french horn & baritone/tuba - trevor j....
TRANSCRIPT
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Trevor J Hedrick
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
French Horn _________________________________________________
Holding the French Horn/Hand Position _________________________________ 2
Posture/Lubrication/Embouchure/Tips___________________________________ 3
Sound/Desired Pitch __________________________________________________ 4
Thorax/Making a Note/Changing Pitch __________________________________ 4
Teaching in Classroom Setting/First Lesson _______________________________ 5
Common Problems/ Priorities for Beginning Lessons _______________________ 5
Articulation/ Range and Endurance ____________________________________ 5-6
Valves/Warm-up ____________________________________________________ 6-7
Maintenance _________________________________________________________ 7
Transposition/Mutes/Study Materials ____________________________________ 8
Repertoire _________________________________________________________ 8-9
Baritone/Tuba ________________________________________________
Baritone
Origins/Intonation/Compensating Baritone ______________________________ 10
Sound concepts/Transposition _________________________________________ 10
Study Materials/Repertoire ___________________________________________ 11
All Brass Warm-ups _________________________________________________ 11
Artists & VIPs ______________________________________________________ 12
Tuba
Valves/Tuba & Baritone Highlights _____________________________________ 12
Types of Tubas/Study Materials _____________________________________ 12-13
Repertoire/Faulty intonation issues _____________________________________ 13
Breathing for brass instruments _______________________________________ 14
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 2
French Horn
Holding the French Horn/Hand Position
Basic Right hand position.
- Exact hand positions will vary, depending on the size of the bell flare of the horn, and the
size of the horn players hand, but a few basic characteristics will always be the same. In
order to do any good the right hand has to “get in the way” of the sound, but not so much
that it makes you sound stuffy. To do this, first hold your right hand like you’re about to
shake hands with someone, then put your thumb right up against your hand. (Another
way to think of this same position is to cup your hand, like you would to drink water out
of a fountain, but hold you fingers out flat.) Now put your hand into the bell, with
theback of your hand against the metal of the bell.1 Choose a position that allows you to
carry some of the weight of the horn on your thumb, or between your thumb and first
finger. The palm of your hand should be towards your body. Insert your hand far enough
into the bell that you can have a noticeable effect on the pitch with small movements of
the palm of your hand, but not so far that it covers your sound. If you feel like the sound
is rolling across the palm of your hand and up your arm when you play, then you
probably have a good position. Below are a few pictures that will make this description
more clear.
This is an example
of good right hand
position, except that
the forearm has been
moved out a little so
you can see the hand
more clearly.
This is the same picture
from the other side.
Notice how flat the wrist
is. That may vary for
some people, but I find
it makes holding the
horn much easier
This is an example of the
most common mistake I
see in young
students. There is no
musical situation in
which this is a good hand
position. There is no
possible way for you to
effect the sound and/or
pitch of the instrument
from this position.
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 3
The different Horns
- Single F Horn
o For Beginners
o Darker Tone
o Partials are closer together
- Double Horn
o Has both F and Bb
o Different valves
o Darker tone of F horn
o High Range security on the Bb side
o Brighter sound on the Bb side
- Triple Horn
Assembly
- ¼ turn mouthpiece
- Tuning slides ¼” out
- Valve Lubrication
Posture
- Sit like you stand
- Feet flat on the floor
- Bring the horn to you not the other way around
- Right Hand position
- Bell off the Leg
Lubrication
- Valve oil used to lubricate slides
- Slide grease used for tuning slides (thicker)
o Align valves before seating
o Work oil or grease in
o Be careful!!! It’s not water soluble
Tips
- Watch for French Horn to go to the player; not the other way around
- Keep the bell out off of the thigh!
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 4
Embouchure
- Flat Cheeks and chin
- Firm Corners (against teeth)
- Jaw forward so teeth align
- Teeth open slightly (aperture)
- Minimum mouthpiece pressure
Vowel shape of mouth: OH - - - UH - - - EED
Sound/Pitch desired: Low High
- Bring lower jaw forward so they are aligned
- Say “pu” (parsed lips)
- Don’t overstretch lips, keep corners firm and unmoving. DO NOT SMILE!
