The Horn in 'Pop' Music

        Below is a list of 'pop' songs that have prominent horn parts.  Along with each artist and title, I've included a link to YouTube where you can hear the song.  The times in parentheses indicate where the prominent horn part begins.  If there’s no time indicated, the horn plays at the very beginning and/or throughout the recording.

Scales Practice Chart

     Here's a handy practice chart to help you stay organized when practicing your scales with a tempo goal in mind. You can check off or color in the boxes as you are able to play each scale at each tempo.

Priorities in Performance

     When you're performing in front of people, your first responsibility is to the audience, then to the composer. So, if the composer wrote something that you can't play without diminishing the experience for the audience, then change it, leave it out, or something! (sorry, composers) Nobody likes to watch/hear someone struggling with their instrument.  You have a responsibility to those people who have taken precious time out of their lives (which they'll NEVER get back) to come hear you play.  No pressure...

SEHW 2011

     The 2011 Southeast Horn Workshop was this past weekend in Boone, NC on the campus of Appalachian State University.  My students and I had a great time!  A big thank you to the hosts, Karen Robertson and her students, for putting on a top-notch event.

Practice Tips

     This is a list that I gave to my students at one of our weekly Studio Classes last semester.  It was partly an outline for the discussion we had, and partly a list that they could refer to as a reminder during their practice time.  In many cases, each of these items could serve as the basis for a separate blog post--and I may discuss many of them in greater detail in the future--but here they are all together!  We can all use reminders of these things occasionally.  I've only given credit on a couple items, but very few of these ideas are original.  

Raise Your Expectations

     I have a sign in my studio that says

Raise your expectations

     This is as much a reminder to me as to my students.  Too often, I find myself settling for less than my best because I simply forget how good it could be!  Sometimes I'll be listening to one of my favorite horn recordings that I haven't heard in a while, and I think "Oh yeah - I want to sound like THAT!"  I get inspired all over again, and my expectations are raised.  Here are some tips to make sure you're not settling for less than your best:

Know the Score!

     Here at Western Carolina University, my students are fortunate to be accompanied by piano faculty when they perform in recital.  Whenever possible, I like to attend their rehearsals so I can help them through any ensemble issues that might arise and offer feedback to the student on how to improve their performance before they take it to the public.  Many of my students have never performed with a piano until they get to college.
     The number one piece of advice I would give to any student preparing to rehearse with an accompanist for the first time is: Know the score!  You really need to know the piano part in great detail.  (Obviously, before you get with your accompanist, you better have YOUR part absolutely nailed!)  Knowing the score, and how your two parts interact and fit together, will make rehearsals run MUCH smoother, and will allow you to actually play as an ensemble rather than as a soloist with some nice piano music playing along.
     So, how do you get to know the score?  Spend some time looking at it while listening to a recording of the piece, and notice how the parts interact.  Yes, you are the soloist, but there are times when you will need to listen and react to what the piano is playing.  This is especially true if you're playing a sonata, like the Beethoven, where the horn and piano are more equal partners.  As you're listening, mark some cues in your part that tell you which beat the piano plays on, or what rhythmic pattern they have.  This will save valuable time during rehearsals (rehearsal time is money!).  Also, listen to the piece over and over even without looking at the score, so you get the music inside you, and you can hum the piano part while the horn part is resting.  When you practice, have the accompaniment running in your mind vividly, like a soundtrack.
     In addition to knowing the score, the next best piece of advice I can give for playing with an accompanist is to lead.  Play with confidence, and establish your tempo, and your accompanist will fall right in line.  This assumes that you have a clear musical plan, and that you have practiced enough that you can execute it.  (Remember, you also need to know when to follow, and that comes from knowing the score.)
     The best part about making music is making music with other people.  So, know the score, and you'll be able to make music with your accompanist instead of just making music next to them!