Glad I came across this video. I just picked up a French Horn for the first time in 25 years, and I've been playing the notes wrong LOL. What I thought was a high D was actually an A.
Thank you for this. I played F horn and trumpet in junior high and high school in the 60s before 47 years away from playing music. I then went back to trumpet. The last day of 2020 I was able to get an f horn and bean relearning. August of 2022 I switched to playing the f horn in community bands and orchestra. About a month ago I was able to get a compensating double horn and am learning again. This was very helpful to me and I will be watching it again several times.
Thank you so much for the excellent Horn tips! I'm a Senior in highschool and this year im playing the "Hunter's Moon" solo by Gilbert Vinter for solo and ensemble. I just needed this video for the Bass Clef section, but I ended up taking a ton of notes for every category you talked about!! I hope to become a better horn player with these techniques, so once again thank you!! ❤
Thank you so much! Im a senior in HS and I was so lost on my music audition for UCLA. The bass clef part on a Strauss piece caught me so off gaurd because the lowest note was C2 🤕 But this helped a lot! Also i didn't know about Stopped and Echo, so now I got those under my belt :) Thank you so much!!!!
back in my middle school days when I first started playing I always played using the Bb side because it was easier for me, its been a couple years and I still use the Bb side and my section questions why I play like that
This video is actually so helpful. I'm going into my sophomore year right now, and this is gonna be my 5th year playing. Not only did this teach me bass clef on Horn, but the echo horn thing is so cool. I'm definitely going to be using that technique in the future. Thank you so much!!
LOVE this! Bass clef can be so intimidating when you're first starting out, but I find that reading trombone etudes/band parts is a great way to get confident with it.
Hi John, great video on the huge range the horn uses. You mentioned Shostokovich and the use of the bass cleff, well I'm currently rehearsing his 5th Symphoney, and the last movement uses the low E, in unison for all 4 horns at pp. This is written in a different notation as it has several ledger lines in the bass cleff! It's such a pig to hit after all the blowing before hand, but what a great sound when you do hit it!
Thanks for this informative video! I have a collection of brass instruments from cornets to tuba (essentially all of which I practice every day), and in a couple days I'll be receiving a Conn single horn ($68 off eBay; according to the serial number it was manufactured in 1958, but I don't know which model is it, but probably a Director). I watched this video mainly to get an idea of the range of the horn, particularly in the lowest register. I have an old Conn "French horn alto"--actually an old-fashioned mellophone--on which the tubing appears less extensive, and the open 2nd partial is concert Eb (third space on the bass clef). This confirms my suspicion that the "true" French horn plays much lower. I learned much more about "stopping" and "echoing" from your video. I've been using a horn mouthpiece on the mellophone so this won't be new to me--but rotary valves and fingering with the left hand will be different from any of my other instruments.
thank you!!! omg in school i was a single horn player and i recently switched (was forced to switch) to a double and i needed to learn the fingering. thank you, this was so helpful
highest note i played cleanly was an E above the staff; i’m like to warm down with pedal tones and the lowest note i can play with not so much clarity is a C below the staff (bass clef) 😂 on a topic unrelated to range, lip trills are my worst enemy right now, especially with Bozza’s En Forêt lol
You are number one, simple, clear, effective. You make everything look simple. ..... unfortunately, then, I collide with the horn.... and it's a disaster..... thanks 😂
I have just stumbled across your RUclips channel as this video showed up on my feed. I know this video is a year old now but I would love for you to do a video showing how you tune your double horn. I struggle to get both sides to be as in tune with each other as you are playing in this video and think it would be a great video if you had the time. P.S. I loved your Gliere performance.
I might have to make a separate video on this. There are a lot of things it could be, tag me in a vid of you playing and I can assess better. Generally when you start to get tight, refocusing on breathing mechanics. Making sure you’re taking in a TON of air to support those higher notes🔥
First commenter. 😁😁👍👍 I am a big fan John. 😊👍. Am a composition/horn/piano teacher north of you a bit-in Everett. Composition is what I do best, and the horn is my primary instrument. The fundamental and the Db right above it are the two lowest notes on the horn that I struggle the most with. I’m a decent low hornist, but am probably a better 2nd/3rd hornist, and I also have very good high horn chops (but am not even CLOSE to John Cerminaro, etc.). 😁😁😁 Nice intonation stuff, stopped horn, etc. too. I am always trying to cover all the bases for my horn students. Would love to chat more sometime. 😊😊👍👍👍👍
This really helped a lot! I'm relearning French horn again and I have a single horn to start off with. Would the fingering you played for Bb horn in the higher ranges be the same for the F horn?
Sir. Comparison between single F and Bb, which one is easy fingering ? Some Bb single have addition Valve (4 valve) common of them 3 key valve. Which one of them is easier?
