Book of Etudes for Horn

Posted By on September 24, 2010

After having traveled the world far and wide, giving masterclasses and teaching privately, I have finally reached the point where I am ready to compose my own horn etude book. It has taken me a while to formulate a concept on just how I would like to put this work together. It seems to me that I need to address as many different levels of horn playing as possible. Thus, I have decided to write eight etudes for a “level 1″, which I am considering to be ages 12-16. Then I will compose eight etudes for “level 2″, being ages 17-20, eight etudes for “level 3″ or ages 21-24 and then eight etudes for professionals or “level 4″.

My plan is then to compose a duet, a trio and a quartet for each level. Mostly just a short piece which will be designed to help players at these levels learn and practice ensemble playing. I will also include an opening section on warming-up, including my own personal warm-up.

Now although I have worked with many students and professionals of different abilities and with different problems, I could still use a lot of input from those of you who have spent years in the “trenches of pedagogy.” I am well aware that this is a whole different world to the one I have been used to all these years. Therefore, I will be contacting several teachers who I know have “seen it all” and I will ask them about the specific problems that horn players in each of these levels encounter. I value experience very much! The trick will be to address these different problems, but at the same time, compose etudes which are beautiful, fun and interesting to work on. I have a feeling that I personally will wind up emphasizing the musical quality of the pieces. But we shall see.

The idea I have is to bind these 32 etudes and 12 ensemble pieces into a large volume with a heavy cover so that horn players can purchase a copy and then keep it and refer to it all their lives. I will keep you up-to-date about my progress on this opus.

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  1. kerryturner says:

    Hi Herve! Many teachers have asked me to include beginners. So I will try my best. Salut!