My journey
My high school band consisted of approximately 30-something members. During my senior year, four of us played horn (there were six of us my junior year). I have some natural musical talent and was always easily first chair, partially due to a lack of competition. The only other semi-serious musicians were a trumpeter and a saxophonist. I used to joke with the trumpeter that one of us should switch instruments so that there would be someone there to challenge the other. But sometimes that’s what it takes for you to really excel at something — someone to push you a little farther, to keep you on your toes. I’ve realized the same goes for me.
Even in college, I didn’t push myself to be a great musician. I did improve as a horn player, that’s for certain, but I didn’t do much more in my horn studies than what was required of me (except for the time one horn instructor had me perform the first movement of the Hindemith Sonata during an X-Period recital). I pretty much coasted on my natural talent and occasionally supplemented it with practicing and never quite established a regular practice routine. It wasn’t until my last semester of school that a decent number of talented horn students/majors entered the picture (though there were a couple during my freshman and sophomore years). So during the years between, based on my skills, I was basically guaranteed a spot in the wind ensemble (and certainly in the orchestra… it was just me and one other guy for at least two years).
It wasn’t until after I graduated that I became more serious about my horn playing. Perhaps it’s because as an amateur player amongst college students in the local symphony and horn club, I felt I needed to work harder. Some of the improvements in my playing in the years since graduating from college include:
- A stronger, fuller, and more supported sound
- Ability to double tongue
- More solidity and confidence in upper and lower ranges
I still have some areas that need improvement, including:
- Developing a regular practice routine
- Working on intonation and pitch centering
- Learning to do lip trills
- Maintaining endurance
Fortunately, the first goal is a big step in achieving the other three. I’m also hoping that studying with a teacher will help me to continue making improvements in my playing, and I’m working on finding one.
