Lesson 2!

I had my 2nd lesson with Manuel today!  Es war wieder sehr gut! 

I played the 3rd and 4th mvmts of the Brahms Horn Trio for him. 

This week, I've been working on really short, clean tonguing, so naturally I played it kind of short (the 4th mvmt).  The first thing he told me was to make my notes longer.  This was a recurring theme throughout the lesson.  I need to get better at breaking habits quicker!  I would play a different passage for him and realize halfway through that I was still playing really short! 

He had a lot of good things to say about how I played the Brahms though.  I feel like he's telling me a lot of things that are immediate fixes to why I don't sound totally professional.  He told me to lengthen the notes more,  "You have a very nice sound, but you can't hear it if you play so short on these notes."  So, I lengthened it and I think it sounded much better.  He also gave me some general phrasing ideas and he's getting me to do my own thing.  He asked me to play the repetitive parts in the 4th movement with a longer first note and taper the second one, instead of heavy tonguing on all of it with my phrasing, it just sounds less aggressive and overpowering.  I haven't listened to the recording of my lesson yet, but I think I'll hear the difference and agree with him.  It's all these little things that he points out that make my playing sound more professional. 

Thoughts of the day:

-full length notes, not tutty notes
-non-abrasive tonguing with taper
-Give more on the notes that change, not the ones that are the same in a pattern
-Longggg phrasing
-Don't twa-twa in long legato phrases (he actually plays quite smooth phrases!! I was very impressed with his legato.)


I think I can hear the Vienna style of playing in his teaching.  Longer notes, no tutty notes at ALL, lots of ring, tapering notes, it's all part of their sound and style.  I need to make sure I'm balancing what he's telling me to do that may be Vienna style and what I really WANT to sound like.  He might say some things that I don't agree with, like note length for certain things.  I need to be able to do it how he asks, but I don't need to do it that way.  In the 3rd movement I pulled the time back as I went for the high Bb and he said, "You're timing slowed down there," and I replied, "I wanted to," and he said, "Well if you wanted to then it's right."  :)  I meant it.  I did. 

I showed him all the exercises and books that I brought with me (Horn Yoga, Jeff's Routine, Mr. S's routines, Farkas Routine, and a Gallay prelude book) and asked him what exercises he does.  He said they are good, he looked at routine and I asked if he knew Jeff.  He didn't, but another Wiener Phil horn player was in the room when I mentioned Jeff and he said he knew him from Facebook.  haha.  They don't really seem to know anyone from the States.  He didn't know Dale Clevenger or Jeff.. I'm gonna ask about a different horn player every week. haha.  I asked what exercises he does and he said he doesn't do exercises.  "Wir haben Tonleitern, kennst du das?"  He played a scale for me.  He said staccato scales are very good and heavy tongue, mf scales for warming up are good.  He thought I was crazy when I told him I warm up at 6:00 in the morning.  Personally, I think it's more crazy that he's going to play Falstaff tomorrow with no rehearsals and he's never played it before.  He did the same thing with Walküre.  WHAT!?!?!!  He didn't know what I meant by "sight-reading?"  lol. 

This weekend is an organization weekend.  I'm getting a binder and putting everything in it, completely neat, organized, and ready to use.  My folder is dying, so I need something else.   This will help tremendously!!!!!! 

These lessons make me very happy.  Next week I'm going to see if I can get a lesson with Wolfgang Vladar, another horn player in the Phil, while Manuel is in Altösterreich for the week.  I'm very excited for this lesson!! 

First Lesson!

