Brass Clinic

Teaching
Young
Hornists
By James Boldin
eginning horn students often
the instrument comes with a
handful of difficulties to over-
come. While the horn is not as un-
wieldy as a tuba or double bass, poor
posture and impaired breathing often
result from trying to compensate for the
size and awkwardness of the instrument.
Playing Position and Posture
For a start it is important to raise the
horn to the lips without bending to
reach the mouthpiece. The sitting pos-
ture should be straight with the feet
flat on the ground and positioned sev-
eral inches away from the back of the
chair. The angle of the leadpipe should
match the structure of the student's
jaws and teeth. Many horn players
have a slight overbite, producing a
playing position with a descending
leadpipe angle. The bell of the instru-
ment should not face directly into the
body, which would muffle the sound.
The playing position should feel
comfortable, and for small students a
three-quarters size horn may be best if
one is available. These are actually a
fully functioning instruments that
have been scaled down and wrapped a
bit differently than full-sized instru-
ments to create a smaller, lighter horn.
It may also help to add a holding strap
or left-hand support to take some
weight off the pinky finger.
40 THEINSTRUMENTALIST / SEPTEMBER 2010
A horn support puts some of the
weight on the right leg and help young
students to hold the instrument at the
proper angle with less strain to reach
the mouthpiece.
Players with small hands may have
trouble reaching the valve levers, but a
simple adjustment to the height of the
valve levers requires only a screwdriver.
This entails loosening the stop arm
screw, adjusting the valve lever to the
desired height, and retightening the
A horn support redistributes s o m e of
the weight of the instrument to the leg.
stop arm screw to keep the lever in the
new place. To set all of the levers at the
same height use the edge of a table to
hold the levers in place while loosening
and retightening the stop arm screws.
Clarinet thumb rests, dimes, or fin-
ger cups can be easily attached to the
levers, allowing for a more comfort-
able grip.
Breathing
The focus for beginning and inter-
mediate-level students should be good
breathing using general descriptions of
the process instead of detailed expla-
nations. Describe a balloon as it fills
with air and expands naturally in all
directions without being forced. When
released it contracts naturally.
Describe the sensation of air rushing
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SE PTE MBE R 2010 / THE INSTRUME NTALIST 41
across the tongue as water flowing over
a waterfall. Thinking about round syl-
lables while inhaling, such as hoh or
hah, may help the throat and oral cav-
ity remain open. The sensation of a
relaxed, full breath is similar to that of
yawning with an open mouth.
Many players, even advanced ones,
tense up while breathing. It is crucial
to remember that the diaphragm is an
involuntary muscle, and that playing
with good air support - freely and
without tension - does not require a
tight or tensed abdomen.
Embouchure
The embouchure should feel natural
and not be the result of contortions to
form it. Noted teacher and performer
Philip Farkas described a good horn
embouchure as a puckered smile, with
neither too much lip in the mouth-
piece (pucker) nor too little (smile).
The embouchure should not have
pockets of air behind the upper or
lower lips or in the cheeks. Both lips
should rest against the upper and lower
teeth respectively, with no air behind.
I find that asking students to say emm
with the chin pointed toward the
ground is an effective way to form an
embouchure. Feel the lower teeth
firmly behind the lower lip but avoid
letting the area just below the lower lip
bunch. Another approach is for stu-
dents to free buzz without using a
mouthpiece as an aid to form an
embouchure. To produce a decent free
buzz requires a correct embouchure. A
lack of chin control will become obvi-
ous when a student attempts to free
buzz; the chin and lower lip may
bunch. It may help a free buzzing to
place the index finger on the lower lip
and chin, holding them in position
while buzzing. This adds support until
the muscles develop, and the need for
the index finger will disappear. To ini-
tiate a free buzz, students can imagine
spitting a seed or a hair off the end of
the tongue.
Mouthpiece Placement
The age-old prescription of two-
thirds upper lip and one-third lower lip
really does work, although jaw and lip
may affect mouthpiece placement. For
students with thin or medium lips, lin-
ing up the bottom of the mouthpiece
with the lower outside edge of the bot-
tom lip can help in finding a correct
embouchure placement. For players
with thick lips, the bottom of the
mouthpiece may not need to rest on the
outside edge of the lower lip, but sotne-
42 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / SEPTEMBER 2010
where above it. It is important for the
angle of the mouthpiece to follow the
natural contour of the face. Because
many people have at least a slight over-
bite, this results in a descending angle.
Players with even bites or under bites
should have straight or slightly ascend-
ing mouthpiece angles. Moist lips help
the mouthpiece to settle into the sweet
spot, as well as keeping the embou-
chure from sticking during lip slurs or
wide leaps. Many young players use an
embouchure with too little top lip in
the mouthpiece, which makes higher
pitches and a characteristic tone diffi-
cult to produce.
To find the proper proportion of
upper to lower lip, think of the lower lip
as an anchor point for the mouthpiece,
while the upper lip acts as a hook for
the upper two-thirds or so of the
mouthpiece. Consistent practice with a
mirror on the stand is important until
the embouchure muscles become accus-
tomed to a regular mouthpiece position.
A good test of mouthpiece placement is
being able to produce a fairly loud,
healthy-sounding buzz. A good buzz on
the mouthpiece sounds free and open,
rather than tight and constricted.
Right Hand Position
Many young horn players play with
their hands too far into the bell or use
an overly covered hand position. The
ideal right-hand position has a slight
bend at the knuckles but is fairly straight
from the knuckles to the finger tips,
with the thumb touching the index fin-
ger and no spaces between fingers. The
palm is slightly cupped, as if swimming
freestyle or holding shampoo.
When placing the hand in the
instrument, press the right hand
against the far right side of the bell and
allow it to conform to the shape and
size of the bell, which will result in a
slightly rounded shape. Line up the
knuckle of the thumb with the bell
brace, then insert the right hand so the
thumb touches the upper part of the
bell and the bottom edge of the hand
contacts the bell.
Avoid curling the fingers inside the
bell or splaying them out. Keeping the
right elbow well away from the side of
the body helps maintain an open hand
position that will not muffle or other-
wise obstruct the sound.
Braces
Possible complications from braces
include playing discomfort, loss of
range and endurance, lack of dynamic
contrast, unfocused sound, frustration,
and discouragement. Teachers should
stress to students that these effects are
not permanent, and that with patience
and persistence it is still possible to
play well while wearing braces. Players
with braces should remain focused on
producing a characteristic sound in the
middle range. It is important to avoid
excessive mouthpiece pressure as an
aid to producing higher pitches.
Instead, work towards a relaxed and
open aperture in the middle register.
Exercises such as long tones at a com-
fortable dynamic range; slow, slurred
scales in the middle register; and daily
mouthpiece buzzing can help rebuild
range, endurance, and self confidence.
Brace guards can be used to relieve
playing discomfort, but wax should be
avoided, as it may get blown into the
horn. One of the best tools for dealing
with braces is a mouthpiece with a
wide, flat rim, which will more evenly
distribute pressure and allow greater
playing comfort. CD
James Boldm is an assistant professor in
the School of Visual and Performing Arts at
the University of Louisiana at Monroe,
where he teaches applied horn and music
history. He earned degrees from Appala-
chian State University and the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. This article is based
on a presentation given at Louisiana Music
Educators Association State Convention.
I