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Horn Class Final Review

Terms in this set (52)

Where in the treble clef do you start using the B-Flat side of the instrument?
Ab
Define "harmonic series"
Multiples of the fundamental pitch that happen naturally in strings and columns of air
How does each valve affect the pitch?
Label the parts of the horn on the diagram (p4)
How is the mouthpiece placement for horn different from the other brass instruments?
Angled more than 45 degrees
Why is it imperative for young horn players to have a well developed sense of pitch? Related to this, how can you help them find middle c on the horn?
One set of fingerings may produce many notes. They can find middle c by playing "Sunny Days" or "The Star Spangled Banner"
What needs to happen to the embouchure and the air stream to achieve higher notes?
The aperture must get smaller, the embouchure must become more flexed or taut, and more air used.
Why is it necessary for brass players to practice and use strength building exercises everyday, maybe more so than other instruments?
Muscles must be kept in shape
A good warm up for beginning students should consist of (5 components):
Sing-buzz-play, long tones, slurred arpeggios and scales, tongued arpeggios and scales, and chromatic scales.
What is free-buzzing?
Buzzing with the lips without the mouthpiece
Why is practicing on the mouthpiece alone beneficial for horn players?
Offers three benefits: Tone focus in all registers, ear development, and accuracy.
List three ways to affect intonation on the horn
Embouchure, alternate fingerings, and right hand manipulation
Closing the hand in the bell, without changing the embouchure, raises or lowers the pitch?
Lowers the pitch
What is a "lip trill"? When should students start to learn this technique?
Fast oscillations between two adjacent whole step notes in the harmonic series, executed by the use of the embouchure and not the valves. As soon as his/her embouchure is well-developed, usually by tenth or eleventh grade.
What is multiple tonguing? When should students start to learn this technique?
Alternating between two different tongue strokes to articulate passages more quickly than is possible with a single stroke. Tenth or eleventh grade.
How did hand stopping come about? When?
The concept of stopped horn was developed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to play notes on the natural horn that were not available in the harmonic series.
Describe how you would teach the technique of hand stopping to a high school student (discuss hand position, fingerings, intonation, and how to blow)
Hand position: the palm of the right hand should swing over from its normal position to close the bell opening as completely as possible, acting as a hinge, not a plug. You have to finger a half step down all on the F side of the horn. Intonation is very difficult and will require some exploration of alternate fingerings. It also requires much more air.
When the right hand completely closes the bell, the resulting stopped note is in what interval relationship to the open note?
1/2 step higher
What does a stopping mute do?
Functions just like the hand in hand stopping, only it is more consistent in intonation and tone, is generally louder, and produces a better sound in the mid-low register.
What does this indicate: +
Stopped horn
What does this indicate: gestopft
Stopped horn
What does this indicate: gedämpft
Straight mute
What does this indicate: sourdine
Straight mute
What does this indicate: con sordino
With straight mute
What does this indicate: bouche
Stopped horn
What does this indicate: mit Dampfer
With straight mute
What does this indicate: cuivre
Play with a brassy sound, but not stopped
What does this indicate: chiuso
Stopped horn
What is "old" notation and when was it used?
Everything in the bass clef is notated an octave lower than it is played. Classical period
Name three good mouthpiece brands and model numbers for your band students
Holton/Farkas: Medium cup and Medium-Deep Cup, Bach 12 or 7, Conn 2 or 7BN or 7BW, Yamaha 29C4 or 30C4, Schilke 29 or 30
Name three good horn brands and model numbers for your band students
Yamaha 667, Conn 8D or 9D or 10D or 11D, Holton 177/277 etc.
Beginning horn students should start on a single or double horn and why?
Single F horn because they're less expensive and lighter weight and still have a darker, more characteristic horn tone.
What is the difference between Kruspe and Geyer wrap? Describe the unique physical and playing characteristics of both?
Geyer: puts the fourth valve away from the player on the far side of the valve stack. More open wrap so smaller, more secure "slots" for notes, quick response, brighter tone, and more consistent intonation.
Kruspe: Places trigger closes to the player. More tuning options, wider slots for notes, a richer legato, and a darker, more diffused sound.
Where should the horn be oiled (three places) and how often?
Bearings on the back of the horn, bearings under the valve caps, and rotors. Every 1-3 weeks.
How often should you clean the horn and how do you clean it?
Every month. Wash mouthpiece, clean the leadpipe with snake, wipe off ad re-grease slides.
How do extreme temperatures affect the instrument?
Too hot: melt the slide grease and thin the valve oil. Too cold: could cause critical parts of the horn to expand and break.
How often should you take the valves out of their casings?
Never
What do you do temporarily if a solder joint breaks?
Electrician's tape
How should you remove a stuck mouthpiece?
Mouth piece puller
How many dents should you allow to accumulate on the horn before you take it into a repair person? Explain your answer
Not many, can drastically change playing
Name five famous horn professionals to whom you would recommend your students listen.
Dennis Brain, Hermann Baumann, Philip Farkas, David Jolley, Barry Tuckwell. More on p73
The surface into which the horn blows dramatically affects its sound and volume. Of the following surfaces, rank which ones enhance and help project the horn sound from most desirable to least desirable: wood, plastic, curtain, brick
Wood, brick, plastic, curtain
Your horn student sees Horn in E, he/she should transpose the music:
Down a half step
Your horn student sees Horn in D, he/she should transpose the music:
Down a minor third
Your horn student sees Horn in G, he/she should transpose the music:
Up a whole step
Your horn student sees Horn in Eb, he/she should transpose the music:
Down a whole step
Your horn student sees Concert/sounding/written pitch, he/she should transpose the music:
Down a fourth
Music for horn is written a perfect fifth lower or higher than it sounds (or concert pitch)?
Perfect fifth higher
Where is the best place to place the horn section within a band? Explain your answer
The center of the ensemble, in the back row, on risers. They can hear themselves the best here allowing them to play the most accurately and better in tune.
Where does the first player sit in relation to the horn section?
The first horn player should always play to the section's left, with the bell blowing down the section.
How much room do horn players need between each other?
Two feet
How close should the horn section be placed in front of the wall/shell
Ideally six feet
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