Beginning French Horn: How to Buzz - High and Low

If you want to play a brass instrument, you have to know how to buzz. In this video, I show you how to buzz with your lips and how to buzz with the mouthpiece. Then, I show you how to buzz high notes and low notes which will help you with playing high and low notes on your horn.
Beginning French Horn Embouchure video: • Beginning French Horn:...
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Twitter: @jsquaredhorn
IG: @jsquaredhorn

[@maggiegunawan4178]

I..I..I did it IM NOT GONNA FAIL BAND THIS YEAR YAY

[@mauricethegecko9700]

It's embarrassing for me to do it :/

[@ahgajung9523]

thanks for this it’s really helpful. i just started playing the french horn. my band teacher never helps me and is always discouraging me by practically saying i suck in front of the class. he really hurts my feelings. but i feel like i can get better and show them.

[@jsquaredhorn]

ARS 17 Oh no! I’m so sorry that your band director makes you feel that way. He should be trying to help you, not discourage you. 🙁 I hope my videos can help you turn it around and show him that you’re better than he thinks. If you have any questions, let me know. I’m here to help if I can.

[@jsquaredhorn]

ARS 17 Oh no! I’m so sorry that your band director makes you feel that way. He should be trying to help you, not discourage you. 🙁 I hope my videos can help you turn it around and show him that you’re better than he thinks. If you have any questions, let me know. I’m here to help if I can.

[@ahgajung9523]

Jaime Jamison thanks

[@tedhe8673]

@@ahgajung9523 Same situation with me. Check out the Brass Teacher--she also makes amazing videos.

[@tiredowalkin]

Your band teacher sucks at teaching! He is not doing his job at helping you learn. I had a band teacher that denied me 4th chair trumpet but put me in 1st chair French Horn (switching me over) and I was put into a few solos that were absolutely beautiful in concert in front of hundreds of people. Yes, I wished that I was a better player, but during those concerts it was my horn playing all by myself! It was a good experience. You will be fine.

[@PeakMJ]

I don’t know why the creator of the horn made the mouth piece so small

[@bdycountz]

Jackie The Elf we’ll never know

[@cenemii6585]

"Hey, dude can I copy your homework?" "Yeah sure just change it a little bit so the teacher won't notice"

[@hotdogkiller3905]

It’s because without the size, then the French horn would not sound like a French horn

[@catlady395]

if you're looking for a real answer, here it is: the original french horn was called a natural horn, and had no valves, so the only way to change the pitch was with the vibration of your lips. to sum it up, the higher the pitches, the closer they are together in terms of the buzzing. To achieve those higher pitches, the mouthpiece must be very small. To counter the extremely high pitch, the french horn is as long as a tuba. today's french horn has rotary valves to change the pitch, but the mouthpiece size, and length of the instrument never changed, therefore, we have a very difficult instrument to create a sound in. I have started to learn the french horn on my own (coming off alto sax and experimentation with trumpet) without a teacher, and the pitches being so close together has been difficult to me for getting the right note, but I love the unique sound that it brings.

[@hyphen8d725]

If its uncomfortable, try a different mouthpiece, i had a mouthpiece that was too small for me,

[@victoraptorrr]

I'm in eighth grade and have been playing French horn for 4 years and I still find this very helpful! Love it ❤❤❤

[@jsquaredhorn]

Thank you so much!!! This makes my heart smile. 😊

[@astronomy_rizzled]

Im an alto sax player but my teacher is teaching me to play French Horn

[@jsquaredhorn]

GamerGuy DASH awesome! Welcome to the Horn!

[@addisongrizzle6231]

Welcome to horn i have been playing for 5 years

[@astronomy_rizzled]

Addison Grizzle its Very difficult

[@nicksipich1024]

those two instruments often get the same harmonies in concert band and marching band

[@hannah5083]

Same!!! Except I play tenor. Maybe it's just because I am used to woodwinds, but brass instruments are sooo hard

[@Mk-vq3cw]

I have been playing horn for 3 years. But I was told that my embouchure is bad by my new teacher.😢 I have to know correct embouchure and buzzing with your videos. Thank you for Teaching! From Japan

[@AzaniorTheZooted]

I’m a saxophone player but my best friend plays French horn. we wanted to learn each other’s instruments and this was really helpful

[@joegreen9721]

Thanks for uploading this, i just got my french horn for band and this really helped me.

