In the grind with Arbans

Summer work

I love the summer, you can get really deep in your playing and we tend to have more time to really pull things apart. For me it is more of the same honestly, Arbans, Schlossberg, etc. BUT the fun part… more of it!! Below is my current regime for the AM.

Summer lesson deal. I am also running a deal on online lessons right now Learn more below (it is a pretty solid discount, and limited space) (40% off single lessons, 50% off bookings of 4)

LEARN MORE

The Session

Arbans (any missed note is isolated and attacked 2 times on air and 3 times with tongue)

  • First studies: 1 page a day. (Different keys or pick a key of the day, play in all registers)

  • Flexibility: 16/17/18/19. Down an octave.

  • Syncopation: 1 page a day (Play in all registers)

  • Chromatics: Pick 2 or 3 exercises. Play those in all registers back to back. So you should get one exercise in 3 octaves, rest between each exercise, but not registers.

  • Slurring or legato: no.13, 14, and

  • Intervals: no.1 Pick a few lines, play all variations

  • Double tonguing: Pick 5 or 6 exercises

  • Slur and double tongue: Pick a few exercises (remember you can take them into different registers)

  • The Art of Phrasing - Pick one or two

  • Kopprasch players choice.

That is it. It is a slog, throw on a movie or something if you need to.






A session on the road

Just not while you drive…

I am currently up in Edmonton right now, taught a masterclass yesterday and Timepoint has a show this afternoon. Which leaves the always somewhat complicated playing away from home scenario. For context this was my morning… in an AirBnb with a practice mute. I have a few “warm and fuzzy” sessions I like, this is one of them.

Play everything BIG, not sound wise, tone wise, even with the mute, find that big phat sound.

The Session

  • Soft buzzing, really soft, find that spot where are and sound meet and dance around on it.

    • mostly simple tones, move slowly, soft, and phat.

  • Louis Maggio - Warm up A (Max 15 min)

    • Extend it down, LOW. Always a big phat sound, don’t move past the note until it is exactly how it should be (hense the max 15 min.)

  • Expanding intervals from the best note (15 min max)

    • I start on a G and play it several times, long tones. Then expand up a semi tone and copy the sound, Then return to the note and move down a semitone. Do things like:

      • Play the non-best note for a quarter note, slur back to the best note, slur back to the other note.

      • DON’T GO PAST A NOTE UNTIL IT IS TOTALLY EVEN

  • Slurs into scales. (Up and down)

    • I did this in a recent practice log here is how it works.

      • Start on Harmonic 2, go up the horn ala the Farkas lipslurs.

      • Reaching the top (for up version (harm 16 or 12, and bottom harm 2 for descending) Switch to the scale pattern to return to the starting note.

      • Scale Pattern all slurred (adapt it to work if you only go to harm 12):

        • Descend 1 octave, small fermata on the pitch,

        • Slur up to the Dominant (so if we are on F horn series C to C, slur up to G) then descend 1 octave. small fermata on the pitch.

        • Slup up to the Tonic (C for F horn series) descend 1 octave….

        • etc. So if you only go to harmonic 12, you start the pattern doing the scale from the

        • note: you don’t always need to do Tonic-Dominant. Work your ears.. do things like… Subtonic slurred way back up to supdominant, etc. You are working on intonation in chord resolutions, so, do that in many ways.

You are done… again this is a road session, it is quick, it works on some crucial parts of playing, but also gets some sensitivity into the chops right away.

Share, comment, like it is greatly appreciated.

Practice session - General morning

Today’s session is another mixed bag. It isn’t based around anyone book, it is “practice aid heavy” but that is alright. It is also going to be a pretty quick one, so lets go.

The Session

  • Breathing exercises (5 min)

    • Inhalation with a Triflo

      • 4 reps with each ball

    • Peak flow meter 8 reps going for target

  • Long Tones (pick 4 pitches, do them in all octaves with hairpins)

    • Do these with a tuner or pitch visualizer for stability

  • Scales numbers are scale degrees

    • 1-5-1-5-1-9-5-9-5-9-1-3-5-8-10-12-10-8-5-3-1 (in 16th notes, various articulations, pick several scales)

    • Major Pentatonic scales over 3 octaves

    • Whole tone scale from G over the entire range of the horn slurred and tongued

    • 1 octave descending scales with flutter tongue, going over the break

  • Lip slurs (recorded and reviewed.)

