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



Transcript: KATHERINE LIESENER: "Hi! I'm Katie and I'm here on behalf of expertvillage.com to show you how to play a slur on the French horn. In music, a slur looks like this. A slur is this curve line right here, it could be a part of passage as you see here and this slur could go above the notes or the slur may appear below the notes. Slur means that all of these notes are slurred together. A slur may also happens between just two notes as we see right here. This is a slur from an E up to a D and this would be smooth and connect the air will not stop. All that slur means is that the two notes are connected and you don't stop the air in between. So if for example you saw a A and then a C and there was no slur, it would be two distinct notes. Like so. If you were to slur them they would be nice and smooth. Now when slurring I'm keeping the air study and constant so the air would never stop. I keep on blowing and all that changes is my fingering if the changing notes is also changing fingering and my embouchure but the air never stops. You could play entire passages as slurs if that is how they are written and that is how you play a slur."

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.