[@jsquaredhorn]

You’re welcome! Glad I could help!

[@Squidynx]

I’ve been playing horn for 7 years and all though I’m a low horn player, here’s a little trick I’d picked up to getting high notes better. Find a balloon (not blown up) and put the skank of the mouthpiece inside of the balloon where you’d otherwise blow it up and create a seal. You wanna make sure no air can escape. Next you wanna get a tuner app that can output a reference note. Say like you are having trouble hitting the A above the staff, you would want to take your tuner app to play out the note (Concert Pitch is D5). Then with your mouthpiece, you want to buzz and match the pitch. The balloon will create tension so you’ll have to force more air into it until you can match the note. Keep on doing that and when you start to play, your lips will remember the form it has to make to hit the note. I also recommend playing the A either with T3 or T0 because I found that they create less resistance but try it out because it might be sharp or flat depending on your horn

[@jsquaredhorn]

Good advice! Thanks for sharing!

[@Squidynx]

@@jsquaredhorn It’s my pleasure 😇

[@AlissaTye]

So I’m a senior in high school and all my life I’ve played clarinet but my director recently switched me to mellophone and I am so happy I found this video!!

[@jsquaredhorn]

You’re going to have so much fun playing mellophone! Welcome to the world of brass!

[@Bittersweet_zi]

Why am I going through the same thing!!

[@jsquaredhorn]

I hope the transition to mellophone is going well! I have a mellophone video coming this week that will help.

[@MrJcasilva]

if I had seen a video or explanation like that 20 (twenty) years ago; I would be better; but it´s not late to learn; I warn horn players who are starting to learn, it is so important

[@jsquaredhorn]

MrJcasilva You’re right, it’s never too late! I made these videos to help my students remember and hopefully help some other beginner horn players, too. Im glad it’s working! 😊

[@charlesfrishman231]

Another Awesome Video!

[@julianllanos9813]

Thanks

[@g4kcloudy732]

Just starting at band with my horn and thank you, this was very helpful with buzzing

[@NickHammond1745]

A very useful video, great advice on how to do buzzing correctly, especially when, like me, you are starting out learning a brass instrument.

[@railenmiles]

I was starting to dissuade myself from learning the horn because of its proverbial difficulty. But my word, your videos make me feel as though i have a fighting chance. thank you.

[@franciscoherrerahenriquez3383]

I love your energy, thanks

[@jsquaredhorn]

Thank you!

[@Charlie-qd9oz]

I just got my instrument this year tysm this helped a lot

[@MrJcasilva]

You spreads a lot of happinnes in your explanation! 😍tks!

[@jsquaredhorn]

+MrJcasilva Thank you! 🥰

[@LunaaLil-cy4jd]

Omg this is so helpful!! Thank you for uploading

[@jsquaredhorn]

喵子 I’m so glad it helped you! Your welcome and thank you for commenting!

[@conweedeed7920]

thank you for something so clear and simple! all the other explanations i've watched have been very confusing

[@coledalton4584]

I play bassoon and trombone and my great aunt gave me her 50+ year old French horn and it still plays just fine, this video really helped with learning to play it, thanks!

[@jsquaredhorn]

Oh wow! What a gift! I’m glad my video helped. Have fun adding the horn to your list of instruments!

[@coledalton4584]

@@jsquaredhorn Thank you! And yes, I was really excited to hear she was giving me a French horn!

[@BTMM000]

The video helps me a lot, thanks for sharing. Greetings from Brazil

[@EdwardPrah]

Thank you. I learned a lot here. 🙂

[@miami-8951]

Thank you so much this is gonna make my year in band 10x better!

