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Tip: Making a Bad Piece Sound Like Something

John Ericson
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This is an important skill to develop for any musician because, honestly, you will play a lot of bad music over the course of a career.

On my recital this weekend I played a number of very fine works. However, one was actually not a very good work at all. I don’t want to name it, as it has been used for years and years as sight-reading in auditions at ASU. But with the upcoming retirement of Gail Wilson from the trombone studio I wanted to include this work, as he had commented once that he wanted to hear the piece one time before he retired.

The work itself sounded a bit like old, 1930s movie music. The pianist and I made the most of it, really tried to sell it. And, from the feedback from the audience afterwards, actually it was an audience favorite. This just goes to show you that if you sell it and play with confidence it can make up for a lot of inadequacies in any work of music.

French Horn Transposition Chart

Bruce Hembd
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A complete reference.

Over the past few months, I have been posting various transposition tricks, including how to transpose:

There are still a few more tricks to go, but this particular post is dedicated to a complete transposition chart.

The interval method

Transpositions may be done by interval or by using clef substitutions, or by a combination. I do not implement or teach the “clef method” as Farkas describes in The Art of French Horn Playing, and this post will not cover that method.

At first the interval method seems like a very tedious process, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second-nature. It is a necessary skill – a requirement for any hornist looking to be a professional.

It is also a requirement for any hornist aiming to be a music educator. All music education majors need to read scores and transpose the various instruments. Learning that skill on the major instrument is a great place to start.

An easy trick

An easy way to remember the correct transposition interval is to relate the transposition to Horn in F and discern the interval relationship.

For example, if the transposition key is A-alto, imagine an “A” on the treble clef staff to represent that key.

To represent the standing pitch on the modern Horn in F, add an “F” to this imaginary staff.

The interval relationship from the “F” to the “A” is a major 3rd upwards – this also happens to be the correct transposition interval for Horn in A.

This shortcut method works for any transposition.

Transposition Chart

French horn transposition chart

The Most Difficult Piece Ever Written for the Horn

John Ericson
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This coming Sunday [in 2008!] at 2:30 I will be playing on my faculty recital at ASU the most difficult piece ever written for the horn! At least according to the liner notes of the “blue CD,” John Cerminaro, Horn, on the Crystal label. It tells us right there:

En Forêt by Eugene Bozza (1905-1992 [oops, a typo, he died in 1991]) is considered by many to be the most difficult piece ever written for the horn. Intended as a test composition for graduate horn students at the Paris Conservatory, it displays every problematic element of horn playing imaginable, including bounding intervals, rapid-fire lip trills, sonorous glissandos, and intricate hand-stopping techniques, all over four octaves from high C to pedal C.

It is a great piece, one of our best works for horn and piano, and challenging to play but not to the extent that the program note writer gushes. I could easily find you much more difficult works [SEE UPDATE]. But it has been fun working again on those “bounding intervals, rapid-fire lip trills, sonorous glissandos, and intricate hand-stopping techniques” mentioned.

[Also, I should note that I am not doing the double pedal C that Mr. Cerminaro added to the work in his recording, mentioned specifically in the liner note quoted above].

I am playing other works on the recital as well, including especially the Rheinberger Sonata, which I will perform on a single B-flat horn. This would have been the instrument that Rheinberger had in mind when composing this work in the late nineteenth century, before the invention of the double horn. The second half will have a number of surprises including Bach performed on Wagner tuba. If you are in the area do check out this recital, it looks to be one of the most enjoyable recitals that I have ever given.

UPDATE 2024: First, this is not the most difficult piece ever written for the horn. I was in the post poking a bit of fun at the breathless commentary in the Cerminaro CD notes, hopefully slightly obvious with the clickbait title — entertaining myself as much as anything. And promoting a faculty recital.

But let me say clearly, I could name you dozens and dozens of harder pieces for the horn.

En Foret is a very great piece for sure, and one that is very playable by a good undergrad horn major (certainly so at the graduate level). If you have not learned it and are considering it, give it a look and listen!

The Alto Horn — The Ultimate Off Beat Playing Machine

John Ericson
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Last week I subbed twice in a brass band on E-flat tenor (alto) horn, for a project underway with the ASU bands. I have played in brass bands before, but always on a normal French horn.

