Golden Crest has the world’s largest recorded collection of ALEC WILDER’S Composition: (GR 4017—The New York Brass Quintet (GR 4026—Names From The War, The (Gar Sandbure Suite (Gave Garoway) 1 4028—The Naw York Woodwind ‘Quintet RS 4115—The Resdemy To (RS 4147—Harvey Philips "Tribute toa Hand” (RS 4150-Wingra Woodwind Quintet (CRS 4154—Tidewater rane Quinta, 4th 5th Brass Quintet RE 7002—Iohn Barrows and hs Fre Horn RE 7005—Harvey Phils, Tube RE 7007—oe Waer, Trumpet RE 7008—David Soyer, Cao RE 7015~Ichn Swallow, Trombone RE 7018—otn Barrons, Frenen Hor, Harvey Philip, Tuba RE 7031—Sary Kar, Sting Bass RE 7024 John Baraws, French Horn FE 7039-Patrcia Stenberg, English Hom RE 7040—Donald Knaub, Bass Tombone RE 7O45—Robert Levy, trumpet RE 7052—BobListokn, Clarinet RE 7054—Haroy Pils, Tubs, Mnarow Lays, Flute RE 7055-—Richatd Lotte, Basson ‘lable trom your dealer or mrt to GOLDEN CREST RECORDS, INC. 720 BROADWAY HUNTINGTON STATION, N.Y. 11746 58 THe msrUMENTALETOCTOME 175 Brass Clinic ‘Maurice Faulknor, Contributing Editor Pursuing the Ideal Horn Tone Thomas W. Murray Horn players are constantly in pursuit of the “ideal” sound. We experiment with mouthpieces and play on every horn we meet to see if we can arrive at the “right” com- bination. If we want a bright, pierc- ing sound we tend to look for a small-bore brass horn and a mouth: piece with a small- to normal-size cup and bore. If we want a darker, more mellow quality, we gravitate toward the larger bore, silver (ei- ther plate or nickel) horn. We try to avoid very small mouthpieces that limit ease in the low register and very large ones that cut off ‘comfort in the high registers. ‘After all of this searching we find that we must agree with the wise words of Walter Lawson, for- mer hornist of the Baltimore Sym- phony, who once said, “Give any horn player a different horn, and in two or three weeks he'll sound on it pretty much like he sounded on the last one he played.” And 1 can say that sometimes it doesn't take even two weeks to develop the same sound. Most of my students Thomas W. Murray, a graduate of Northwestern University and a student of the late Max Pottag, retired in 1968 5 principal ‘hornist™ of The United States Army Band of Washington, D.C.A free-lance horn player, he now teaches privately in the northern Vir- inte area who play on my horn sound just as they de on their own. Better Breathing ‘What then, can we do to acquire the sound we want? We must start by breathing properly so that we supply that 14-odd feet of cantan- Kerous tubing with enough air. Every breath should be a full one, taken as if the player were about to dive into the water to set the world record for underwater swim- ming, Imagine the lungs to be v0 huge elastic bags stretching from the upper chest to the groin. Fill the bottom third first, then the middle third, and finally the upper third. Have your students do this slowly at first and then try to do it rapidly, catching the air in one large gulp. To get the feel of cor rect abdominal breathing, have them stick out their tongues and pant like dogs. Now they are ready to blow the air into the horn. Any good hort will have a certain amount of T sistance, a point at which the hor seems to say, “Whoa, I won't take any more unless you really fore: me to.” Blowing just up against this resistance should produce # mezzo forte. If a much smaller sound results, the horn is too smi and will probably refuse to play # healthy fortissimo without “crack ing.” If an extremely loud soundsults, then the horn is too big, ill require a lot of air, and will gobably be hard to control at a janissimo level. Blowing just 10 be point of resistance not only ives a good round sound but also sakes the unpredictable monster Dit easier to control. he Throat Chamber and the imbouchure Next we must concentrate on the yoat and mouth. The throat must eas open as possible. Have the ayer try to recreate the same fee! fix he gets when the doctor sticks iat nasty tongue depressor in his fouth to view the throat while pmmanding him to say, “Aah ince the vibrating air column in ie horn extends past the lips back the tone will be is sound chamber is gee. If the last statement made yur brow, consider this: fest Coast horn teacher and per- play a pretty reasonable C icking on the horn. All ir was coming in through the frm, past the vibrating lips, and pwn his throat, yet the sound was arly audible in the back of a auditorium. What bet- ‘way to prove that the vibrating f column extends into the throat? sound just > to acquire must Start so that we of canta: ough ait a full one, were about to set the vater swim s to be two The corners of the mouth should firm and drawn in toward a fi-point at the back of the neck, le the center of the lips is rel ly relaxed and free to vibrate. ter of ching ot fe cmbouchure will produce a SI fhe Pred sound in the upper regis 2 one ee Pp 2nd a kazoo-like quality in the y the upper : y the BPP Fie Keep the lip aperture as my tod ie BEF OPED as possible in each and supply @ good strong keeping the lips bn apart. ‘Also, keep the jaw Pn as much as possible, which Ps keep the lips separated and Bites a larger tone. An effective risky trick involves tuning the slightly sharp and then lip. Be it down to pitch while playing B lipping makes the student the jaw down. air in one Be pee Fem of alr Bing is projection — getting fone out where the player wants Have the student ignore the that his horn is curled around, Pointing backwards, and that Tight hand is impeding the gence of the sound from the bell, Tell him to concentrate on a point some 50 feet ahead, and try to aim the sound at that point Imagine a large auditorium, and play to someone special seated in the back row. Blow with a thick stream of air, directing it not through the horn but straight out in front. Above all, have your stu- dents tisten: to themselves and to other good horn players. Tell thei to attend all the concerts they «i and listen to records and radio broadcasts. Have them get that ideal horn sound fixed in their minds so that they can strive to achieve it through conscious imi tation. Urge them to persevere, practice, and listen, and the de. sired sound may be theirs in very short order . ‘can't cerry @ tune have @ tin ear.” Kathy Hutchinson, a senior in the Marching Hornets Band at Beech Grove (Ind.} High School, was presented with the John Philip Sousa Band Award bs ector James E, Williams und approving eye of principal Thomas O. Thompson eas TRUMPETS e CORNETS e FLUEGELHORNS e eye TRUMPETS & CORNETS Relocate etd eee eet es earn Prue reste tet Te Ree poe tins pega ce eetitd eee Pocus sit eens BR ae eer aes ai CJ M MODELS ec Ur Te ae MILA - 8 Comet Nien cts) Rue ey are MOUTHPIECES Custom and Standard en Lei entra Laren ee aoy or er ey ere Rd EP eee PLEASE SEND: Instrument Catalog Mouthpiece Catalog Address City State: ao