Lesson with Yi Man
by Yi Man
English version
一个好的嘴型可以帮助演奏者更好的节省并运用气息，让圆号初学者在发展道路中走的更长远。
为了使嘴部肌肉能最大化的帮助演奏，我们几乎同时需要用到图二所示的四块肌肉并根据演奏片段的难易、音量、音的高低决定四块肌肉的松紧和使用量。同时这四块肌肉也是四个固定点，用力的同时也固定住我们的圆号嘴形，不轻易改变我们的震动点。
大家可以将自己想象成鸟一样（如图一），将嘴四周的肌肉都向前集中在一点上；也可以想象自己在亲嘴（如图三）特别注意唇边四块肌肉都是在原有基础嘴型的基础上向中间集中发力。因此，不要撅嘴、外翻。
为了练习巩固这四块肌肉的使用，我们日常可以添加一个小练习，如图二，四块肌肉同时向中间用力集中直到无法再紧绷的状态，并一直保持，直至肌肉酸痛发抖唇部无力支撑再休息。一天尽可能的循环多练习，这样对唇部肌肉是一种很好的锻炼个有助于我们演奏高音和增强耐力。
War Horns
Gail Williams Interview
No newsletter devoted to IHS48 would be complete without hearing from Ithaca College’s most famous horn graduate, Gail Williams. In a career that has included the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Summit Brass, the World Orchestra for Peace, and professorship at Northwestern University, to name just a few highlights, she has shared her formidable musical expertise as a performer and clinician all over the world. In this interview, she treats us to reminiscences from her time as a student at Ithaca College, tells us what we have to look forward to in the natural beauty of Ithaca’s surroundings, and gives excellent advice on many aspects of a successful career and balanced lifestyle. Enjoy! -KMT
Kristina Mascher-Turner: How did you come to choose the horn in the first place?
Gail Williams: My mom suggested I try the horn since I was left-handed. She had a rule that we (my two brothers and I) all play different instruments…so I got the horn.
KMT: Can you tell us about your teacher at Ithaca College, Jack Covert? What was it like studying with him?
GW: Mr. Covert was the most important person in my musical upbringing. He taught me the technique of the horn and the history of our instrument, exposed me to great horn players and great repertoire. But most importantly, he structured my horn playing by building a strong base. I had never had a horn lesson till my first lesson with Mr. Covert!
KMT: Ithaca, New York, is situated in a place of natural beauty, and you have a love of the great outdoors. Did this love begin while studying at Ithaca College, or had it always been a part of you?
GW: I have always loved the outdoors. Growing up on a beautiful Holstein farm in western New York State, Ithaca was a BIG city for me!
KMT: Do you have some special memories of your student days at IC that you can share with our readers?
GW: Ithaca is where I really fell in love with music. I had never really heard an orchestra or chamber music before then. On the first recital Mr. Covert gave during my freshman year, the program was the three B’s: Berkeley, Banks, and Brahms! I do also have to tell you that because I was new to “music life,” I balanced my life in Ithaca by spending time with my friends from my Holstein upbringing at the Cornell campus and their football games!
KMT: While you were a student at IC, you already started successfully taking auditions. How did you prepare?
GW: I didn’t really study any excerpts while I was at IC. I had to learn music and horn first! Too many students never learn the correct technique before beginning to play excerpts. I am so grateful to Mr. Covert that I played many etudes to form my background, my long base, so that I could pull from that base for orchestral playing.
Welcome from Marcus Bonna
It is with great satisfaction that we announce the 2nd publication of IHS E- Newsletter this year.
Coming soon, the 48th International Horn Symposium will be held in the beautiful city of Ithaca (June 13-18 ) in the State of New York . I'll be there eager to meet as many horn players as possible, and I am sure it will be an event full of new things and unforgettable performances.
I highlight in this issue the interview with the celebrated internationally renowned horn player, Gail Williams, graduate of Ithaca College, a pedagogical article from Peter Luff and a report with Dan Vidican of Lukas Horns.
I hope you do not miss your chance to register for the Ithaca Symposium and come enjoy the greatest Meeting of horn players of the year 2016 !!!
Until then,
Marcus Bonna
Advisory Council Member
International Horn Society
Some Important Aspects of Horn Playing
by Will Sanders
Over thirty years of teaching horn I have developed a unique philosophy and technical routine for playing and practicing horn. The exercises that I have created or use have been well thought-out and each exercise is designed to train and build varied aspects of horn playing in the most productive way possible. The main and most important element to successfully learning and mastering the horn is free flowing air. One must achieve a feeling of releasing the air instead of holding, pressing or squeezing the air. I try to avoid the word “support”, because it tends to imply that the air rubs, is held or is tense.
