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High range development is nearly universally a major goal of students of the horn. There are a lot of approaches out there to consider carefully.
An embouchure focused approach
Philip Farkas in The Art of French Horn Playing felt that the most critical element in developing the high range was the embouchure.
The very highest notes demand, above all else, a strong, well-developed embouchure. This muscular strength is gained, as in all physical endeavor, by constant exercise of the muscles involved. Therefore, the first requisite of a good high register is to play in it often enough and long enough.
Besides reminders about avoiding mouthpiece pressure and to use plenty of air, he presents the following as his central embouchure related idea.
As it is of utmost importance in obtaining a free sound in the high notes, let me again reiterate that the tension comes in toward the center from the corners of the mouth and not from a clamping together of the upper and lower lips. Keep the lower jaw and chin down!
The diaphragm is very important in this high register. The lip opening is of such small size and the tension of the lips so strong that there is considerably more resistance to the air-stream than is found in the middle register. Therefore, in ascending to the highest notes, one has almost to make a crescendo with the air in order to avoid making a diminuendo in sound. This is accomplished by steadily increasing the pressure underneath the diaphragm. At this time, good use can also be made of the definite striving to allow the air to escape through the lips with very little impedance.
A folksy analogy
Farkas was a firm believer in this approach and explains it further with a typical folksy analogy later in the chapter, where he states
Finally, but very important to the success of obtaining high notes easily, there is the knack of lipping the notes up or down with almost a “flick” of the lip … inside the mouthpiece … a “mouthing” such as a goldfish makes; a “mouthing” similar to saying a series of the letter “P”, P-P-P-P-P, however, without ever closing the lips entirely. The result, when properly done, produces a slur from note to note which jumps into place so easily that there is almost no effort connected with it….
Airstream direction as a key element
Other teachers would react to this advice as certainly his advice goes against the idea of rolling the lip down or in, including for example just a few years later Gunther Schuller. He states in Horn Technique that
The direction of the air stream is controlled by the jaw and teeth positions I have described…. Obviously, a slightly forward position of the lower teeth will direct the air more horizontally, while a receding jaw position will point the air stream correspondingly lower. Such jaw movements also alter the angle of the mouthpiece in relation to the air stream. It is in this connection that I have found a slight ‘riding up’ on the upper lip for the extreme high register very helpful. It too helps to direct the air stream in a more vertical line, at a reflection point in the cup which is closer to the rim than to the bore.
I believe that Schuller is getting at a more physiologically accurate approach in his desire for the air stream to hit a more vertical position as you approach the high range.
However, there is more to high range production than muscle and air. When we return to this series we will have more on the topic from Milan Yancich and Fred Fox.
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