FRENCH HORN EMBOUCHURE "Five Steps in Five Minutes to a High C"

How to...."Five Steps in Five Minutes to a High C"

[@pauljmeyer1]

Thank you Mr Freeman for sharing your great experience about the underlying principles of sounding the horn. I am in my eighties and have always enjoyed the immersive call of horns. Only now, no not immediately, shall I have the joy to give my voice to the instrument. I'll be following your lessons from now on.

[@freeman3320]

Thanks Paul. It's good to know that I have been helpful in some way. I am 77 now so we both come from a time where there were opportunities to find a good horn teacher. Until I found Wendell Hoss in L.A. I had studied with some of the best. Many names that you would recognize. But none could 'teach' me the correct embouchure. Being a 'natural' horn player can be a curse. I have heard of many great players who developed problems during their careers. For many, their best playing days were cut short because they could find no way to 'remember' how it used to feel when they were young. Since everything worked great for so many years, a natural player may never develop the conceptual tools needed to rebuild an old embouchure. That's where this '5 step approach' can be the most helpful. I really believe that every young player should at least try the 5 steps during the early years of their training. If for no other reason than to form a 'conceptual' basis for their embouchure. There are other situations where this approach could be very helpful. Many horn players have had to overcome injuries of one type or another. I have known at least one player who developed "Bells Palsy". I have lost touch with him now but I wish that I could have worked with him when everything fell apart. There is another case of a well known professional woman who was unable to come back after having a baby. Suddenly she was unable to make a clean attack. Hearing her story was heartbreaking to me. I wish that I could have worked with her for a short time.

[@MalvinasArgentinas1982]

Thank you for this video sir, very helpful

[@artemi-music]

Thanks John, a really great lesson! Straight to the point, with lots of examples!🙏🙏🙏

[@freeman3320]

I am so glad that my humble attempt to show how to form a successful embouchure has been of some help to you. It is truly one of the most difficult things to explain successfully. It is often said that the horn player who has had to struggle (sometimes for years) to find the right way to play may make a better teacher than would a (natural) player who has never needed to dissect and reassemble his/her playing.

[@artemi-music]

@@freeman3320 yeah, I think it’s not only with the horn players, that’s what a true teachers should do. Thanks again.

[@freeman3320]

Just a few tips to make this method more successful for you... 1. Because the F horn is longer, it offers more 'resistance'. That means that the F horn is where you go to find your special sound. Use the F horn for all of your warmup. Always use only the F horn when practicing this method. 2. An effective warmup can be accomplished in just a few minutes. Establish a clear buzz and then go to Step 2. 3. Long tones are important. They help to stabilize the embouchure. Long tones are boring so I use the opening of the Oberon Overture to make them relevant. 4. Another tip is to somehow move the soft, inner portion of the lips into the aperture. That improves response 100%. Because you are no longer using any pressure, think about opening up the aperture by using the inner lips which are softer and always moist. 5. As you play, think about lowering the jaw. This will make the oral cavity larger. WOW...!!!.. You have just hit on one of the challenges of this embouchure. And it is one that I did not address in the original video. If you try the first 5 steps, you should be able to play those first really high notes. If things work out for you, you will be so gassed at playing a "high C" with a full sound that you will be encouraged to incorporate those "5 Steps" into your method. However, going the other way will be another challenge. At first it will be difficult to achieve the low register (that you must have). Your goal now will be to keep what you have discovered about those high notes while playing the low notes. That will be a real challenge. After you have warmed up, start playing in the middle register (where everything is working) a slowly slur down and back while keeping the new embouchure. It will take time. In fact, mastering the low register will take many months; at least it did for me. I regret that I can not provide an easy answer for what will be required here. Think about dropping your jaw (and conciously opening up the oral cavity.) The one thing that you must NOT do is drop the jaw suddenly. That will get you across "The Break" but will destroy your new embouchure. Just play downward slurs (down and back) and think about opening up the embouchure as you go. Here are two tips that will help you succeed in this endeavor. 1. Work on the low register on days where you can start early. That is, when your muscles will be the most relaxed and fresh and before there is any lactic acid buildup. One day, decide the night before that you will roll out of bed and immediately pick up the horn. You will find it easier to play those first notes higher than you expected and also lower than you expected. 2. As you are playing those downward legatos, PIVOT the horn downward and away from the upper lip. It should feel like the mouthpiece is on a HINGE and it's attached to your lower lip. You will be amazed at how those low notes will suddenly 'pop'....!!! Nobody said that playing the horn would be easy but you should take great satisfaction that you are finally learning the correct way to play at a high level. Good luck and please keep me informed about any issues that you will have and let me know when you have a few successes. Reply

[@freeman3320]