French horns have similar length to a tuba, but the diameter of the tubing is, of course, much smaller. This makes it so that the french horn has a huge range, but the notes get very close together in the upper end of this range. This is why the french horn is notoriously so difficult to play and often requires the player practice at least a couple hours a day to develop a solid embouchure to accurately play. With enough practice, it is quite possible to play almost any note you like with any finger combination you want. Double horns, like the one used in the video, are commonly used because the B flat side of the horn is shorter than the F side, thus spreading the distance between notes slightly, making them easier to play. That's not to say high notes are not playable on the F side or a single F horn, it just takes more effort and usually a stronger embouchure.
www.hornhippiemedia.com/store/p/the-horn-hippie-warmup check out my e-book and flip to the scales section where I have a chromatic scale written out with my fave fingerings!
If I follow the logic, some players should be able to go below C2 on the F side. Or is that F#1 not possible at all? Or would you need a mouthpiece of a tuba to hit those notes? (Well, back then, when the horns had to play those insanely low notes, tubas were non-existent...)
You can't play every note on a French horn. There's always something you can't play. Then when you can play it there is something else you can't play. Sigh...
i have not even sctratched the surface of horn playing and this was wayyyy more helpful than when if first watched it!
I have been playing for about 3 years now and this is fantastic information.😮
Same here!
Excellent work John! You are an awesome resource to the horn community!
Thanks Luke!!! That just made my day. The high and low tips also work for cornet ;)
This is a great resource, John! Very thorough! Thanks for posting!!
Yes! This is very helpful!
Glad I came across this video. I just picked up a French Horn for the first time in 25 years, and I've been playing the notes wrong LOL. What I thought was a high D was actually an A.
Thank you for this. I played F horn and trumpet in junior high and high school in the 60s before 47 years away from playing music. I then went back to trumpet. The last day of 2020 I was able to get an f horn and bean relearning. August of 2022 I switched to playing the f horn in community bands and orchestra. About a month ago I was able to get a compensating double horn and am learning again. This was very helpful to me and I will be watching it again several times.
Thank you so much for the excellent Horn tips!
I'm a Senior in highschool and this year im playing the "Hunter's Moon" solo by Gilbert Vinter for solo and ensemble. I just needed this video for the Bass Clef section, but I ended up taking a ton of notes for every category you talked about!! I hope to become a better horn player with these techniques, so once again thank you!! ❤
This made my day!! Thank you! And best of luck, hunters moon is so fun!!
this was a great brush-up for me after years of not playing!
Getting back at it though!
Thank you so much! Im a senior in HS and I was so lost on my music audition for UCLA. The bass clef part on a Strauss piece caught me so off gaurd because the lowest note was C2 🤕 But this helped a lot! Also i didn't know about Stopped and Echo, so now I got those under my belt :)
Thank you so much!!!!
back in my middle school days when I first started playing I always played using the Bb side because it was easier for me, its been a couple years and I still use the Bb side and my section questions why I play like that
Thanks so much for this! My mother left me her horns and I'm trying to play them (struggling along out here).
This is beautiful
This video is actually so helpful. I'm going into my sophomore year right now, and this is gonna be my 5th year playing. Not only did this teach me bass clef on Horn, but the echo horn thing is so cool. I'm definitely going to be using that technique in the future. Thank you so much!!
LOVE this! Bass clef can be so intimidating when you're first starting out, but I find that reading trombone etudes/band parts is a great way to get confident with it.
Hi John, great video on the huge range the horn uses. You mentioned Shostokovich and the use of the bass cleff, well I'm currently rehearsing his 5th Symphoney, and the last movement uses the low E, in unison for all 4 horns at pp. This is written in a different notation as it has several ledger lines in the bass cleff! It's such a pig to hit after all the blowing before hand, but what a great sound when you do hit it!
Great video thanks! I'm a lil bit confused when i should use the F or Bb way....
so helpful! i struggle with high registers this has helped me so much
Thank you so much this made me get a couple notes lower in the bass clef for auditions soon!
Thanks for this informative video! I have a collection of brass instruments from cornets to tuba (essentially all of which I practice every day), and in a couple days I'll be receiving a Conn single horn ($68 off eBay; according to the serial number it was manufactured in 1958, but I don't know which model is it, but probably a Director). I watched this video mainly to get an idea of the range of the horn, particularly in the lowest register. I have an old Conn "French horn alto"--actually an old-fashioned mellophone--on which the tubing appears less extensive, and the open 2nd partial is concert Eb (third space on the bass clef). This confirms my suspicion that the "true" French horn plays much lower. I learned much more about "stopping" and "echoing" from your video. I've been using a horn mouthpiece on the mellophone so this won't be new to me--but rotary valves and fingering with the left hand will be different from any of my other instruments.
Great video John! Thanks!
Thanks Josh!!
thank you!!! omg in school i was a single horn player and i recently switched (was forced to switch) to a double and i needed to learn the fingering. thank you, this was so helpful
highest note i played cleanly was an E above the staff; i’m like to warm down with pedal tones and the lowest note i can play with not so much clarity is a C below the staff (bass clef) 😂
on a topic unrelated to range, lip trills are my worst enemy right now, especially with Bozza’s En Forêt lol
Thank you. I played back when I was 15. Giving it a go now at 65 🙂 This is a very helpful video.
This warms my heart! I'm so glad!!
