to begin the study of the double horn, where should he change to the Bb horn? (Where should he depress the thumb valve?)

As a general rule, it seems logical to play the low range on the larger horn (F horn) and the upper range on the smaller horn (Bb horn). There is some difference of opinion concerning the specific point of change from one horn to the other, but there is a logical general range–the area between G# and C#: The tone in this range generally match very well in tone quality and intonation on both F and Bb horns. The fingerings for G#, A, Bb, B and C are the same for both horns. Above this range the tone quality, intonation and certainly the reliability of attacks seems better on the Bb horn. Therefore, it would seem the student could change from the F to the Bb horn anywhere from G# to C#.

The tones at the bottom of the treble staff–E, Eb, D, Db and C are thin and sharp on the Bb horn and should certainly not be played on the Bb horn except in rare cases where technical advantages outweigh the tonal and tuning disadvantages.

Some players use the Bb horn in the low range for the tones between F and Db: while this practice may have merit from the standpoint of technical agility, the student should remember that the tone quality does change noticeably and should realize that these tones can be mastered on the F horn.

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Related posts:

1. Teaching the French Horn: Part One
2. French Horn Clinic by Philip Farkas