Index to Horn Etudes

By Jeffrey Agrell


The horn is blessed with a wealth of etudes that cover almost any musical and technical demand. This list of etudes builds on the recommendations of Kristin Thelander, Douglas Hill, Philip Farkas, and Arthur Berv (from their books and articles) and organizes etude content according to subject for convenience of use. Difficulty levels are given, but are reduced to two: (relatively!) easier etudes for first exposure and advanced etudes. Occasionally orchestral and solo excerpts are added to flesh out certain of the categories, and there is some thievery from the trumpets - no foolish consistencies here. The list is meant to be a beginning rather than an end and is not comprehensive.

Accuracy
Primary level
Farkas, Art of French Horn Playing, p. 69
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: No. 18, 24
Brophy, Technical Studies: p. 24
Decker, Master Series (IVASI): 11B

Advanced level
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Etudes, Bk 4: 1, Bk. 5: 19
Reynolds, 48 Etudes - any (esp. 7, 11, 13, 19, 20)
Schuller, Studies for Unaccompanied Horn - any (esp. 4, 6, 9, 13)

Arpeggios
Primary
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 13, 17, 57
Singer, Embouchure Building p. 9-18
Basler. Etudes, Vol. 1: 3

Advanced
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 14
Arban, …Method:- Interval Studies: 51-60
Basler, Etudes, Vol. 2: 48 (diminished)
Dufrasne Routine


Atonal/12-tone
Primary
Decker, Intermediate Serial Studies for Trumpet (any)
Edlund, Modus Novus [not horn etudes, but a good source atonal reading material]

Advanced
Falk, 20 Etudes Atonales (any)
Reynolds, 48 Etudes (any)
Bravura style
Primary
Gallay, 22 Studies: any

Advanced
Barboteu, Etudes Classiques pour Cor: 11, 13, 21
Gallay, 12 Studies, op 57, No. 1, 4, 6, 9, 11
Gallay, 12 Etudes Brilliantes: any
Dynamics
Fortissimo
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 1, 2
Tchaikowsky - Sym. No. 4
Echo horn
Advanced
Ceccarossi, Ecole Complete du Cor, Bk 2: 6
Dukas, Villanelle (passage)
Dukas, Sorcerer’s Apprentice (passage)
Schuller, Studies for Unaccompanied Horn: XII

Fingering
Alternate fingerings: Mueller, 34 Studies op 64 Vol. 1: 12

Glissando
Teuber, Progressive Studies: 12 (p. 13)
Berv, A Creative Approach to the French Horn, p. 59-60

Hand horn technique
Primary
Rossari, Excercizi per il Corse Inferiore, part 1 - 12 studies
Teuber, Progressive Studies [12 melodic studies for the natural horn, p. 29-36]
Gabler, 140 Naturhorn-Etüden für Anfänger

Advanced
Gallay, Méthode pour le Cor, ex. 21, 22, 39, 40, 44, 66, 68, 88
Gallay, 40 Preludes, op 27: 22, 27 (unmeasured)
Gallay, 12 Studies, op. 57: 1, 2, 6, 8, 11
Belloli, 12 Progressive Etudes for French Horn: 1
High Range
Primary
Teuber, Progressive Studies: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14b
Farkas, Art of Hn Playing: p. 58-59

Advanced
Hill, High Range for the Horn Player
Reynolds, 48 Etudes: 29-36

Improvisation
Primary
Agrell, Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians

Advanced
Alteatoric (chance) etudes: Decker - Serial Studies: 20
Clarke, J., Exercises for Jazz French Horn
Agrell, Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians

Intervals
Primary
Kopprasch: 60 Studies 18, 24
Singer - Embouchure Building, p. 27-30; p. 34-39

Advanced
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 20, 32, 33
Arban, Method: Interval Studies 1-12
Schuller, Studies for Unaccompanied Horn: I, IV
Reynolds, 48 Etudes: 1-24 (half step to octave)

Jazz Style
L. E. Shaw, Just Desserts
Lipsius (+ John Clarke), Key Jazz Rhythms

Legato
Primary
Pottag/Schantl, Preparatory Melodies: 5, 20, 21, 44, 52
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 23, 38
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Etudes: Bk III: 12, 24, IV: 12
Decker, Master Series: 7b, 7c

 Advanced
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies Bk IV: 6, 19; V: 5, 6, 19
Mueller, 34 Studies op 64: 25

Legato Tonguing
Primary
Pottag/Schantl, Preparatory Melodies: 3, 19, 34, 35, 56, 97
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 15
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies: Bk III: 26 V: 1

 Advanced
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies: Bk IV:10


Low Range (+Old & new bass clef)
Primary
McCoy, 46 Progressive Exercises for Low Horn (any)
Rochut, Melodious Etudes for Trombone, Bk. 1: 2-7, 9-11, 24.
Kopprasch, 60 Studies take (almost) any down an octave
Singer, Embouchure Building for French Horn: Ex. 2, p. 6.
Farkas, Art of Horn Playing: p 60-61

