The Kopprasch Zone

An extensive online collection of original resources for horn players of all levels, horn teachers, and music educators

John Q. Ericson
Kopprasch # 10

Introduction
Kopprasch was a relatively minor player and teacher of the early nineteenth century he but did have a vision of the future of horn technique and acted upon it. The resulting etudes are timeless classics that have been passed from teacher to student by generations of hornists, an essential teaching material for horn (and brass) teachers worldwide. Above all they are practical and effective etudes for teaching articulations and transpositions; it is in this spirit that these articles are presented.

The articles in this section cover a variety of topics related to horn playing; the common link between them is that they have either been published in some form in a professional journal for horn players or music educators or they are articles that I use frequently in my teaching in the horn studio at Arizona State University. (Several of the published articles, it should be noted, have been revised for online publication). Many of these articles have their roots in course notes written originally for use in a two semester brass pedagogy class taught at Tunghai University in Taiwan during the 1995-96 academic year, notes that were expanded considerably during 1998-2001 as course notes for the horn techniques (methods) classes that I taught to music education students at the Crane School of Music, State University of New York College at Potsdam, and also for my horn students in horn repertoire and horn pedagogy classes there and also now at ASU.
Published articles--of interest to younger students and methods classes

Embouchure 101
Notes on the basics of a well-formed horn embouchure

Embouchure 201
More notes for developing a well-formed embouchure

Buzzing on the Mouthpiece
A great way to work on range, tone, and accuracy

Notes on Breathing and Use of Air
Take a large breath!

Tuning the Double Horn
With additional notes on playing in tune. It is essential to know how to tune your horn.

Understanding Stopped and Muted Horn and Right-Hand Position
Stopped horn should not be a mystery. This is one of the most important posts in the entire series, where I attempt to bring together several related topics in a way that brings clarity to the issues at hand.

Lip Balms
Do we love our lips too much?

Published articles--of interest to more advanced students and performers

Placing Pitch "in the Pocket"
Notes on pitch placement and more

The Assistant First Horn in Orchestra and Band
Not there to play the boring stuff! The assistant horn is an essential member of any high level horn section.

Playing the Descant Horn
Basics on the use of the horn in high F. One of the most frequently accessed articles in this website.

How Bells are Cut
"Don't try this at home"

Studio materials--of interest to advanced horn students

Horn Solo Works
My list of the most important and frequently performed solo works and soloistic chamber works in our repertoire, works every advanced horn student should be familiar with

Horn Etudes and Methods
A very brief survey--my favorites in the studio

Orchestral Excerpt Checklist
Specific excerpts frequently requested at auditions which every advanced horn player should know well ["the long version"]

Horn Excerpt Checklist
Used in the horn studio at Arizona State University (PDF file) ["the short version"]

Excerpt Books
Get the parts! But get a couple of the best excerpt books too.

Common French and German Musical Terms
Don't just guess at what important musical terms mean!

Selected Horn Pedagogy Resources
A few of my favorite resources; these should be in the library of all advanced horn students

Octave Designation System Used in These Articles

Bonus articles

Audition Central
Notes on auditions and preparation for professional auditions

Suggested Horns, Mouthpieces, and Mutes
My favorites within the price range of students and amateurs

A Top Ten Horn CD List
My list of recommended horn CDs

Recent conference presentation handouts

Striving for Tone
Practical methods to improve tone on the horn (PDF file)

Horns for Beginners and Converts
PDF file, a summary of the various options

Introducing the Horn MUSIC EDUCATORS: Be sure to check out

Introducing the Horn: Essentials for New Hornists and Their Teachers.

Covers in one volume the range of performance-related topics that are the most essential in giving a new hornist a good start. The ideal resource book for beginners, those converting to the horn, and music educators. 22 pages.

Available from Horn Notes Edition

The Horn Notes Blog has many items of interest to teachers, students, and performers of the horn. Check the categories list, including especially the categories "Beginners and the Horn," "Horn Teaching," "Horn Study," and "Horn Playing." Or do a search for any topic of interest using the search box in the footer of the blog.

For more information on topics for beginners also please visit my brief online resource, Getting Started on the Horn.

I am also working on several new publications that relate to the development of technique for Horn Notes Edition to be released in 2008-09.

All writings copyright John Q. Ericson. All rights reserved; please read the copyright information.

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