[@jsquaredhorn]

Yay!

[@tracksuitsandcigars]

This was very helpful. Thank you.

[@jsquaredhorn]

Pietro you’re welcome!

[@tsmdaequan2608]

Thanks hun

[@Craftyzebra1234]

I am a bass clarinetist section leader switching to french horn with no prior knowledge of buzzing before this, I found this so helpful!! thank you so much!!!

[@jsquaredhorn]

Awesome! You’re welcome!

[@Evelynium]

What a coincidence! I'm actually switching from bass clarinet to french horn too!

[@davidarboleda2762]

I like your videos 😊

[@jsquaredhorn]

Thank you!

[@steph3479]

Thank you so much 😊 my friend wanted me to play horn and I can’t buzz that well but getting better. Any other tips??

[@jsquaredhorn]

Stepho Slade what’s happening when you buzz? Is the sound coming out?

[@jacquelinedamian2423]

I'm a woodwind player and this is harder than I thought since my band directors decided to put me in mellophone since the embochure is similar to the bassoon.

[@jsquaredhorn]

A lot of double reed players end up marching mellophone. Don't worry, it's hard in the beginning, but it gets easy really quick.

[@MrRAYMON123]

So what you’re mainly doing is your opening and closing your lips to change? When do the valves come in?

[@mark3987]

I can’t do high plz tips

[@shells4u]

I played french horn in marching band in high school in the 80s. I'm wanting to buy a french horn and relearn

[@jsquaredhorn]

That would be awesome. Go for it!

[@user-ib9gf5xn3p]

I should have watched this when I first started. I have been playing for 4 years now

[@jsquaredhorn]

+Eddie Pugachov hopefully, they’re still helpful! Thanks so much for watching.

[@MrJcasilva]

So do I; if I had seen a video or explanation like that 20 (twenty) years ago; I would be better; but it´s not late to learn

[@hexbitsplus2711]

I’m having trouble with keeping a consistent breath out to play an A or even F and G. Any advice? Started playing the horn a week ago and my band class is progressing on some bigger songs and I’m still stuck on the first couple notes.

[@jsquaredhorn]

Be patient with yourself. The note A requires more air than an F or a G because it uses more tubing. Sometimes it’s harder for horns to get started during band class because it seems that they’re not progressing like everyone else. It’s because the notes in the book are not the best notes for horns to start on. We should start on lower notes that are easier to play, but then they wouldn’t sound the same as the notes that the rest of the band is playing. So, give yourself time. Practice breathing exercises and work on holding out notes that are easier for you to play. Your embouchure will get stronger and eventually the A will come out easier.

[@hexbitsplus2711]

Jaime Jamison Thank you for the assuring words and advice!

[@commwell8738]

I picked up a mouthpiece. Use to play trombone well and I'm really struggling to make a solid buzz. Any advice ?

[@jsquaredhorn]

Hi! Make sure that you’re not putting too much bottom lip into the mouthpiece. It’s considerably smaller than a trombone mouthpiece, so you’re going to use less lip in the mouthpiece. It should be 70% top lip and 30% bottom lip and mostly using your bottom lip to anchor the mouthpiece. I hope this helps!

[@alexanderhamilton5838]

could this be the same for mellophone? i’m having a hard time finding videos for mellophone

[@jsquaredhorn]

The general concept is the same, the embouchure is different for mellophone, though. It’s more like a trumpet embouchure than a horn one. If you can find some beginning trumpet videos they may help. I’m working on a mellophone video, just have to borrow a mellophone from one of the local high schools.

[@alexanderhamilton5838]

@@jsquaredhorn Thanks! This tutorial helped me the more I watched how you had your lips.

[@chrisdoan180]

3:48 only use two fingers

[@Niki._.00000]

I'm switching from clarinet to horn, any tips? Also great video❤

[@jsquaredhorn]

Yay for making the switch! I actually play clarinet, too. My tip would be to make sure to use lots of air. Aim for a big sound.

