In this video lesson, Expert Katherine Liesener teaches how to change the pitch using embouchure when playing French horn.



Transcript: KATHERINE LIESENER: "Hi! I'm Katie and I'm here on behalf of expertvillage.com. I'm going to show you how to raise or lower a pitch on the French horn using only your mouth. Now although a French horn like most wind instruments has keys to help you pick out certain notes. You could actually get higher and lower notes base simply on how to set your mouth when you are buzzing on a mouth piece. So to get higher notes what you want to do is keep your mouth as tight as possible and that will raise the pitch. For a lower pitch you want a much more relaxed embouchure so for a higher note it is going to look more like this. For a lower note, it is more like this. So on the mouth piece look at my embrasure here is a higher note and a lower note you should be able to see the shape of my mouth is changing for the higher note my embrasure is stretched thinner and tighter. For the lower note its more relaxed and it makes my jaw drop slightly. So on the French horn the difference again is obvious and this how you control pitch with your mouth."

1. How to Play French Horn: Getting Started
2. How to Hold the French Horn
3. How to Use Mouthpiece Pressure on a French Horn
4. How to Use Embouchure & Lips on a French Horn
5. Sounding Notes on a French Horn
6. How to Play a French Horn with Complex Fingerings
7. Understanding Volume Dynamics on a French Horn
8. Changing Pitch With Embouchure on a French Horn
9. How to Adjust French Horn Intonation With Slides
10. Hand Stopping the Bell on a French Horn
11. Adjusting French Horn Intonation with the Hand-in-Bell Technique
12. Stopping & Muting on a French Horn
13. Slurring Notes on a French Horn
14. Legato Tonguing on a French Horn
15. How to Play Staccato Notes on a French Horn
16. How to Play Accenting Notes on a French Horn
17. How to Play Glissando Notes on a French Horn
18. Emptying the Spit Valve on a French Horn
19. How to Oil the Valves on a French Horn
20. How to Grease the Slides on a French Horn
21. French Horn Practice Tips
22. French Horn Training Methods
23. How to Play the French Horn Standing Up

In this course, eHow Expert Katherine Liesener gives 23 video lessons on How To Play the French Horn. Learn basic tips and techniques for playing this brass instrument, including how to hold the horn, form proper embouchure, and changing pitch using your lips, the rotary valves, or by putting your hand in the bell. Also learn some intermediate French horn skills involving orchestral music, like how to play slurs, legato, glissando, staccato, and accent notes. Finally, get some practical care and maintenance tips for your horn, as well as some basic guidelines for creating a practice routine.