    • Farkas style

      • Play the quarter note version that starts on middle C (or Harm 5 of whatever valve combo you are using) complete the exercise. Take a deep breath and do the 8th note version from the bottom (harm 2)

  • Etude

    • Kopprasch no.13 with repeats

      • As written and down the ocatve.


That is it, another quick and focused one, the next post will be some insight into why I don’t have a set routine. So until then, happy horning.




A mixed bag session

This session is another one I hit every so often, or version of it. Details below

If you haven’t seen I have started a project related to this one called “practice logs”, it is a project where I am aiming to upload one of my sessions a day. I am trying to make sure those sessions are similar to these. For days like yesterday when I was in rehearsal all day, there may end up not having an upload since no one wants to read a list of rep I worked on with measure numbers. The button below will take you there.


The Session

  • Breathing and light stretching, incorporate breathing exercises into stretching.

  • Bodet Daily Exercises no.1 - Follow instructions, go only as far as is controlled plenty of time to work on the high range.

  • Bodet Daily Exercises no.3 - Follow instructions, max 15 minutes, same thing with range, go only as far as necessary. (I recommend transposing the exercise down a fourth. Or play as written, your call.)

  • Break (5 - 10 minutes)

    • Stretch, setup practice logs for the day, goals, etc. Make the time active.

  • Clarke Setting up drills Group 1

  • Laurie Frink - An Integrated Warm-up - Part I

  • Break (5 minutes)

  • Brass Gym - Lip Flips

  • Brophy - Technical Studies for solving… - Low register exercises 1 - 4

  • Etudes

  • Lead sheet work (couple tunes)

Another short and sweet one. I usually use this one in the morning (or one similar looking) I find it nice and straight forward, and it works well for me.

Happy Horning.

3 duets inspired by Concone and Bordogni
CA$1.50
Add To Cart

First session of the day with Plog

Today I am going to share my session out of the Plog books, it was how I started my day and thought it was a good candidate for the blog today.

There is a bit more writing today, since certain aspects need to be explained (exercise no.4b as an example)

About the books, they are broken into sections. For example in Book 1 you will see more than one no.1, BUT it will in a diff grouping of warm up I, or II, etc. I tried to make it clear below, when you see a section show up stay in that section until a new one is mentioned in bold.

The Session

  • Constructive rest (Alexander Technique) (Learn about it here if you haven’t studied Alexander)

  • Breathing Exercises- I did the following ones

    • 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

    • Inhale therapy - sips - Exhale therapy x 2

      • First time with a total seal, second time with a leak.

  • Bill Adams long tones (not the advanced set) Start on a G in the staff, one tone at a time work your way outwards (G,F#,Ab,F,A,etc..) until G.

  • Plog Bk.1 -Warm up exercises I - 1a/c/e/g

    • Variation - do cells on the B horn only, the f horn only, and normal.

    • Buzz some (On a BERP if you have one)

  • Plog Bk.1 - 2b/d

    • Extend these patterns by repeating the last two notes down the octave

  • Take a short rest, stretch something that is tight.

  • Plog Bk.1 - 4a/b

    • 4a - first 3 notes are lip slurs, start F0 go all the way down through the B horn.

    • 4b - first 5 notes are lip slurs, as are the final 7 (only 1 not isn’t) on the F horn versions. The B horn harmonics don’t work for the same patter once you hit the written F so lip slur what you can but do those all on the B horn.

  • Plog Bk.1 - Warm up exercises II - 1a/b/d

    • All normal fingerings.

  • Plog Bk.1 - Warm up exercises III - 2b/c/d

  • Plog Bk.1 - Warm up Etude no.1

  • Take another short rest, stretch something out.

  • Plog Bk.5 - No.1

    • Use your own judgment how much of this one you do., there are TONS OF PATTERNS, don’t forget about the B horn, transpose some down the octave, they still work. Some of these can get wicked high with the B horn.

      • My usuall approach is play as written startign on 123 and working up and through the B horn all the way to T0. THEN do it down the octave SLOWLY on the F horn.

  • Plog Bk.5 - no.8

    • The third line only.

  • Plog Bk.5 - no.9

    • First line only.

  • Rest

  • Plog Bk.5 - no.9

    • Third line

  • Plog Bk.5 - Flexibility Etude no.4

    • After you get through it, if you don’t need to work on parts of it, repeat the first phrase down the octave

That is it, that is all.

Happy horning.

3 horn duets inspired by Concone and Bordogni