- Corners are against teeth, not puffed out, not too spread, not too narrow
o Narrow = unresponsive embouchure
o Wide = brittle, bad sound
Thorax (throat) – use it!
- Close lips, form letter “m”
- Tighten corners
- Blow through thinking syllable “pu”
- Air passing through should create a vibration
On brass instruments, sound is created by buzzing and the buzzing is amplified by the tubing of
the instrument.
Buzzing is wind moving past the lips to create vibration
Making a note:
- Form letter “m” (embouchure)
- Establish a tempo
- Inhale in time
- Exhale in time and buzz a note
Changing pitch:
- Change velocity of air (higher = faster, lower = slower)
- Change volume of air (higher = more, lower = less)
- Change pressure of instrument against embouchure
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 5
Teaching in classroom setting:
Small class size is best; not always possible due to budgets
Private lessons are best and much preferable to class/group lessons in many ways through class
lessons can be helpful for sectional playing and in appropriate ways.
First Lesson:
- Keep it simple!
- Don’t get bogged down
- If there is a problem: find the root cause and explain problem to them so they know why
it’s happening.
Common Problems:
1. No sound: (If buzz doesn’t happen)
a. No sound – lips too far apart, nothing for air to vibrate
b. Show student how to make lips “supple” raspberry sounds
c. Move that sound to mouthpiece. Any sound produced is improvement!
2. Only high notes come out:
a. Lips are too tight
b. Have student reform embouchure
c. Relaxed middles
d. Think different vowel sound… ee vs. oh
3. Only low sounds:
a. Corners are too tight
b. Wrong vowel
c. Center is too loose
Priorities for beginning lessons:
1. Create a sound
2. Match pitch when provided
3. Change pitch when asked
Articulation:
- Time is the most important element in effective articulation
- Air not started by tongue, they are not related though they work together.
- Use syllables “ta – tu – to – da – do – du”
- Jaw should NOT move when articulating (put fingers on chin to verify movement)
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 6
Breath attack can be used as an exercise or to isolate problems. “Poh” can help get buzz
started, “Hoh” very useful for tuba players. Refer to Page 14 for additional breathing
questions.
- Use only the tip of the tongue
- Strike at space where teeth and gums meet on upper row of the teeth
- Tongue doesn’t stop air, it just interrupts it.
- DO NOT TONGUE BETWEEN TEETH OR LIPS
Note Shapes: beginning, middle and end should all match (like a rectangle)
Range and Endurance:
1. High notes: faster vibration, higher air speed, more pressure, higher vowel sound
2. Expand register upward gradually with scales and slurs
3. “USE IT OR LOSE IT” on brass instruments, maintain your range.
4. Fatigue is okay but do not play through pain; DO NOT OVERUSE!
Harmonic series is based off of length of tubing/pipe used
1st, 2
nd, 4
th and 7
th partials are in tune
3rd
and 6th
are high
5th
is low
Sight singing and buzzing helps develop ear
- If you hear the pitch correctly, embouchure may compensate
- Use tuning slides for other bad valve combinations. Make it part of the fingering and
time it very quickly
Valves:
Three types – rotary, piston and vienna
3rd
valve rarely used alone because of intonation, 1-2 used instead
Warm-up:
Goals:
1. Get air moving
2. Embouchure easily responding
3. Clear tone throughout the register
Two approaches: flexible and set approach
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 7
Set approach:
1. Buzzing
2. Long tones
3. Lip slurs
4. Articulations on scales, patterns, etc.
Sound Concept:
Developed through listening:
“Great model leads to great sound concept”
Give students great examples, play along with them (kids are good at imitating or copying)
Play great recordings (gives kids something to aim for in terms of great sound)
Teach them to use mental imagery to “hear what they will play” before they play it
Vibrato – Used to color brass sound, not as a staple of it. This isn’t used really if ever in French
Horn performance.
