Mr. Mayo’s Resources

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Why Is it Called the French Horn?

 

Considerations For Those Looking to Play The Horn

  • The horn can be a challenging instrument to play; students need to be patient, hard working, enjoy challenges, and have a good ear.  Students who can easily hear the differences between pitches and match pitch will likely have success.

  • Students who have previous singing and/or piano experience usually do better at this instrument. 

  • Consistent practice habits are required to develop on this instrument. 

  • Horn players need to be patient, as it can take a great deal of time to develop range and learn to buzz through the center of the note (in tune).

  • Tongue manipulation (flat vs. arched) is required to develop on this instrument. 

  • Horn players usually get great scholarship offers for college.

  • Ultimately, students who work hard, practice consistently, and are driven to better themselves will likely have the greatest success no matter the instrument.

Considerations When Buying A Horn

  • Most students begin on a horn in F.

  • Beginner – Beginner horns are also often called single horns.  They are based in one key, either F or Bb.  Beginner instruments are designed to get a fundamental sound while being durable; this is so that the student can get used to handling the instrument.  They normally have a lacquer finish. They are mostly machine made and have a different metal composition than the upper models.

  • Intermediate – Intermediate instruments usually are double horns, which have a trigger for the left thumb that will switch between the keys of F and Bb.  Because of it being a double horn, it has more tubing and is heavier.

  • Intermediate instruments usually have a wider bore (tubing size), higher quality of metal composition, are handmade in some areas, and are usually silver or gold plated. 

  • Professional – Professional horns are usually almost entirely hand made and are also double horns.  They have a larger bore size, are made of high-quality brass, and are usually silver or gold plated.  They can have specific features, such as different bore sizes, finishes, valve types, and bells. 

  • Simply put, as you progress from beginner to intermediate to advanced, the instruments are made of higher quality materials, progress from primarily being machine made to handmade, slightly larger bore size (tubing), better tuning from note to note, and better resonance.  Beginning instruments are built more to get a basic sound and stand through durability so that a musician can learn to take care of it.  Intermediate and advanced instruments are more focused on the sound of the instrument.

  • If you do not know what these differences are or know if they would be valuable to you, consult a professional. I am not claiming to be a professional, but you could contact me as well. A simple google search can also inform you of the basics. 

Recommended Mouthpieces

  • Beginner - Yamaha 30C4 or Schilke 30

  • Intermediate/Advanced – Yamaha 29D4, Schilke 27, Holton Farkas MD, or Holton Farkas MDC

Recommended Brand of Instrument

  • Yamaha

  • Holton

Recommended Listening

  • Barry Tuckwell

  • Sarah Willis

  • Phillip Farkas

  • Hermann Baumann

  • Stefan Dohr

  • Radek Baborak

  • Phillip Myers

  • Jeff Nelson

  • Julie Landsman

  • Radovan Vlatkovic

  • Dave Clevenger

  • Froydis Wekre

 

Some Recommended Method/Technique/Etude/Collection Books

  • Rubank Elementary Method for Horn

  • The Rubank  Intermediate Method for Horn

  • The Rubank Advanced Method for Horn

  • Voxman – Concert and Contest Collection

  • Voxman – Selected Studies

  • Kopprasch – Sixty Selected Studies for French Horn

  • Howe - Method for the French Horn

  • Singer – Embouchure Building for French Horn

  • Miersch – Melodies Studies for French Horn

  • Pottag - Preparatory Melodies to Solo Work for French Horn

  • Reynolds – 48 Etudes

  • Martin – 21 Characteristic Etudes for High Horn Playing

  • Martin – 34 Characteristic Etudes for Low Horn Playing

  • Muller – 34 Studies

  • Gallay – 12 Studies

  • Pottag – Daily Exercises for French Horn

  • Concone – Legato Etudes

  • Reynolds – 48 etudes

  • Alphonse - Two Hundred New Melodic and Gradual Studies

 

Some Recommended Horn Literature/Books

  • Farkas – Art of French Horn Playing

  • Johnson – Brass Performance and Pedagogy

  • Farkas – The Art of Brass Playing

  • Farkas – The Art of Musicianship

  • Gordon – Brass Playing is No Harder than Deep Breathing

  • Fox – Essentials in Brass Playing

 

Some Classical Solo Literature

  • Mozart - Concerto

  • Beethoven – Sonata

  • Strauss – Concerto

  • Strauss – Nocturno

  • Strauss - Andante

  • Weber – Concertino

  • Telemann – Concerto

  • Haydn – Concerto

  • Gordon – Concerto

  • Wilder Sonatas

  • Heiden – Sonata

  • Hindemith – Sonatas

  • Hindemith - Concerto

  • Schumann – Adagio and Allegro

 

Recommended Stores For Instruments and Equipment

 

Recommended Websites

Recommended Apps

  • Bandmate Chromatic Tuner

  • Tonal Energy Tuner

  • Sight Reading Factory

  • Smart Music

  • Intunator

  • StaffWars

  • Tunable

  • Master Ear Training

  • Theory Lessons

  • Tenuto

  • APS Trainer

  • tuneUp

Must Have Accessories

  • Case

  • Cleaning Cloth/Swab

  • Rotor Oil

  • Slide Grease

  • Tuner/Metronome - app or physical device

  • Music Stand

  • Pencil

Additional Possible Accessories

  • Breath Builder

  • Instrument Stand

  • Korg-TM 60 with clip on attachment

  • Berp

  • Mutes

  • Rotor String – Is needed for repairs

  • Hand Guard

  • Hand Handle

YouTube Channels to Follow

Instagram Accounts to Follow

  • International Horn Society - @international_horn_society

  • United Horns - @unitedhorns

  • Alana Yee – alanabedootin

  • Mauricio Velosa Mendieta - @maohorn_

  • Tomo - @tomo.horn

  • かみやまあき - akikamiyama

  • Laura C - @hornchica42

  • Emillio Gálvez - @emiliohorn.misticashow

  • Alex Collard - @alexcollardcor

  • Emily Farmer - @horna.spieler

  • Javier Silva Practice Account - @horn_practicelog

  • French Horn Daily - @horndaily

  • Sarah Willis - @hornsarahberlin

  • Canadian Brass - @canadianbrass