Today is 3/26/24. @iamsimplyduck asked me about playing low with the new embouchure. It seemed like a good time to offer my perspective on low notes as well as offering a few techniques to help the student get beyond "the break" without destroying the new embouchure. Please click below on SimplyDuck to see my opinions of the subject. @freeman3320 Reply @freeman3320 9 months ago (edited) Just a few tips to make this method more successful for you... 1. Because the F horn is longer, it offers more 'resistance'. That means that the F horn is where you go to find your special sound. Use the F horn for all of your warmup. Always use only the F horn when practicing this method. 2. An effective warmup can be accomplished in just a few minutes. Establish a clear buzz and then go to Step 2. 3. Long tones are important. They help to stabilize the embouchure. Long tones are boring so I use the opening of the Oberon Overture to make them relevant. 4. Another tip is to somehow move the soft, inner portion of the lips into the aperture. That improves response 100%. Because you are no longer using any pressure, think about opening up the aperture by using the inner lips which are softer and always moist. 5. As you play, think about lowering the jaw. This will make the oral cavity larger. WOW...!!!.. You have just hit on one of the challenges of this embouchure. And it is one that I did not address in the original video. If you try the first 5 steps, you should be able to play those first really high notes. If things work out for you, you will be so gassed at playing a "high C" with a full sound that you will be encouraged to incorporate those "5 Steps" into your method. However, going the other way will be another challenge. At first it will be difficult to achieve the low register (that you must have). Your goal now will be to keep what you have discovered about those high notes while playing the low notes. That will be a real challenge. After you have warmed up, start playing in the middle register (where everything is working) a slowly slur down and back while keeping the new embouchure. It will take time. In fact, mastering the low register will take many months; at least it did for me. I regret that I can not provide an easy answer for what will be required here. Think about dropping your jaw (and conciously opening up the oral cavity.) The one thing that you must NOT do is drop the jaw suddenly. That will get you across "The Break" but will destroy your new embouchure. Just play downward slurs (down and back) and think about opening up the embouchure as you go. Here are two tips that will help you succeed in this endeavor. 1. Work on the low register on days where you can start early. That is, when your muscles will be the most relaxed and fresh and before there is any lactic acid buildup. One day, decide the night before that you will roll out of bed and immediately pick up the horn. You will find it easier to play those first notes higher than you expected and also lower than you expected. 2. As you are playing those downward legatos, PIVOT the horn downward and away from the upper lip. It should feel like the mouthpiece is on a HINGE and it's attached to your lower lip. You will be amazed at how those low notes will suddenly 'pop'....!!! Nobody said that playing the horn would be easy but you should take great satisfaction that you are finally learning the correct way to play at a high level. Good luck and please keep me informed about any issues that you will have and let me know when you have a few successes. Reply @pauljmeyer1 1 month ago (edited) Thank you Mr Freeman for sharing your great experience about the underlying principles of sounding the horn. I am in my eighties and have always enjoyed the immersive call of horns. Only now, no not immediately, shall I have the joy to give my voice to the instrument. I'll be following your lessons from now on. Reply john Freeman You have a unique opportunity now to set off with the correct embouchure........exciting.... First you must find a buzz (without the mp) that is re-produceable and that has a clear tone......(Think a 2nd line G) Do not try to change the pitch of this buzz. Then go to the 2nd Step by bringing the mp onto your lips AS YOU ARE BUZZING and then removing it. All without stopping the buzz. (The more time that you devote to Step 2, the faster you will find your new embouchure and then be able to play high notes with ease.) Reply @MalvinasArgentinas1982 1 month ago Thank you for this video sir, very helpful @artemi-music 6 months ago (edited) Thanks John, a really great lesson! Straight to the point, with lots of examples!

[@iamsimplyduck]

Does the low range stay good and playable with this embouchure? Thanks for the video

[@freeman3320]

WOW...!!!.. You have just hit on one of the challenges of this embouchure. And it is one that I did not address in the original video. If you try the first 5 steps you should be able to play those first really high notes. If things work out for you, you will be so gassed at playing a "high C" with a full sound that you will be encouraged to incorporate those "5 Steps" into your method. However, going the other way will be another challenge. At first it will be difficult to achieve the low register (that you must have). Your goal now will be to keep what you have discovered about those high notes while playing the low notes. That will be a real challenge. After you have warmed up, start playing in the middle register (where everything is working) slowly slur down and back while keeping the new embouchure. It will take time. I regret that I can not provide an easy answer for what will be required here. Think about dropping your jaw (and conciously opening up the oral cavity.) The one thing that you must not do is drop the jaw suddenly. That will get you across "The Break" but will destroy your new embouchure. Just play downward slurs (down and back) and think about opening up the embouchure as you go. Here are two tips that will help you succeed in this endeavor. 1. Work on the low register on days where you can start early. That is, when your muscles will be the most relaxed and fresh and before there is any lactic acid buildup. One day, decide the night before that you will roll out of bed and immediately pick up the horn. You will find it easier to play those first notes higher than you expected and also lower than you expected. 2. As you are playing those downward legatos, PIVOT the horn downward and away from the upper lip. It should feel like the mouthpiece is on a HINGE and it's attached to your lower lip. You will be amazed at how those low notes will suddenly 'pop'....!!! Nobody said that playing the horn would be easy but you should take great satisfaction that you are finally learning the correct way to play at a high level. Good luck and please keep me informed about any issues that you will have and let me know when you have a few successes.