The Horn

"Horn playing is a fine and difficult art."
       -- Phillip Farkas

When Philip Farkas, who was a horn player/teacher -- second to none, said the above he wasn't kidding. Had I known this perhaps I would have chosen a different instrument. In the introduction to his book The Art of French Horn Playing he states "Undoubtedly Nature was very wise when she decreed that all things worthwhile are to be achieved by persistence and struggle...A horn player is a member of the extremely small and exclusive fraternity...."

Some composers feel that the horn is the soul of the orchestra. As a brass instrument it has a great range -- better than four octaves. The tonal quality of the horn enables it to blend not only with all the brass instruments but also with the other wind instruments and strings. This is why it is often the only brass member found in small chamber groups.

I play a Conn 8D. This is a decent instrument -- not the best, not the worst. It doesn't matter much though, it's the player that counts, not the horn.

Practice Routine

Warm-up: My warm-up takes about 10 minutes and always consists of scales, arpeggios, long tones and a couple of Kopprasch etudes dropped an octave taking me down to the fundemental C - the lowest C possible on the horn. I also practice a few other pieces that I will play with a piano accompanist. I spend a significant amount of time in the lower register because I believe that my best chance to play with a decent orchestra will be as second or fourth horn. My former teacher, who is Principal horn in his Orchestra agrees. By the way, he taught at the H.S. of Performing Arts in NYC and also occasionally played on Broadway. At 70+ years of age he is still a fine player.

My practice time including warm-ups is about ½ hour per day (I know I should practice longer!). I try to have a goal each session and generally do not exceed the 30 minutes. There is a lot to learn and I believe that by staying focused on simple, achievable goals I will advance my playing in the most efficient manner.

I presently play horn in a community band. As soon as I feel I'm qualified I will try to land a spot with a community orchestra...there are a number here on L.I. I am also working on improving my high register but have difficulty past the Ab above the staff. My goal is to get to high C so that my Ab's and Bb's become more secure.