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As we all know, all the horn parts are good! But there is a point when you start playing first horn in better ensembles that point out a couple of extra responsibilities.
Assistant what?
One new thing is the Assistant First horn. In better groups and on bigger pieces, having an assistant is such a lifesaver. But the assistant needs to be used wisely, it is not a doubling position, it is someone to help you save your chops for the more exposed/important passages.
You can develop the markings several ways, but fortunately I have an article on this, an extended one, in my original Horn Articles Online site. Check it out here:
The intonation topic
Here we get to something really important, intonation. While there is an article in Horn Matters on the topic, below, it does not get to the important stuff you need to know as a principal horn.
While I know a version of this is elsewhere in Horn Matters, I don’t believe I’ve ever laid it out this fully. The question is:
Who to tune to? Especially on Principal Horn?
I often tell people when I started in as Third Horn in Nashville, I quickly figured out I needed to focus on two people for intonation, the principal horn and the principal clarinet. If I was well in tune with both of them, everything was good.
Of course, this is different than what your band director told you. They probably told you to tune to the tubas or something like that. Reality is that advice does not really work. You have to tune to the key lead voices, and they need to be key lead voices that are actually in tune and stay there. Don’t ever tune to the strings for example, almost certainly they will be sharp. They should be tuning to the horns and woodwinds instead of you tuning to them, in my opinion.
As principal horn, you need to lead the intonation of the section. Which brings me to the answer, and I have a strong opinion about this. In orchestra, you must tune to the principal clarinet and the principal oboe. Those are the two key voices. If the horns and woodwinds are all subsequently in tune, then is a big core area of sound that drives good intonation for the entire ensemble.
By the way, if the oboe and clarinet are not stable with their intonation, you will struggle to figure out who to listen to. Good luck!
But wait, what about the trumpets? This is where it can get touchy. I once asked a fine professional trumpet what he keyed on for tuning and you will see logic to his answer, but I would never have guessed it; he tunes to the timpani. Reality is trumpets can be in their own little world for tuning, but when push comes to shove on horn, we have to key on the woodwinds mostly — unless we are in passages with the trumpets and brass when you may need to adjust a bit to match the trumpets. Group intonation may just be a moving target you have to negotiate carefully.
Want more tips?
Finally, last year I posted a more general article (now updated!) on getting back in the groove for ensembles, it is worth a read now again as you gear up for the fall. Good luck!
