Question:
After playing the horn for 10 years, I have decided to tackle Schumann's Adagio & Allegro. As a senior performance major, I consider myself in pretty good chop shape, from regular practice and tons of rehearsal. Yet I am struggling by the second page this piece. I am having horrible endurance issues with this piece, and am looking for some new insight.
So, how do you survive Adagio & Allegro?
Sincerely,
Jess Santiago
Kendall Betts' Answer:
Pretty good chop shape is not good enough for this, and many other,pieces. Rehearsals generally break you down, not build you up. What you need is a strict, athletic regimen in order to build your endurance beyond what you need in order to "tackle" the major repertoire as well as survive orchestral/band rehearsals and performances.
Requirements for endurance (and good playing in general) are:
- A fast, controlled air stream as a result of flexible, strong abdominal muscles performing at their optimum.
- Perfect embouchure mechanics, especially in the upper register.
- Hours of sensible practice to, but not over, your physical limits on a daily basis over a long time.
With this in mind, analyze what you have been doing. Keep a log of your practice/rehearsal/performance times noting what you practiced/played and for how long. Log your breaks as well. You might be surprised at the amount of playing you do in a typical rehearsal. I've sat through many orchestral rehearsals when my total playing time in a 2 to 3 hour service added up to 5 to 10 minutes! And that was loud playing on a cold lip. As I said, rehearsals tend to break you down, not build you up. What you want is a clear picture: how much playing of what and for how long each day. Be honest! Once you have logged a week or two, analyze it. Where can you add practice time, and to what?
A typical daily regimen for a serious student practicing 2-3 hours a day should look something like this:
- 20-45 minutes F horn warm up such as Farkas
- 30-60 minutes etudes, some or all on F horn, such as Kopprasch, Kling, Gallay, Gugel, Belloli, Reynolds depending on "where you are at" technically.
- 20-45 minutes technical routines such as scales, arpeggios, broken arpeggios, chordal arpeggios (for ear training), Clarke, Arban, Singer or other technical materials.
- 20-45 minutes long tones: pp<ff>pp; ff>pp<ff: holding pp, holding ff. (Don't do LT's higher than you have control. Adding a half-step to your range every other week is a sensible goal here.)
- 30-60 minutes repertoire: solos, excerpts, orchestral parts, etc.
If you can get to a point where you are practicing 2 hours a day minimum and still survive your rehearsals, you will be in decent shape. Get to three hours practice by adding short segments of time, 5 minutes to one of the above groups each or every other or every third day over a period of weeks but DON'T OVERDO IT!!! You also need to make adjustments using your common sense if you do have a heavy repertoire rehearsal/performance schedule. Always pace yourself and put it away for the day before you do any damage!
Amateurs and young players, start with a one hour goal by cutting the minimums listed above in half or more for starters.
I used the above criteria when I was a student at Curtis. As a pro, I was always making adjustments but tried always for a one hour minimum F horn practice segment each day. Now, semi-retired from playing, I need about two hours a day to "stay in shape" and about one hour a day "not to lose it." If I lay off, which I do for long periods now, I need two weeks to get it back: 10 minutes the first day, 20 the second, 30 the third, etc., adding routines and etudes every day to get back to my two hours "in shape" lip. I also practice pretty much exclusively on the F horn to get/stay in shape. Once I have a "minimum" lip, I start with Kopprasch and play through them until I get tired, noting what I did and for how long. The next day, I try to add another 5-10 minutes and so forth. Once done with Kopprasch, I go to Kling, then to Belloli, Gallay, etc. In about two weeks, I'm practicing two hours straight and have a good lip ready for anything.
My best wishes to all for success in their careers!
Kendall Betts