In this video lesson, Expert Katherine Liesener teaches how to play glissando notes when playing the French horn.



Transcript: KATHERINE LIESENER: "Hi! I'm Katie and I'm here on behalf of expertvillage.com and I'm going to talk to you about how to play a glissando on the French horn. This is what a glissando looks like. It is really pretty simple. All you do is you start on the first note and you want to get to the last note and you can hit as many notes in between as possible. What it is going to sound like is just a rip. So it is one of the few times where a horn player could just let loose. So don't be afraid to do so. The most important thing is that you start on the correct note, that you end on the correct note and that you stay in time but definitely try to hit as many notes in between as possible. You will notice that you could actually use your fingers slightly to try to hit more notes in between or if you blow all the way through it you should hit on the notes in between and you don't use your fingers. Really the ideal with this sign or the spirit of it is something like the hunting horn call and the French horn use to be a hunting horn so it comes pretty naturally. Just remember when you playing glissando let loose, let it rip, it is the most natural thing to play on the horn."

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.