Lip slur: changing notes from one partial to another without the tongue or valves
- Improves flexibility
- Increases endurance
- Increases accuracy and efficiency
Practice in a mirror to minimize movement
Maintenance:
- Maintain instrument or grime and dents distort the integrity of the harmonic series of the
horn
- Premature wear on valves and seals if neglected
Take Horn apart, use mouthpiece brush and flexible snake for leadpipe
1. Take valves and slides out and wipe with lint-free cloth or a cheese cloth
2. Use valve brush for valve casings
3. Put in tube of luke warm water, not hot, and scrub with brushes in the water with dish
soap
4. Grease slides to prevent air leaks or sluggish movement (1-2 times per week)
5. Oil valves (lubricated & seals) 1-3 days
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 8
Transposition
- When one plays a F on the piano it is a written C on the French Horn
- From written to sounding pitch it’s a Perfect 5th
Lower
- From sounding pitch to written pitch it’s a Perfect 5th
Higher
Please see attached handout for more details.
Common Mute Directions for all instruments
- Sord/sordino/mute = straight mute
- Sord bol = cup mute
- Senza (sord) = take out/open
- Con sord/avec sord = put in
- Mit dampfer/ohne dampfer (with/without)
- Bouché, + = stopped
- Shalltr. Auf - lift bell into air
Study Materials:
- Pottag and Hovey: Pottag-Hovey Method,2 vols.
- Howe: Method (Elementary Level)
- Gallay: 22 Studies/24 Studies
- Kopprasch: 60 Selected Studies
- Maxime-Alphonse: Deux cents
- Miersch: Melodius Studies
Solo Repertoire:
- Mozart: Concerto No. 2 in Eb H.Baumann
- Mozart: Concerto No. 4 in Eb
- R. Strauss: Concerto No. 1B. Tuckwell
Orchestral Repertoire:
- Tchaikovsky 5th Symphony Horn solo
- Shostakovich 5th Symphony low tutti
- Wagner - Siegfried from the Ring Cycle call
- Till Eulenspeigel solo
Solo Artists:
- Barry Tuckwell - Strauss 1
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 9
o Born in 1931 in Melbourne, Australia
o Child prodigy - first orchestra job at 15
o 13 years in the London Symphony
o Most recorded Horn soloist
- Hermann Baumann - Gliere
o Born in 1934 in Hamburg, Germany
o Natural Horn
- Dennis Brain - Mozart 4
o 1921-1957 in London
o Recordings of Mozart Horn Concerti
o Died in a car accident at age 36 after a performance of Tchaik 6 with the London
Philharmonia
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 10
Baritone/Tuba
Baritone
Where the Baritone came from
- 1820s German military band origin
- 1840s first Euphonium
- Still in original key of Bb (nontransposing)
- Review of differences
- German: Tenorhorn=Baritone, Baryton=Euphonium
- France: Baryton=Baritone, Basse=Euph
Baritone/Euphonium Intonation
- Wider the air column used, harder to bend pitch with embouchure – mechanical
correction
- 4th valve
- Compensating vs. non compensating
Compensating Euphonium
- Improving intonation
- Expanding low range
- Technical facility
Sound Concepts
- Conical Instruments: mellow, lyrical tone
- Vibrato:
o Tonal color and lyrical quality
o Historical tradition
- Orchestral vs. Solo… Artist-Steven Mead Bydlo
o Typical use of Euphonium
Transposition
- Music in treble and bass clef
- Start in bass clef unless it is a trumpet player switching over
- Bass clef as soon as possible: more music options transposing between the two
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 11
Methods:
- Bordogni (Rochut) - Melodious Etudes
- Arbans – Complete Method
- Clarke – Technical Studies
Orchestra excerpts:
- Mussorgsky – Bydlo from Pictures at an Exhibition
- Holst - The Planets
- Strauss – Ein Heldenleben
Solos:
- Barat - Andante et Allegro (Easier)
- Gordon Jacob - Fantasia - Difficult
- Joseph Horovitz - Concerto - Difficult
Recording Artists
- Steven Mead
- Adam Frey
- Brian Bowman
Brass Warm-ups
This is a sequence of events one can use to help warm-up on a daily basis:
- Breathing
