Brass Clinic

TeachingYoungHornists

By James Boldin

eginning horn students oftenthe instrument comes with a

handful of difficulties to over-come. While the horn is not as un-wieldy as a tuba or double bass, poorposture and impaired breathing oftenresult from trying to compensate for thesize and awkwardness of the instrument.

Playing Position and PostureFor a start it is important to raise the

horn to the lips without bending toreach the mouthpiece. The sitting pos-ture should be straight with the feetflat on the ground and positioned sev-eral inches away from the back of thechair. The angle of the leadpipe shouldmatch the structure of the student'sjaws and teeth. Many horn playershave a slight overbite, producing aplaying position with a descendingleadpipe angle. The bell of the instru-ment should not face directly into thebody, which would muffle the sound.

The playing position should feelcomfortable, and for small students athree-quarters size horn may be best ifone is available. These are actually afully functioning instruments that

have been scaled down and wrapped abit differently than full-sized instru-ments to create a smaller, lighter horn.It may also help to add a holding strapor left-hand support to take someweight off the pinky finger.

40 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / SEPTEMBER 2010

A horn support puts some of theweight on the right leg and help youngstudents to hold the instrument at theproper angle with less strain to reachthe mouthpiece.

Players with small hands may havetrouble reaching the valve levers, but asimple adjustment to the height of thevalve levers requires only a screwdriver.This entails loosening the stop armscrew, adjusting the valve lever to thedesired height, and retightening the

A horn support redistributes some ofthe weight of the instrument to the leg.

stop arm screw to keep the lever in thenew place. To set all of the levers at thesame height use the edge of a table tohold the levers in place while looseningand retightening the stop arm screws.

Clarinet thumb rests, dimes, or fin-ger cups can be easily attached to thelevers, allowing for a more comfort-able grip.

BreathingThe focus for beginning and inter-

mediate-level students should be goodbreathing using general descriptions ofthe process instead of detailed expla-nations. Describe a balloon as it fillswith air and expands naturally in alldirections without being forced. Whenreleased it contracts naturally.Describe the sensation of air rushing

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across the tongue as water flowing overa waterfall. Thinking about round syl-lables while inhaling, such as hoh orhah, may help the throat and oral cav-ity remain open. The sensation of arelaxed, full breath is similar to that ofyawning with an open mouth.

Many players, even advanced ones,tense up while breathing. It is crucialto remember that the diaphragm is aninvoluntary muscle, and that playingwith good air support - freely andwithout tension - does not require atight or tensed abdomen.

EmbouchureThe embouchure should feel natural

and not be the result of contortions toform it. Noted teacher and performerPhilip Farkas described a good hornembouchure as a puckered smile, withneither too much lip in the mouth-piece (pucker) nor too little (smile).The embouchure should not havepockets of air behind the upper orlower lips or in the cheeks. Both lipsshould rest against the upper and lowerteeth respectively, with no air behind.I find that asking students to say emmwith the chin pointed toward theground is an effective way to form anembouchure. Feel the lower teethfirmly behind the lower lip but avoidletting the area just below the lower lipbunch. Another approach is for stu-dents to free buzz without using amouthpiece as an aid to form anembouchure. To produce a decent freebuzz requires a correct embouchure. Alack of chin control will become obvi-ous when a student attempts to freebuzz; the chin and lower lip maybunch. It may help a free buzzing toplace the index finger on the lower lipand chin, holding them in positionwhile buzzing. This adds support untilthe muscles develop, and the need forthe index finger will disappear. To ini-tiate a free buzz, students can imaginespitting a seed or a hair off the end ofthe tongue.

Mouthpiece PlacementThe age-old prescription of two-

thirds upper lip and one-third lower lipreally does work, although jaw and lipmay affect mouthpiece placement. Forstudents with thin or medium lips, lin-ing up the bottom of the mouthpiecewith the lower outside edge of the bot-tom lip can help in finding a correctembouchure placement. For playerswith thick lips, the bottom of themouthpiece may not need to rest on theoutside edge of the lower lip, but sotne-

42 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / SEPTEMBER 2010

where above it. It is important for theangle of the mouthpiece to follow thenatural contour of the face. Becausemany people have at least a slight over-bite, this results in a descending angle.Players with even bites or under bitesshould have straight or slightly ascend-ing mouthpiece angles. Moist lips helpthe mouthpiece to settle into the sweetspot, as well as keeping the embou-chure from sticking during lip slurs orwide leaps. Many young players use anembouchure with too little top lip inthe mouthpiece, which makes higherpitches and a characteristic tone diffi-cult to produce.

To find the proper proportion ofupper to lower lip, think of the lower lipas an anchor point for the mouthpiece,while the upper lip acts as a hook forthe upper two-thirds or so of themouthpiece. Consistent practice with amirror on the stand is important untilthe embouchure muscles become accus-tomed to a regular mouthpiece position.A good test of mouthpiece placement isbeing able to produce a fairly loud,healthy-sounding buzz. A good buzz onthe mouthpiece sounds free and open,rather than tight and constricted.

Right Hand PositionMany young horn players play with

their hands too far into the bell or usean overly covered hand position. Theideal right-hand position has a slightbend at the knuckles but is fairly straightfrom the knuckles to the finger tips,with the thumb touching the index fin-ger and no spaces between fingers. Thepalm is slightly cupped, as if swimmingfreestyle or holding shampoo.

When placing the hand in theinstrument, press the right handagainst the far right side of the bell andallow it to conform to the shape andsize of the bell, which will result in aslightly rounded shape. Line up theknuckle of the thumb with the bellbrace, then insert the right hand so thethumb touches the upper part of thebell and the bottom edge of the handcontacts the bell.

Avoid curling the fingers inside thebell or splaying them out. Keeping the

right elbow well away from the side ofthe body helps maintain an open handposition that will not muffle or other-wise obstruct the sound.

BracesPossible complications from braces

include playing discomfort, loss ofrange and endurance, lack of dynamiccontrast, unfocused sound, frustration,and discouragement. Teachers shouldstress to students that these effects arenot permanent, and that with patienceand persistence it is still possible toplay well while wearing braces. Playerswith braces should remain focused onproducing a characteristic sound in themiddle range. It is important to avoidexcessive mouthpiece pressure as anaid to producing higher pitches.Instead, work towards a relaxed andopen aperture in the middle register.Exercises such as long tones at a com-fortable dynamic range; slow, slurredscales in the middle register; and dailymouthpiece buzzing can help rebuildrange, endurance, and self confidence.Brace guards can be used to relieveplaying discomfort, but wax should beavoided, as it may get blown into thehorn. One of the best tools for dealingwith braces is a mouthpiece with awide, flat rim, which will more evenlydistribute pressure and allow greaterplaying comfort. CD

James Boldm is an assistant professor inthe School of Visual and Performing Arts atthe University of Louisiana at Monroe,where he teaches applied horn and musichistory. He earned degrees from Appala-chian State University and the Universityof Wisconsin-Madison. This article is basedon a presentation given at Louisiana MusicEducators Association State Convention.

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