French Horn Lessons in Denver
Colorado Honor Band offers French horn lessons in Denver, Westminster, Thornton, Centennial, and Littleton. Our after school music program provides weekly one-on-one coaching and band classes, seasonal public performances, a yearly summer camp, and national and international travel opportunities.
French Horn General Information
A member of the brass family, the French horn is conical (smallest point at the lead pipe and increases in size until the flare of the bell), which causes it to have a mellow haunting sound unlike the brassier trumpet. Not actually French, the instrument played today originated in Germany. It is commonly referred to as just “horn.” Another important aspect of horn playing is the need for the player to have exceptional hearing and pitch skills. Any horn student must be able to match pitch by singing a melody back to his or her music teacher (who can verify that they are on pitch). Students who cannot match pitch will want to chose a different instrument to avoid having a very frustrating learning experience!
French Horn’s Role in Music
Horn is the glue between the woodwind and brass sections, playing with both instrument groups frequently. Classical woodwind quintets and brass quintets both utilize the horn.
Famous French Hornists
- Barry Tuckwell
- Dennis Brian
- Dale Clevenger
- Julie Landsman
- Gail Williams
French Horn Repertoire
- Mozart Concertos (1-4), by W. A. Mozart
- Concertos (1 & 2), by Richard Strauss
- Hindemith Sonata, by Paul Hindemith
- Dukas Villanelle, by Paul Dukas
- Beethoven Sonata, by Beethoven
- Schumann Adagio and Allegro, by Robert Schumann
- Etudes, by Georg Kopprasch
- Etudes, by Maxime-Alphonse
- Horn Trio, by Johannes Brahms
- Horn Quintet, by W. A. Mozart
French Horn Videos
Steve Park on Horn — He has 60+ videos on youtube that are excellent!