How to Learn French Horn at Home by Yourself
The French Horn is a very unique instrument that is capable of producing an equally unique sound. While most people tend to focus on the more popular instruments, there are people that tend to gravitate to other instruments. The French Horn tends to be found mainly as part of an orchestra or symphony, unlike many of the other instruments in the brass family such as the trumpet, trombone, coronet, and trumpet. Fortunately, for anyone looking to pick up the French Horn and learn how to play, there are a number of methods.
Read: Methods To Learn French Horn Quickly
For this article, we focused heavily on the ones that make it easy for a person to learn for themselves online. So, we did a lot of research and came up with our top 5 methods and included some helpful tips, as well.
5 Methods on How to Learn French Horn at Home by Yourself
1) Online Musical Instrument Tutoring
Face to face instruction is one of the most recognized ways of learning how to play musical instruments. The Internet and today’s technology makes it much more convenient and easier to work with a tutor online. Using technologies like Skype and Facetime you can pay for sessions of their time.
2) Music Instrument Instructional Books
Today’s digital technology makes it easy to find help instructional e-books online. These digital books are the same type of “How To” books that have been available in libraries and books stores for decades. They offer step by step instructions with full-color pictures and diagrams.
3) YouTube Videos Online
By far the cheapest of all of the methods that we were able to find would be the “How To” videos. One of the best sources for these videos would be YouTube.com, with its massive database of more than a billion video clips that were posted by individuals. These homemade videos cover the gamut of topics. By searching for French Horn lessons you are likely to come across thousands of useful videos.
ArtistWorks.com is one of the most popular and well-known online musical instrument sites. It is a membership-style website and as a paid member you have access to the database that has thousands of lessons on video. ArtistWorks put together a comprehensive list of more than 200 professional musicians that have created numerous video-based lessons. These lessons are all very easy to watch and follow.
5) Udemy French Horn Lessons Online
The Internet also is the home to several university-style training courses. A website called Udemy is one of the most popular on the Internet. They have a database filled with thousands of training courses that cover a very wide range of topics. A quick search of the database reveals three different levels of courses. As a paid student, you will be able to access all of the course material that is available 24-7 online. Each of the courses taught by instructors that have knowledge and experience of playing the French Horn at the highest level.
7 Tips to Follow to Play the French Horn Better
- Playing the French Horn is 90% in your head
The lion share of what it takes to master a musical instrument like the French Horn is knowing what it should sound like when you are playing it. In order to achieve this, you need to do a lot of research. Get hold of as much music that features the French Horn and study it.
- Develop an ear for sound
Having a critical ear will really help you, in the long run, to be able to make necessary changes in your playing in order to get the best overall results. If you are not able to tell that your sound is not at its best you are far less likely to be able to make the right corrections.
- Breathing properly is important
Like all instruments in the brass family of instruments, you play the French Horn by blowing into the mouthpiece. It is also very important for you to be able to control the quality of your breathing. You will get the best results when you are relaxed and you are able to produce a lot more air in your lungs.
- Consistency in your practice time
In order to continuously improve your playing ability, it is highly recommended that you get plenty of practice time. However, it is further suggested that you break down your practice times to several smaller sessions. You should not limit yourself to two longer sessions as you will likely not get the same results. It will truly pay off in the long run if you consistently play a little bit every day.
- Don’t get discouraged too easily
Do not allow yourself to get too discouraged if things do not go as well as you would like. It is too easy for you to think that you may never get the hang of it if you become discouraged. You want to resist the temptation to go too fast just in case you are not able to get it right away.
- Setting realistic goals
In order to prevent yourself from getting discouraged you should always set a number of small goals. By setting smaller goals that are realistic, you can help to prevent yourself from getting discouraged. If you are having trouble reaching the initial goals that you have set up for yourself, you should try adjusting them and consider micro-goals. Once you are able to get on track you may be able to readjust them sometime down the road.
- Be in the moment every time you play
In order to get the absolute best results from each and every session, you need to be sure that you are in the right frame of mind. Be sure that you are giving all of your attention to your playing, this will ensure that you are able to be critical enough of your playing to be sure that you can make any necessary corrections.
Steps to Self-Taught French Horn
Music is a big part of most cultures in the United States and it makes up a huge part of the cultural identity of all areas of the country. While many areas have a clear style of music that the majority of the people identify with, that does not mean that you are not able to decide which instrument that fits you best. If you have made up your mind that the French Horn is the right instrument for you then you do have some options.
We hope that we covered enough of them in this article to help you come up with a way for you to learn that fits in with your situation. We also hope that the tips we included as a bonus come in handy to help you get the most out of your playing experience.