Andrew McAfee's Hornlessons.org

Over the years I have found explanations of the horn player's embouchure to be few and far between.  I feel that Andrew McAfee does a great job.  Follow this link to his blog to read more.

Embouchure Technique Blog

February 2, 2011 by Andrew McAfee

Save yourself years of struggle and frustration. Get better with a working embouchure set up right now! I invite discussion and comments regarding my article on the 5 Must Have Techniques for Brass. See:

http://www.hornlessons.org/order/5-must-haves-for-brass

Marvin C. Howe and Stopped Horn

Marvin C. Howe once wrote:

"It has long been the custom and the practice to assume that stopping the French horn in F raises the pitch a minor second (1/2 step).  This apparent change is corrected by fingering the stopped passage 1/2 step lower than written.  As far as fingerings are concerned, an F part (stopped) is fingered as though written for Horn in E; an E part is regarded as being in E flat, etc.

It is not the intention to negate the practicality of the above assumptions, for the fingerings obtained are certainly workable.  However, it will be shown that the above assumptions are false.  In fact, the hand always lowers the pitch--albeit unevenly--to a new pitch one half step above the next lower member of the harmonic series being employed.  This does result in a series one half step above those obtained when playing "open" horn, but the new pitches are (and always were!) derived from above.  Practice of this derivation results in better and quicker control of stopped horn than is generally obtained by the horn student."

Can anyone explain this better?  I become lost in the second to last sentence.  Does anyone know of a better explanation?  I met Marvin Howe at Interlochen in the last years of his life.  My teacher at the time, Dr. Randall Faust, introduced us.  I was fortunate that we were able to play horn quartets together in front of Corson Auditorium by the bronze sculpture of "The Bears".  He was a trooper.  I remember it was a hot day.  I think it was the only time I played quartets with someone who was on an oxygen tank.  He played fine as I recall.    

Back to stopped horn.  James Decker had come up with a fingering chart for B-flat horn fingerings and stopped horn.  They worked wonderfully in terms of accuracy and intonation but I never got a copy of them during my days at USC when I was also known as "Merv" Griffin. Since then, I fudge around and find ones that work on the B-flat horn. I have recently started using B-flat fingerings for middle C and below and it's been working great!  Anyhow, since have have been teaching students of my own, I've been at a loss for words in explaining the exact acoustical science behind what actually happens when we stop the horn.  I find myself saying "suffice it to say" too often and that's just not good enough for me.

Forrest Standley

I had an idea years ago to write a book on Forrest Standley.  I was very excited about it but never got it off the ground.  For him to have been the teacher of the great Dale Clevenger and the incredible Phil Myers, is reason enough.  They have each held the position of principal horn in two of America's greatest orchestras.

Digression:  I know the idea of the "Big Five" is either dead or at the very least, controversial but this is perhaps an appropriate place to use the label. The "Big Five" was once used when referring to the top 5 orchestras in the U.S.  Anyhow, when I was younger and this term was being thrown around, no one could ever agree on the order of the top 5, yet Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland were always included in the mix by most.  At any rate Myers, with the New York Philharmonic for over 30 years and Clevenger, with Chicago for over 40 years, are now a part of America's musical history, not only as individuals but as part of "the establishment" and that says quite a lot.

Anyhow, back to Forrest Standley.  While biographical information would be useful, thoughts on his teaching interest me the most.  However, there are numerous people that must be interviewed.  Gene Standley, Forrest Standley's son.  Brice Andrus, principal horn of the Atlanta Symphony.  Howard Wall 4th horn of New York.  I have a friend who studied with Standley...the list is long and the task is daunting when you consider who is on it. 

I spoke to Clevenger after a sneak peak performance he gave of the Bruce Braughton Sonata (Awesome piece!  I'm going to try to include a clip with this post!) at a horn workshop held at the University of Santa Barbara hosted by Dr. Steven Gross.  Unfortunately my thoughts were new and unorganized as now but I saw an opportunity.  After all, how often would I be in a casual atmosphere with Dale Clevenger?  That's the great thing about horn workshops...there's leeway when you hobnob with the featured artists, you can act like a groupie to some extent.  I wish I remembered our conversation better.  All I remember is being nervous and thinking oh my God I'm talking to Clevenger.  I had heard stories of his tremendous ego, a part of his formidable means to greatness and stories of his booming Texas accent undiminished by his Chicago years.  Needless to say, I simply nodded to all he had to say.  I did get the impression that he liked my idea.

I did have the chance to meet Phil Myers when taking a few lessons with Eric Ralske.  He was kind and a funny guy, something I could notice even within the few moments after being introduced to him.  In other words very approachable.  Well, if anyone reads this and knows of other players who studied with Forrest Standley and how to contact them please let me know.  I want to get this started!                                                                               



Keith's Classical Corner

Priorities in Performance

Priorities in Performance

     "When you're performing in front of people, your first responsibility is to the audience, then to the composer."  This quote is one of Bennett's Tenets a blog by Travis Bennett.  I'd like to take the opportunity to disagree somewhat and in so doing, kick-start a blog of my own.  I feel Mr. Bennett's thoughts on performing to be restrictive old school thinking, at least in how it reads.  Each musical performance is a piece of a puzzle which neither begins or ends in a box.  A less limiting approach to performance and preparation would be to simply dedicate each performance to you, your ideas, concepts and what you want to express.  The audience and composer are simply along for the ride.  The audience comes to hear what you have to say.  It may be your music or the interpretations of music composed by someone else. 

I feel (it goes without saying) there should be thoughtful consideration for both the audience and composer in your performance and your preparation.  It is important to make wise choices of what you'll be performing but sometimes you need to take a chance and push yourself.  Perhaps you will fail but you will never fail completely.  Someone will benefit from your attempts and in the end, it will probably be you who prospers most.  A worst case scenario might be simply a hard lesson learned.  If one day you establish yourself as a performer you in turn will have established an audience.