Conn E-flat Alto horn

The one thing that really struck me was playing on marches in particular; you can really kick out those off beats on an alto/tenor horn! No wonder Sousa and all those other march composers called for exactly that, the E-flat alto/tenor horn is the ultimate off beat playing machine.

The tradition of giving the middle brass off beats goes way back. Someday I would love to play alto/tenor horn in a serious, period instrument brass band such as that put together by the American Brass Quintet in their CD The Yankee Brass Band. They sound wonderful on this classic recording, one to seek out if you are fan of music of mid-nineteenth century America performed beautifully on period instruments.

For more information on the alto/tenor horn see A Tenor Horn/Alto Horn FAQ.

An Operatic Horn Resource

Bruce Hembd
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Resources for opera excerpts are scarce.

I just found a resource – new to me – for operatic horn excerpts:

http://thehorninopera.com/

This is a CD (no sheet music) produced by Richard Chenowith that demonstrates the most requested operatic horn excerpts. While many specific symphonic excerpt and part resources are currently available, those for opera are few and far between.

In fact the only other opera horn resources that I can think of at the moment are:

 

  • The James Chambers Wagner excerpt book – which I suspect is out-of-print.

Mr. Chenowith’s CD is a much needed and very welcome addition.

Be sure to check out his article in the latest issue of the International Horn Society‘s publication The Horn Call. Chenowith writes on the Aria No. 25 from Cosi fan tutte.

Pictured above right:

 

A 1940 TIME magazine cover depicting famed heldentenor Lauritz Melchior in his signature role as Siegfried, playing the famous horn call. I have this framed on the wall in my home office and it is posted here under “fair use” of copyrighted material.

Fun With Scales; The Building Blocks of All Western Music

Bruce Hembd
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The Art of Practice, Part III.

Not much is known about the ancient philosopher, mathematician and cult leader Pythagoras but we do have him to thank for a few basics of math and music. He connected music to math and devised a mathematical method of tuning instruments based on a series of pure fifths.

This tuning method was not tempered so to our modern ears it would sound pretty damn awful. However it did carry over to today in another form – as the circle of fifths.

For any musician, knowing scales and the circle of fifths is akin to knowing how to breathe and eat. For horn players it is particularly useful as a reference chart when relating our F-based instrument transposition to concert-pitch.

[A side note: a very cool interactive circle of fifths may be found here.]

Scales are essentially the building-blocks upon which the majority of Western music is constructed. A thorough knowledge of scales relates to recognizing patterns in music and most importantly, to sight-reading.

On almost every regional or all-state band and orchestra audition, or any college audition, students are required to perform scales and sight-read.

In short:

KNOW YOUR SCALES!

Theme and Variations

Like long tones, a dynamic approach can help to keep scales fresh and interesting. As a huge proponent of multi-tasking I incorporate as many diverse elements as possible into scale practice – to stir the musical spirit and to get more done in less time.

Some ideas:

    • Utilize the circle of fifths. Rather than practicing scales in alphabetical order, try them in the circle of fifths order.
    • Improvise rhythmic, dynamic and articulation variations and apply them to your scales.
    • Practice scales in skipping thirds, and for an additional challenge, other interval skips.

    • Perform scales as a melody, mixing rhythms, dynamics and articulations to emulate different styles, historical eras or moods.

  • Play very slow scales in whole notes, in effect combining long tones and scales into one comprehensive exercise. In his Practical Guide, Milan Yancich called this method the “Great Scale.”
  • Download the free notation utility Finale Notepad – invent and printout your own scale exercises.

The basic idea here is to mix-and-match and to challenge yourself to perform the daily scale routine as musically as possible. A scale routine need not be a mundane task like taking your vitamins; with a little creativity it can actually be fun.

Hard-copy scale studies and methods are of course available for purchase, including:

  1. Pares Scales: Daily Exercises And Scales for French Horn

    A basic primer published by Carl Fischer with sections devoted to each key. According to Amazon.com this is out-of-print, but a copy might be found at RobertKingMusic.com.