[@Niki._.00000]

@@jsquaredhorn thank you so much!💕

[@mojeallstarke]

I want to do the same thing! There are so many clarinets in our wind orchestra and many kids are learning, but absolutely nobody on the horn.

[@alexanderhamilton5838]

i’m also having a hard time buzzing like you did the first time. I’m practicing on my mellophone mouth piece and idk what to do

[@jsquaredhorn]

What’s giving you a hard time? Are you able to get a sound out?

[@alexanderhamilton5838]

@@jsquaredhorn I am. I worked more on it last night and realized my lips weren’t tight enough and the corners of my mouth weren’t tight enough either. I watched your tutorial to also notice that I was being too loose.

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@alexanderhamilton5838 that’ll definitely fix things. Always make sure that your corners are firm. That’s key to having a good tone, too. I’m glad you were able to figure it out. Keep up the good practicing!

[@alexanderhamilton5838]

@@jsquaredhorn Yep! Thank you for your help

[@SaneTheBro]

My brother just lent me his mouthpiece to learn with my friends horn.

[@jsquaredhorn]

Awesome!

[@troncologne]

I live with a dachshund and since I now started with buzzing, every time I'm doing it he's super irritated and starts accompanying me with his barking. Hopefully he gets used to it soon :-P

[@oxxuel8713]

Please help me I still can't buzz low and my band teacher already tried to help and I still can't

[@jsquaredhorn]

Atlantic Gaming 1. Make sure your bottom lip is barely touching the mouthpiece. 2. Drop your jaw when you blow out. 3. Let your lips buzz as loose as possible and blow slow air. I hope this helps!

[@oxxuel8713]

@@jsquaredhorn ohtay I'll try it Thanks!!!!!

[@oxxuel8713]

Yo yall I found out how to do it now!

[@Umbra0000]

I try to buzz but instead I make a whistle very low sound

[@jsquaredhorn]

Try putting your lips closer together

[@MrRAYMON123]

I am a blind person and I’ve never really got a chance to check out a brass instrument like the French horn, can you show me what the lowest note sounds like on it and how you do it?

[@jsquaredhorn]

I don’t have a video of me playing the low notes, but I did find this video demonstrating them. It’s good that I found this one because I’ve never even tried to play this low! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmrbqKaZYtWjftE

[@MrRAYMON123]

@@jsquaredhorn oh OK. Do you think you can try to show me your lowest note?

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@MrRAYMON123 I’m not the best at low notes, but, I’m working on some new videos so there may be some opportunities for me to play low notes in them.

[@MrRAYMON123]

@@jsquaredhorn oh OK. What is the lowest note you can play?

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@MrRAYMON123 I’m good down to a C3 on the horn (that’s an F on a piano or concert instrument). I can go a little lower, but it doesn’t sound great. I’m much better at high notes.

[@BenevolentEclipse]

After playing tuba for 6 years, trying to use my French horn is nearly impossible :( mouth piece is soooo small

[@LocalBlonde2673]

My band director is moving me to French Horn for concert band and I’m terrified Edit: I'm a sophomore

[@jsquaredhorn]

Alexyss Hilderbrand don’t be scared! Welcome to the world of horn! ❤️ In the beginning, make sure you practice or at least buzz every day. What instrument are you switching from?

[@leloandsushi670]

help me I have music tomorrow I still can’t buzz :(

[@jsquaredhorn]

+Lelo and Sushi can you buzz without the mouthpiece? Is anything coming out?

[@leloandsushi670]

Jaime Jamison kind of hard though

[@leloandsushi670]

Jaime Jamison thanks though it's still better then before :)

[@noisemarine1432]

My throat feels weird and i cant hold it for long

[@jsquaredhorn]

In the beginning, you won't be able to hold it for long. It takes practice. The more you buzz, the easier it gets. As far as the throat thing, I'm not too sure. Buzzing shouldn't irritate your throat so you want to make sure that you are blowing out a lot of air and that your lips are doing the buzzing.