Advanced
Shoemaker, Legato Etudes for French Horn (= Concone vocalises): 2, 4,1 1, 18
Neuling, 30 Spezial-Etüden für tiefes Horn, any
Hackleman, 34 Characteristic Etudes for Low Horn Playing, any
Reynolds, 48 Etudes: 25-28

Lyrical playing
Primary
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 15, 22,

Advanced
Mueller, 34 Studies op 64, Vol. 1: 3
Mueller, 34 Studies op 64, Vol. 2: 32
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 55

Meter (especially odd and changing meters)
Primary
Gates, Odd Meter Etudes
Basler, Etudes, Vol. 1: 6, 24

Advanced
Basler, Etudes, Vol. 2: 31, 39
Schuller, Studies for Unaccompanied Horn: VIII

Pattern etudes
Primary
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 6, 10
Clarke, Technical Studies for the Cornet,

Advanced
Nagel, Speed Studies for Trumpet

Rhythmic reading
Primary
Musser & Del Borgo, Rhythm of Contemporary Music

Advanced
Schuller, Studies for Unaccompanied Horn: X (subdivision into 3-, 5-, 6-, 7-tuplets)

Scales - Major/minor
Primary
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 3, 4
Brophy, Technical Studies: Ex. 4
Yancich, Practical Guide to French Horn Playing: p. 12-16.
Pares, Daily Exercises and Scales

Advanced
Mueller, 34 Studies op 64, Vol. 1: 6
Singer, Embouchure Building: p. 18-26; p. 32-33 (do in all keys)
Standley Routine

Chromatic scales
Clarke, Technical Studies for the Cornet: 1st Study, p. 5-7

Stopped horn
Primary:
Brophy, Technical Exercises: p. 25-27
Basler, Etudes, Vol. 1: 26
Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnole
Borodin - Polovetzian Dances

Advanced
Bozza, En Forêt
Glière, Concerto, 2nd Mvt
Reynolds, 48 Etudes: 48
Tonguing [staccato]

Single tongue
Primary
Basler, Etudes, Vol. 1: 10
Brophy, Technical Studies, p. 28-34
Kling, 40 Etudes: 10, 12
Gallay, 30 Etudes, op. 13:1, 22
Kopprasch, 60 Studies 4, 17
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies Bk 3: 6, 15

Advanced
Mendelssohn - Sym. 4 (Italian) (Hn 1 in A)
Berlioz - Scherzo from Queen Mab (all horns)
Berv, Creative Approach… p. 48
Kopprasch, 60 Studies 35, 42, 43, 48, 50
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies Bk III: 36, V: 4, 7, 15
Beethoven - Sym. 7: Mvt 4 (Hn 1); Sym. 9 - Mvt 1 & 2 (Hn 1)
Brahms - 2nd Piano Concerto - Mvt. 2 (Hn 1)

Double tongue
Primary
Barboteu, Etudes Classiques: 19
Yancich, A Practical Guide to French Horn Playing pp. 35-45
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies Bk 4:9 (var. 1)

Advanced
Jacob, Gordon, Concerto: 3rd mvt
Mendelssohn, Sym. No. 3, 2nd mvt
Mozart, Concertos K. 417 & 495
Etler, Brass Quintet (doodle tongue!)
Mueller, 22 Etudes: 5
Reynolds, 48 Etudes: 9, 45
Mussorgsky/Ravel, Pictures at an Exhibition: Market of Limoges
Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherezade
Rossini, William Tell Overture

Triple tongue
Primary
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies Bk. 4:9 (var. 6)
Arban Method, p. 155-187
Decker, Master Series: Basic Drill No. 3
Yancich, A Practical Guide to French Horn Playing, pp. 25-34
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies Bk. 4:9 (var. 6)
Tchaikovsky, Sym. 4 (opening)

Advanced
Dukas, Villanelle: finale
Barboteu, Etudes Classiques: 19
Reynolds, 48 Etudes: 46

Transposition
Primary
Getschell, First Book of Practical Studies, 1-16 (easy material useful for transposition)
Rossari, Melodic Studies (Exercizi...)

Advanced
Barboteu, Lectures, Exercises: 48, 51, 57, 62, 66, 67, 74

Trills

Half step (valve trills)
Advanced
Berv, Creative Approach… p. 70 (both)
Mueller, 34 Studies op 64 (both): 13

Whole step (lip trills)
Primary
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 11
Maxime-Alphonse, 200…Studies Bk 3: 10, 23, Bk 4: 9 (var. 8)
Mueller, 22 Etudes: 13
Yancich, A Practical Guide to French Horn Playing - pp. 12, 47-55
Berv, A Creative Approach to the French Horn - pp. 65-70
Brophy, Technical Studies: p. 18-22
Decker, Master Series: 10, 10a

Advanced
Berv, Creative Approach… p. 70 (both)
Kopprasch, 60 Studies: 44
Gallay, 30 Etudes, op 13: 17, 21
Reynolds, 48 Etudes: 47