The horn methods of Farkas and Jacobs are good philosophies; however, good teaching is not something that can really be written down because there are almost as many different ways of playing the horn as there are hornplayers. People are so different and therefore the method of teaching must change from person to person.
Horn technique is built from the ground upwards in every aspect starting with posture and breathing. How the head is held in relation to the body can affect embouchure muscles and therefore it is very important that one stands in the most balanced, comfortable and relaxed way to allow the right muscles to develop. Good posture also ensures and helps build a strong and deep breathing technique. Alexander and Qi Gong techniques are very good for developing good posture and I have studied both of these myself for years. Once good airflow is achieved, with the diaphragm swinging freely, air should be concentrated on the lips to ensure that they swing freely. When the body is relaxed and in balance, one can start working on holding the horn correctly and placing it on the lips with the correct angle, low, relaxed shoulders and lip proportions. This has a lot to do with the anatomy of the person and is for every person different.
Tom Greer — Moosewood
Meet Your Makers
The names “Tom Greer” and “Moosewood” are sometimes linked together, sometimes not! Moosewood Mouthpieces have been in circulation since 1990, when Tom and his wife Susie McCrea returned to the United States from orchestral positions overseas.
The first mouthpieces crafted by Tom were made while he was with the San Diego Symphony. Trial and error resulted in MANY mouthpiece “attempts” being scrapped. One of those NOT tossed, a freehand Dell’Osa-pattern #3 bore, remained in Jerry Folsom’s Kruspe for the rest of his career. The Moosewood JF3 was the first professionally-dedicated mouthpiece Tom created. Factors considered were Jerry’s tone color, his physical attributes and that it was to complement a Kruspe. Jerry’s intense and very musical style made this horn/mouthpiece pairing a considerable success.
As there were no “mouthpiece-crafting academies” it was vital to learn the elements of machining. Tom set to the task on a Navy surplus Atlas/Craftsman lathe. Through the famous “Atlas Craftsman Manual of Lathe Operation” and a subscription to “The Home Shop Machinist” he discovered the meaning of “autodidact”. Tooling for mouthpiece production is not available through machine supply houses. These pieces, tapered reamers, shaped cutters and cup contour tools, have to be custom-made. Tom taught himself how to machine steel tools, as in the 1800s, hardening them for use. He set up a hibachi with a forced-air “bellows” (hair dryer), bringing the metal up to correct temperature, hardening them through oil or water quenching. These same tools, some cut to reproduce older Geyer and Chambers contours, are still in daily use after 25 years. The backbore tools were made in the same way, and are still sharp and hard. Template patterns for more than 300 personal rim contours were collected over time; these patterns can enable hand reproduction, though it takes a lot of care.
Interview of the Month: Rose French
Access to music and musical training can change lives, especially for inner-city youth. In this fascinating interview, Phoenix-based professional horn player, teacher, book author, and IHS exhibits coordinator Dr. Rose French shares her experiences at Rosie's House. Want to know what that is? Read on and let yourself be inspired! -KMT
Kristina Mascher-Turner: What was the impulse behind your interest in helping out underprivileged children in the first place?
Rose French: I was very fortunate to learn about Rosie’s House just after I had moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 2003. At first it was not as apparent to me why Rosie’s House is such an important place, but as I started to teach there, it reminded me of what a profound impact music and my music teachers had on my childhood. The truth is that I did not grow up any different from my students: I went to Head Start, a government program that provides comprehensive early education, health, nutrition, and family services to poverty-level children and their families. When it came time to pick an instrument in school, my parents could not afford to rent an instrument, which is how I ended up starting with the horn, since the school provided them. As a senior in high school, I finally purchased my own horn after auditioning at Duquesne University, sending a check every week for $50 to Bill Caballero from my job working at Sears! Fortunately, later in the year won a scholarship from my local symphony that helped me pay for the rest of the instrument.
From growing up in a small town in central Pennsylvania, I feel really fortunate to have the life and the experiences that I have had already, however it’s the education that makes all the difference. It’s important for me to show my students that it they can use the life skills that they learn from playing the horn to apply to their lives and to be whatever they want.
KMT: How did the founding of Rosie's House come about? Can you tell us a bit about the mission and scope of the activities?
RF: Rosie’s House is committed to playing a pivotal role in a child’s future and strengthening our community. Founded in 1996 by Rosie Schurz, a German immigrant, the Academy was established in a small home in an impoverished neighborhood in Central Phoenix, Arizona. Rosie’s goal was to create a save haven for youth to express their creativity and pursue their dreams.
