Exercise 9

 Click Exercise for Printable Version

Exercise 9 is to develop a way of playing that does not decresendo on the note before a tongued note.  It also helps us to play large sudden intervals using the air to change notes.

To play Exercise 9

• Breathe correctly and tongue cleanly
• Speed is not important. Go slowly and be careful
• Play the dotted quarter notes all the way until you absolutely have to tongue the eighth notes
• Make brick shaped eighth notes and sudden slurs
• Use more air on the eighth notes than the dotted quarters. Aim at them with the air, right in the middle of your mouthpiece

Exercise 7

 Click Exercise for Printable Version

Exercise 7 is a trilling and control exercise.

To play this exercise

• Make sure the eighth notes are very cleanly tongued and short
• Hit the lower notes of the trills hard so they have the same volume and color as the higher notes
• Start by using a hard breath accent to get the notes to change then back off as you get control 

Use the F horn fingerings as indicated. Go slowly at first. When you are proficient you can begin working upwards starting on C#, using Bb horn fingerings.

Exercise 6

Exercise 6 is designed to give you light fast tonguing and to work on the coordination and timing of the air.

To play this exercise

 Click Exercise for Printable Version

• All the notes other than C should be louder than C
• The change in dynamics occurs during the change between notes
• Make sure you don't rush off the first note of each beat
• Do the exercise 2 ways; first as written then do the first 13 notes Slow to Fast

Players who habitually stop notes with the tongue may have trouble playing this lightly and quickly. The problem occurs when the notes are both started and stopped with the tongue or the tongue gets 'stuck' and full of tension. The Slow to Fast part of this exercise really reveals this problem and can be used to fix it.

Exercise 6 can also be used to teach transposing and double tonguing.

Exercise 5

 Click Exercise for Printable Version

Exercise 5 is designed to get you to play with the same tone color in all ranges.

The first note must be brick shaped with no hints (tightening, going sharp or flat) before you slam the air straight ahead to hit the sffz note. Play with a little separation but not short notes. Whatever you do do not stop the notes with your tongue!

Exercise 5 is an aiming exercise. Our goal is to play with as little mouth motion as possible. We know it is working when the notes have the same tone color all the way through the ranges.

We use the sffz note as a template for the other notes. It needs to sound vastly different than the note before it. Blast that sucker!

To play Exercise 5

• Tongue the first note cleanly and make it as brick shaped as possible
• Slur down using a blast of air, as if someone punched you in the stomach
• Make the sffz note LOUD. Hit it hard
• Try to play the subsequent notes by aiming in the same place as the sffz note

It will be difficult at first to play the sffz notes going up. This is normal and shouldn't worry you. Even if the note is fuzzy or weak or even if it doesn't speak that's ok but note where you aimed at it and play the notes going up in the same place, aiming at the target and pushing from Place #6 every time.

Soon enough you will find that your high range has the same bright sound as your midrange and your control over your low range will increase.

This exercise was inspired by the Til Eulenspiegel solo.