Help with the Horn

Hey guys,

I need some help with writing for the french horn. Any horn players out there? I want to understand cuivre and stopping and muting with examples of the sound, on video online or maybe you know a piece of music that has examples of each. Please help.

Thanks

J

You'll find plenty of descriptions, examples and videos for these techniques here.

Thanks! Looks good.

J

Cuivre just means a brassy tone. Writting stopped isn't hard. What actually happens is when you put the hand in the bell far enough, the pitch goes up a half step (very roughly) and the tone is must softer and... well... just different. However, don't feel the need to notate the part a half step down. Just write stopped, +, bouche, etc. The horn player will be able to transpose easily enough. Don't forget to say when you want it back to natural. open, o, ouvert will all suffice. Don't confuse muted with stopped.. That could lead to ugliness.

If you wan't examples of stopped try Villanelle by Paul Dukas (The beginning is sometimes played without using valves (Natural Horn). Which is basically the same principal as stopped horn, just much more indepth. It also has muted parts. go to imslp, there's a copy there. Also try the Gliere Horn Concerto.

Sam Parrilla, hornist. =D

*punts thread to an appropriate forum*