You are number one, simple, clear, effective. You make everything look simple. ..... unfortunately, then, I collide with the horn.... and it's a disaster..... thanks 😂
keep at it!! horn playing is a game of attrition that you win by playing one day at a time and building consistency
Excellent! Also is that really water or spit?
Very useful, thank you
Nice sound.
I have just stumbled across your RUclips channel as this video showed up on my feed. I know this video is a year old now but I would love for you to do a video showing how you tune your double horn. I struggle to get both sides to be as in tune with each other as you are playing in this video and think it would be a great video if you had the time. P.S. I loved your Gliere performance.
Yo thanks I just learned how to blow in the horn now I know some notes thanks for the tips they helped
@@Maxwell-s2n 💪👏🫡
tutorial for Key of A please!
This helped me study Ty!
Thanks mate, excellent information !
I can't play anything past the second c on the staff, I feel like my lips are tight enough what else do I do
I might have to make a separate video on this. There are a lot of things it could be, tag me in a vid of you playing and I can assess better. Generally when you start to get tight, refocusing on breathing mechanics. Making sure you’re taking in a TON of air to support those higher notes🔥
How? Do I make it on RUclips?
Thank you for the tips 📯
I wish to have my own horn, this is getting much easy for me to learn
First commenter. 😁😁👍👍
I am a big fan John. 😊👍. Am a composition/horn/piano teacher north of you a bit-in Everett. Composition is what I do best, and the horn is my primary instrument. The fundamental and the Db right above it are the two lowest notes on the horn that I struggle the most with. I’m a decent low hornist, but am probably a better 2nd/3rd hornist, and I also have very good high horn chops (but am not even CLOSE to John Cerminaro, etc.). 😁😁😁
Nice intonation stuff, stopped horn, etc. too. I am always trying to cover all the bases for my horn students. Would love to chat more sometime. 😊😊👍👍👍👍
Thanks Benjamin! I'm excited to use this to direct my students whenever they ask "what fingers do I use for ____ note?" It's a game-changer!
@@HornHippieMedia 😁😁👍👍
Thank you
This really helped a lot! I'm relearning French horn again and I have a single horn to start off with. Would the fingering you played for Bb horn in the higher ranges be the same for the F horn?
@@eileenfromihop9039 mostly yes! Experiment in the high register to find your favorite finger combos
I’m a trombone player but I wanted to play horn and I’m about to try this!
Thanks for the help. I am trying to relearn the Horn. I have not played since highschool. I am 64.
Sir. Comparison between single F and Bb, which one is easy fingering ?
Some Bb single have addition Valve (4 valve) common of them 3 key valve. Which one of them is easier?
Got a playing test thanks bro
You played B flat and F in a same instrument, but what is the difference with them?
The b flat side is higher, so you can hit higher notes more easily.
French horns have similar length to a tuba, but the diameter of the tubing is, of course, much smaller. This makes it so that the french horn has a huge range, but the notes get very close together in the upper end of this range. This is why the french horn is notoriously so difficult to play and often requires the player practice at least a couple hours a day to develop a solid embouchure to accurately play. With enough practice, it is quite possible to play almost any note you like with any finger combination you want. Double horns, like the one used in the video, are commonly used because the B flat side of the horn is shorter than the F side, thus spreading the distance between notes slightly, making them easier to play. That's not to say high notes are not playable on the F side or a single F horn, it just takes more effort and usually a stronger embouchure.
Hi John asking for a pdf.please
www.hornhippiemedia.com/store/p/the-horn-hippie-warmup check out my e-book and flip to the scales section where I have a chromatic scale written out with my fave fingerings!
Or a complimentary horn. Those are fun.
Use a double horn that can be set to stand in Bb. Play primarily on Bb side and use trigger to get any preferred F side note. It is easier.
What is your horn cannot switch from Bb to F
Really cool stuff! A trombonist might feel a little envious ...
If I follow the logic, some players should be able to go below C2 on the F side. Or is that F#1 not possible at all? Or would you need a mouthpiece of a tuba to hit those notes? (Well, back then, when the horns had to play those insanely low notes, tubas were non-existent...)
11:22 11:08 1:57 1:57 1:57 3:06 3:06 5:30 5:30 3:51 3:06
Half stop? I don't remember. Maybe another name for echo?
yes!
You've probably answered this a million times. But what horn do you play? Is that an Alex? The tubing looks quite spaced out.
I play on a custom horn made by Canadian craftsman Keith Berg
As a new French horn player I’m confused how some of the notes have the same valves as other notes
Its the physical properties of an open tube, and the "Harmonic Series" wiki it and lmk what u think!
@@HornHippieMedia ok thanks still practicing
Why doesn’t mine have a trigger
Lip trills please
I learned a ton about teaching this this year, I'll drop a vid soon!
UGHH THIS IS SO CONFUSING 😩 (i started learning horn after playing trumpet for 4 years)
1:51
Dear lord. Imagine knowing a high E is going to come out.
with a little bit of practice every day, you can gain and build that confidence!
You can't play every note on a French horn. There's always something you can't play. Then when you can play it there is something else you can't play. Sigh...
Literally when my friend Young Kim saw this, he shamed me for not playing pedal c on the open F side LOL