I had my first lesson with Manuel Huber!  He's really nice and easy to work with.  He's 23 years old and is currently playing 1st and 3rd horn with the Vienna Philharmonic!  Crazy!  He's a really good player, obviously, and knows what he wants in his teaching.  He was very helpful.  His english is not the best.  It's pretty fun :)

We talked about:
Mozart's 4th Horn Concerto:
-Clarity in slight separation of articulated notes on the same pitch.
-Singggg!  Long phrases :)
-Viel Luft!  (lots of air)
-character changes and a darker color
-not making short cluck-y notes... give them length.
-evenness of 16ths, length to slurred notes (they get lost)

Mozart Quintet:
-much of the same
-weight on the downbeats
-weight and tongue in heavier sections

Words that I learned in this session:
-Bindungen- slurs
-Begleitung- accompaniment
-Bogen- bow (of a phrase)

Words that he learned:   :)
-Breath/breathe
-take a break
-separation
-slur (slow? sloor? slur!)
-rushing
-whatever (as opposed to: what is ever)

Nächtes Stunde: Brahms Trio  :)

Inspiration

This is a quote that was from the welcome address at Boston Conservatory by Karl Paulnack that I thought was mighty inspiring.  So I thought I'd share it as a kick start when ever I (or you!) need it.  It gives me goosebumps every time I read it and a reason to keep working hard.


“If we were a medical school, and you were here as a med student practicing appendectomies, you’d take your work very seriously because you would imagine that some night at two AM someone is going to waltz into your emergency room and you’re going to have to save their life. Well, my friends, someday at 8 PM someone is going to walk into your concert hall and bring you a mind that is confused, a heart that is overwhelmed, a soul that is weary. Whether they go out whole again will depend partly on how well you do your craft.

You’re not here to become an entertainer, and you don’t have to sell yourself. The truth is you don’t have anything to sell; being a musician isn’t about dispensing a product, like selling used Chevies. I’m not an entertainer; I’m a lot closer to a paramedic, a firefighter, a rescue worker. You’re here to become a sort of therapist for the human soul, a spiritual version of a chiropractor, physical therapist, someone who works with our insides to see if they get things to line up, to see if we can come into harmony with ourselves and be healthy and happy and well."




Yea.  :)

Clean Start

For my first lesson with Manuel, I'd like to play Mozart 4.  First, because I think it's always best to play Mozart for teachers that I am unfamiliar with so that I can become familiar with them through something that I know well.  Second, because I worked on it all summer and I know it quite well now.  Third, I like it. :)  I've also been working on Mozart Horn Quintet quite a bit now, so I have that if he'd rather hear that.

My general horn playing goals:

-cleanliness 

-clear tonguing

-know scales and arpeggios completely

-expand comfort range 

-improve timing!!!!!!!!!

-musical flow

What I've been focusing on:

-I've been doing lots of arpeggios starting with low C arp and going up by half steps.  Along with this, I do the corresponding major scale.  While doing both of these, focusing on clarity of pings and if it's not clear, tongue placement.  I've never really thought a huge amount about my tongue placement because it is generally good.  However, I think trying new things with it can only help!  I'm really trying to keep my tongue at the tip of my teeth at all times.  I've been doing the arps really slowly, to make each note really clear and get the breaks down smoothly.  Then speeding it up to a quicker pace, still with clarity.  Repeat with the scales.  Once I finish all the major scales, I'll move on to minors.  

-I've been doing a lot of metronome work with my pieces.  In my lesson with Dale last week, I rushed all the little notes!!  And he nailed me for it!!!  I'm really watching all the little notes and listening to the metronome!

-Relax in the high range.  I've been blowing through the high notes (consciously).  I'd like to make it motor memory instead.  Everytime I crack or flail around, I go back with an open, flowing mind and blow through them.  It always works better. thanks Dale :)

-I must start recording my practice sessions and what I've got of each piece so far.  By hearing myself, I know what sounds messy so I know what needs to be clearer and cleaner.  I need some batteries for my recorder!  =P  I can also hear if it sounds natural or whether I'm pushing notes or twa twa-ing or if my timing isn't natural, etc.  

I'm gonna break out some excerpts tomorrow.  Tomorrow will be a long day of practice :)  So excited!!!!