LET'S MAKE SOME MUSIC!
After learning how to hold the horn and forming the embouchure, let's play some notes and some simple tunes.
There are three pitches needed for our first musical adventure.
Start with E.. First hit play and listen to it a few times. Then hum or sing it. The fingering on the F horn is 0 or open, meaning you don't push any of the levers. If you have a Bb Horn, push 2, the second lever with your middle finger. Next, with the correct posture and position, bring the horn to your lips, hear the sound in your mind, breathe, form the embouchure, push the levers (if needed) and blow. Do this a few times for E, then for D (pushing the correct levers), then C (open). It should be a very relaxed feeling and sound. Any tension will create a poorer quality tone. Each note should feel a certain way. Then, play between two notes: E, D, E, D... Then all three: E, D, C, D, E... Vary it up and explore all three notes in different orders.
There are three pitches needed for our first musical adventure.
Start with E.. First hit play and listen to it a few times. Then hum or sing it. The fingering on the F horn is 0 or open, meaning you don't push any of the levers. If you have a Bb Horn, push 2, the second lever with your middle finger. Next, with the correct posture and position, bring the horn to your lips, hear the sound in your mind, breathe, form the embouchure, push the levers (if needed) and blow. Do this a few times for E, then for D (pushing the correct levers), then C (open). It should be a very relaxed feeling and sound. Any tension will create a poorer quality tone. Each note should feel a certain way. Then, play between two notes: E, D, E, D... Then all three: E, D, C, D, E... Vary it up and explore all three notes in different orders.
If you think of each note as a cotton ball sitting on a table and you are trying to move it, you will know how to change your air to get the sound you want. When the note is lower, like E, pretend the cotton ball is close and blow. When it is higher, like G, the cotton ball is farther away and requires a little more air to move it. The goal is to always be moving the cotton ball at the same rate of speed across the table no matter how close or far it is.
You can duplicate this feeling by forming the horn embouchure and blowing on the palm of your hand. As your hand moves closer and farther from your mouth, try to make the same feeling with the air on your hand. Go slow and notice the subtle difference. That subtlety is needed to play the note you want on the horn. When playing a lower note, just think "I will target my air closer." When playing a higher note, think "I will target my air farther." Remember, the air should feel the same regardless of the distance of your hand. |
We will be learning the song Mary Had a Little Lamb. We will start by working on the first line. It only uses the notes E, D, and C. Listen to the example to get the sounds in your ears. With the horn in your lap, practice listening, singing, and fingering the horn with your left hand, but blowing into your right hand as you move it closer and farther from you as the pitches go higher and lower. Then, play it on the horn.
Tune #1 - Mary Had a Little Lamb
E D C D E E E |
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Once you feel comfortable with accurately and beautifully playing the first line, we will add a new note.
NEW NOTE - G
It's a little higher than E, so play with your air going a little farther. Listen to the example. In you are playing an F horn or double horn, notice that three of your notes have the same fingering of OPEN: C, E and G.
NEW NOTE - G
It's a little higher than E, so play with your air going a little farther. Listen to the example. In you are playing an F horn or double horn, notice that three of your notes have the same fingering of OPEN: C, E and G.
Now we are ready to play the whole song. Listen to the example. Do not try to play the whole song every time. Try it once, then work on each line. If you are having any difficulty, make what you are working on smaller. Try a few notes or maybe just one or two of them. Accuracy, and playing all notes with a beautiful sound, is more important than playing in quickly with a bad sound and a lot of mistakes.
Tune #1 - Mary Had a Little Lamb
(- means to hold the sound longer) E D C D E E E- D D D- E G G- E D C D E E E- D D E D C- |
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To help you visualize the music and how to use your air, watch the video and play along with it. Notice that the lower notes are closer and require less air, while the high notes are farther and require more.
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TONGUING
Say the syllable "TU" as in the words "two, too, & to."
Notice how your tongue moves in your mouth to start the sound.
Now say "EM" and keeping your embouchure firm and steady, say TU in your mouth.
This is called tonguing and it allows you to separate sounds, just like when we speak to enunciate our words.
Now try it with you mouthpiece and then your horn.
Go back and play Mary Had a Little Lamb using your tongue to start each note.
Notice how your tongue moves in your mouth to start the sound.
Now say "EM" and keeping your embouchure firm and steady, say TU in your mouth.
This is called tonguing and it allows you to separate sounds, just like when we speak to enunciate our words.
Now try it with you mouthpiece and then your horn.
Go back and play Mary Had a Little Lamb using your tongue to start each note.
We will be learning the first section of Darth Vader's Theme from Star Wars. It only uses the notes G, E, and C. If you are playing on the F horn or double horn, you will notice that all of these notes are open fingerings, so do not press any levers. Because of this, it is all control of your air thinking about the distance of the notes from you. Play with the horn in your lap, practice listening, singing, and fingering the horn with your left hand, but blowing into your right hand as you move it closer and farther from you as the pitches go higher and lower. Then, play it on the horn. Play it slow and make sure you are hitting the right pitches. You will gain control over the instrument only by going slowly with high accuracy. Then speed it up. Have fun!
Tune #2 - Imperial March
(Darth Vader's Theme) E E E C G E C G E |
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