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One book of studies many Horn Matters readers undoubtedly own is Maxime-Alphonse book 6. The etudes, besides being very difficult, are also very long. There is a tip given in the book itself, however, as to how to use this book.
The idea presented in the “Note” [Foreword] by the author** is that you are to work on the etudes in short sections as technical studies. Each short section, between the letters, is an exercise. There are suggestions given as to how many times to repeat any specific exercise. As to the etude as a whole, “Playing them through from start to finish should be considered a goal of highest virtuosity.”
This is an example from etude 6. The whole etude in one blow would be quite a chore, but breaking it down as suggested in the preface turns this into a very workable and even enjoyable group of technical exercises. His goal being to combine the exercises in a manner to give them “a melodic shape which will make practice attractive and avoid any monotony.”
Get out your book 6 and explore it anew as a series of short technical studies, you can get a lot from it.
**See Maxime-Alphonse, International Man of Mystery for more on the author.