- Buzzing
- Long Tones
- Slow Slurs
- Fast Slurs
- Articulation
- Faster Technique
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 12
Tuba
- Contrabass tubas
- C Tuba is preferred in American Orchestras
- Bb in German/Eastern European Orchestras
- Non-transposing: Different fundamentals and different fingerings
Additional Tuba Valves
- 4th
valve
o Necessary for any serious tubist
o Used like Euph 4th valve but an octave lower
- 5th
valve
o Like a flat first valve
o Instead of 2/3
- 1st Valve slide
o Start with slide slightly out
o Pull out further for notes that include 1st valve and 1/2
o Push all the way in for C in the staff
Tuba & Baritone Highlights
- Ancestors - Bass Serpent and Ophicleide
- 1828 - Tenor and Baritone valved horns used in German military bands
- 1835 - First tuba (5-valve in F)
- 1838 - Tenor Tuba in Bb
- 1843 - “Euphonium” premiered at World Fair
- 1845 - Contrabass tubas in Bb and C with rotary valves
- 1840-1880 - Berlioz and Wagner include tuba in compositions
- 1874 Compensating system invented
- 1880 Large bore tuba
Today: American tubists use C contrabass as primary instrument, F tuba for high passages,
Bb contrabass in some countries, both rotary and piston. Large bore Euphs in concert bands,
small bore baritones in brass bands
Different kinds of Tubas
Wagner Tuba
- Played by Horn Players
- Member of Tuba family
- Played for first complete performance of Wagnerʼs Ring Cycle in 1875.
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 13
Eb and F Tubas
- Lighter sound
- High passages, solo lit, chamber music (brass quintet)
- Eb is instrument of choice for quintet
Tuba Solos
- Vaughn Williams - Concerto - Difficult
- Hindemith - Sonata - Difficult
- Bach (Bell) - Air and Bouree – Easy
Method Books
- Bordogni (Rochut) - Melodious Etudes
- Blazhevich – 70 Studies
- Kopprasch – 60 Studies
Orchestral Excerpts
- Wagner – Meistersinger
- Wagner - The Ride of the Valkyrie
- Prokofiev - 5th
Symphony
Recording Artists
- Patrick Sheridan
- Roger Bobo
- Oystein Baadsvik
Causes for faulty intonation in all brass instruments
- Not being able to hear and distinguish the right pitch
- Instrument tendencies
- Bad breath support
- Weak embouchure
- Temperature
- Dynamics
Brass Notes
French Horn & Baritone/Tuba
Page 14
Breathing for Brass Instruments
Sound is created by vibration.
Vibration is created by the lips.
Air causes the lips to vibrate.
THE INHALE: Place one hand on your stomach and another on your chest. The air starts
filling up low (stomach) and ends in the chest – you fill from the bottom up.
Body posture is important to allow for an open air way and minimal friction. Think of the
syllable “oh” and relax the throat like a yawn.
Tension is the brass player’s enemy.
Beginner alert: watch out for shallow chest breaths – this will cause an inadequate air volume
and body tension. Especially watch out for students who try to breathe through their nose.
Don’t allow this habit to start!
Exercise: Have the student visualize a quantity of air to be inhaled (like a ball, a balloon or a bag
– props always help)
When playing, inhale through the corners of the mouth
THE EXHALE: Air needs to have pressure and speed, like wind. It moves forward. Direct the
air to a point across the room or for beginners to a hand or paper held out in front of them.
Three components to expiration:
Volume – the quantity of air
Velocity – the speed (determines pitch)
Pressure – the force of the air
Low brass and lower pitches require more volume, less pressure and velocity. High brass and
higher pitches require more velocity and pressure.
Cold vs. warm air
Expiratory muscles act most efficiently when the lungs are full after the inhale. (What goes in,
must come out)
Diaphragm vs. Normal Breathing:
In normal breathing, the diaphragm muscle contracts on the inhale and relaxes on the exhale. In
brass playing, the diaphragm can be active on the exhale.