  2. Schantl: Grand Theoretical & Practical Method for the Valved Horn
    A long and verbose title, but a good method that I learned in college.
  3. Arban: Complete Method
    An exhaustive method with hundreds of scale variations covering a myriad of technical skills. Utilizing transposition skills can overcome its shortcomings of limited keys and range.
  4. Clarke: Technical Studies for Cornet
    Noodles and finger-twisters.

If you have any other suggestions or comments, please post some below.

My Gigantic Mouthpiece Conquers ALL!

Bruce Hembd
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At the opera.*

The math is simple:

Rigoletto + iPhone + long measures rest =

mouthpiece opera

[Music cue: the “Imperial March” from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back]

*Humor

Flexible Career Goals

Bruce Hembd
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Flexibility is key.

Jason Heath at Arts Addict does some belly-button gazing on the topic of “how did I get here?” in “The Puzzle of Our Lives:”

Did I get an orchestra job? Nope. But who cares? I’m probably just as happy as if I did, and I make more money than if I’d won many of the jobs I auditioned for. Also, ironically, I’m probably better known because of this freakin’ blog than if I had won an orchestra job. How you like them apples?

[ Jason credits the inspiration for his post to Doug Yeo’s article of the same title. ]

Thanks to Jason for this candid perspective – I can identify with this sentiment. As a bookend to related Horndog Blog posts this week – like “Finding Your Path” and “Work Through the Suck” – Jason’s post sums it all up nicely.

While setting long-term career goals can have value, there are too many other factors in the world that are beyond our control. Etching those goals in stone may not be realistic or even healthy.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today’s student will have 10 to 14 different jobs … by age 38. Redefining career goals is not a rationalization or a sign of failure, it is a natural process of being human in this modern world.

Work Through the Suck: The Cycle of High and Low

Bruce Hembd
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2

We all go through cycles of highs and lows. In any given day, for example, your entire physiological system goes through a cycle of circadian rhythms.

I also believe that this cycle translates to the bigger picture. I sometimes go through periods where I am less satisfied and more frustrated with my playing than usual. These periods, I have grown to understand, are perfectly natural and when in such a period I try to remain confident that the pendulum will eventually swing the other way.

Sometimes too when working on something new, I can sound pretty bad. I often tell my students that in order to sound good in performance, you cannot be afraid to sound bad in the practice room. I jokingly say that “in order to get better you can’t be afraid to sound like a pig for a while.”

By this I mean that new music and techniques take time and wood-shedding – sometimes the process can be a bit ugly and results can take a while to show themselves.

A favorite radio program that I listen to on National Public Radio is Ira Glass’s “This American Life.” A while back I stumbled onto this video; his commentary translates to this topic – “working through the suck.”

Finding Your Path

Bruce Hembd
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Crossroads can have many branches.

Many musicians like myself experience a pivotal moment in their lives when they hit the full-time orchestral employment wall and are forced to make a choice – do I quit and pursue a new career or do I redefine what my career is?

At Trumpet Matters, Phil Collins writes in Making Your Marks:

..how many top orchestra principal positions will become available in the near future? You can count them on one hand, maybe two. To invest all of our emotional energy on such a tiny window of “success” is beyond reason. O.K. how about section positions in a wider range of orchestras? A bigger pool for sure, but still extremely competitive. There are simply more competent brass players than there are positions to accommodate them. We have two options. We can give up and move to another profession, or we can readjust our perspective and redefine our purpose.

In a previous post I remarked that if you do not have a satisfying career by the time you are 25, consider making a change. This may seem harsh but the unilateral path aimed solely at an orchestra job can be paved with potholes and dead-ends. It is a path best pursued while young.

Collins advises:

Step back, evaluate your talents and consider what gives you the most fulfillment. The world is crying out for those who will challenge and inspire young people to find themselves and their purpose in life.

About 15 years ago I started to see the end of the road and the limits of continuing to pursue orchestral jobs exclusively. Over a transitional period of several years I discovered that I could successfully channel my creative juices into other fulfilling avenues.

I still maintain a modest playing career, but my energies are shared with teaching and “webbing.” My only regret is that I did not choose to do this sooner rather than later.

Give Mr. Collins’ article a read – he offers some sage advice. His other articles are also worth checking out. Collins has a knack for relating his insights and experience in a very clear and direct way.

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