How to Destroy your Embochure
quickly and with efficacy

 

The French Horn Player's embouchure is usually very sensible, so, I decided to include here some tips to help you to destroy-it, quickly and with efficacy.

1. Warming up, just when it's cold (In the Winter).

2. Even if you decide to warm-up, make sure you start with lots of high notes.

3. You can always warm-up, playing with another French Horn player, half ton difference scales.

4. Study is for dummies, lets play, play, play...

5. Make sure your food has lots of salt and species..

6. If you can't play a single note, try to push the mouthpiece against your lips, certainly, you will get the note

7. Never play with the same mouthpiece...change it every day.

8. Start your warm-up with "Maximme Alphonse" Vol.6. (especially if you are a beginner)

9. Make lots of experiences with your embouchure (especially before an big audition or an exam).

10. If you feel your lips cold, start your warm-up with baroque music (is faster than a micro-wave).

11. Never clean your mouthpiece, if you decide to do-it, do-it one day before the concert (or one hour, doesn't mater, it has the same effect...)

12. To more efficient, this last "exercise" should be completed with a nice cleaning of the mouthpiece.

13. If you have herpes, you better play on another French Horn Player's mouthpiece ...

14. If you don't have herpes, ask for a borrow mouthpiece to someone who has...

15. I enjoy especially this "exercise". You wont need your brains, you just need a changeable mouthpiece. Take out the rim and play directly on the cup. If you combine this "exercise", with one of above (for example make lots of press)...I may sure you, you wont be able to play for a few day... If you combine it with all this exercises....well...in that case you wont have to care about your embouchure again: it will be destroyed for a long time.

 

Ricardo Matosinhos :-)

(Last Update: 22/08/2002)