Gail Williams Horn Master Class Notes

University of Dayton - October 16, 2003

Compiled by Erin Schmidt

Below are comments from Gail Williams to 4 student performers ranging in age (High School to College). Many of her comments carry over to all horn players, no matter their age or ability.

Student A – F. Strauss “Concerto”

· Gail asked the student what was going through their head while they were playing. She suggested that we need to think more about the music…get rid of extraneous thoughts.

· Keep knees and legs loose and relaxed. If legs are tight, tension begins here and travels up through the body.

· Sing – check mark in music when you stop concentrating on singing. Go back, start over, and see if you can get past the mark.

· Inner pulse is the #1 key to good rhythm.

· In difficult passages, slur the notes together focusing on air column – then add the tongue.

Student B – Mozart “Concert Rondo”

· Gail suggested a more healthier breath – be aware of the sound you make when taking air in. If it has a high pitched sound (hee), this is not producing a good, relaxed breath. Gail said that we should have the same sound going in, as we want going out! An open breath (ohh), will take in a lot more air because we have a rounder opening, relaxed air passage and extended mouth cavity.

· For the mid-range, we need to have a firmer chin to anchor and separate the teeth. This will help produce a better sound quality in that range.

· Gail suggested buzzing as an excellent way to strengthen and center pitches. An “uh” shape on the lips is correct – do not have a tight smile.

· Below middle c, Gail suggested an “ooh” type syllable to help those lower notes focus better.

Student C – Jacob “Concerto”

· Gail suggested that we allow adrenalin flow to help us in our performances; don’t focus on the nerves but instead let the adrenalin flow help push you.

· For an optimal performance, don’t be so hard on yourself. Would you say what you said to yourself to others?

· “Air is Free! WASTE IT!” (my favorite quote of the day!)

· Tah – open release will mask breath, use a tah release.

· Give dynamics a number – 1,2,3,4, 5 etc… This will help you be more specific in knowing what degree of a dynamic you want to achieve. Learn to exaggerate the dynamics.

· Practice slurring passages so you know how to use air stream to get the notes.

· Buzzing – don’t let tongue get in the way in articulated passages. Buzzing will really show if a heavy tongue is impeding the air.

· Don’t allow long notes to get “goosed” (i.e. ballooned in the middle) – practice turning the long notes into slurred eighth notes…this will keep the air stream more steady.

· How much air does it take to hold a piece of paper to the wall while buzzing? A strong steady air stream will hold the paper better than a tension-filled, hard-as-you-can-blow air stream. Try this trick with students or yourself, and you will be amazed by the results this great visualization tool produces. In conclusion, the more you work, the more tension in the body and sound.

Student D – Duka “Villanelle”

· As a study, do opening on natural horn to see what kinds of colors are produced.

· Experiment and find contracts in articulations – i.e. how does a staccato þ compare to a tenuto þcompare to a tenuto staccato þ?

· The audience not only hears consonances (Tu, Du) for attacks, but hears the vowels that make up the body of the sound. In other words, don’t loose the body of the sound by only focusing on the attack.

· Warm-up Techniques – Everyone is different; therefore you need to individualize your own warm-up. Make sure to cover the basics every day. Include scales, slurs, articulations, etc…Make sure there is variety – do different articulations, slurs and cover different ranges. Buzz with the piano to help you be in tune.

· Warm-down after practice and/or concerts.

Gail’s Final Thoughts of the Day:

“Be your own Best Teacher!”

“Think in the right-brain (artistically) rather than allowing left-brain to interfere and think.”