FRENCH HORN HISTORY OF FRENCH HORN The term

FRENCH HORN

HISTORY OF FRENCH HORN • The term French horn was created from the hunting horn that was used in France. • Shofar (Ram’s horn) • Used for Jewish Rituals • Hunting horn • Less complex tubing and a smaller flared bell • Changing of pitch was controlled by air and embouchure • Only notes in the harmonic series because there were no valves • Natural horn created with more tubing but still had no valves could be tuned to different keys by adding different tubing played by air, embouchure, and placing your hand in the bell

CROOKS AND VALVES The Addition of Crooks • • • Crooks were different lengths of tubing that could be added to the horn Around 1818 in Germany, rotary valves were added to the horn This was added so that players did not have to change the different crooks Also allowed for chromatic notes for the first time on the horn Piston valves were also added to the horn in France around the same time

PLAYING FRENCH HORN Posture for French Horn Playing • When sitting in a chair, sit erect and away from the back of the chair, with both feet resting on the floor, the left ahead of the right. • The bell can be rested against the thigh or held aloft, depending on the player’s size —The player should move the horn to a comfortable position rather than adjusting their body to reach the horn. • The right hand is placed inside the horn to soften the tone quality, control intonation, and to support the instrument. • The hand should be cupped, with the thumb even with the rest of the fingers and should be placed on the wall away from the player’s body.

• Manufacturers create the horn to be sharp; this compensates for the fact that the hand placed inside lowers the pitch. • Opening, closing the hand changing the depth of the hand position in the horn changes the pitch. • The left hand fingers should rest on top of their respective keys; the pinky may rest in the pinky ring. The thumb should either be on the trigger or the thumb ring • Bring the horn naturally to the head; the leadpipe should angle down slightly

Embouchure Formation Example

OVERTONE SERIES AND PURPOSE BEHIND DOUBLE HORN Bb Side of Double French Horn Bb Trumpet for Comparison

STOPPED HORN • Stopped Horn technique is the act of fully closing off the bell of the instrument with the either the right hand, or a special mute that assists with the stopping of the note. The results of this produce a sort of nasally tone. The notation for stopped horn is usually indicated by a “+” above the note that is to be played, and then an “ 0” for notes that are to be played open. For passages that require a longer set of stopped notes the words stopped horn is written out in the music. • The pitch of the stopped note lowers when the hand is placed in the bell. For example, when playing a middle C (F-horn open) the pitch will raise the pitch by a whole step. • Stopped horn originated in classical music, with pieces requiring the use of this technique to lower the pitch accordingly. • Mozart’s Four Horn Concertos, Concert Rondo, and Morceau de Concert were written with this technique in mind. • https: //m. youtube. com/watch? v=Mi. S 47 axhb. KE (c. 1: 30)

CLEANING & MAINTENANCE • Required Items: Slide Grease, Mouthpiece Brush, Snake Brush, Valve Oil, and a cleaning cloth. • Storing Your Instrument: When you aren’t using your horn, make sure to store in a case to protect it from getting damaged. • Daily Maintenance: As you play the horn, water will build up inside from the warm air your mouth produces. Make sure to rid of all water after each use because the buildup of water can create serious problems in the future. And use the cleaning cloth to rid of fingerprints to keep from tarnishing your instrument. • Monthly Maintenance: Every month or so, the instrument should be taken apart, and given an instrument bath.