This year, the two KMEA etudes for French horn are:
- Kopprasch #3
- Shoemaker #20
As in previous years, I’ve put together a page with both etude excerpts on a single page, if you don’t have these etude books. However, both the Kopprasch and Shoemaker etude books are quite good – you should have them both!
As in years past, I’ve also put together reference recordings for both etudes. You can find them on Youtube or linked below:
Etude #1: Shoemaker 20
This, as in years past, is the lyrical etude.
While this etude may look faster and more technical, make sure to pay attention to the tempo and style markings – the 16th and 32nd notes are not as fast as the might look!
Key
The key signature of no flats or sharps indicates C major, although the second half of the etude does touch on some sharp keys (E major, D major).
Notice especially when you have scale or arpeggio shapes that look different from how they sound. For example, measure 4 looks like a descending G major scale at first, however the lack of an F# in the key signature means this is a C major scale pattern, just starting on a G instead of a C.
Rhythm
The time signature of 6/8 often means a piece is counted in two, with each beat getting 3 eighth notes. However, notice the tempo (Lento) and metronome marking of this means indicates that the 8th note gets the beat.
Since the 8th note gets the beat, that means 8ths are counted like quarter notes in 4/4 time, 16th notes will be counted like 8th notes, and the 32nd notes are counted like 16th notes. This relationship continues with the triplets – the 16th note triplets would be counted like 8th note triplets in 4/4 time (which means three notes in one metronome tick).
Also, carefully count the 8th notes and 8th rests – they are both probably longer than you expect. As always, practice with a metronome is important.
Style
The style marking (Cantabile) is important. Make sure you know what it means and how that might influence your interpretation.
Additional terms to know (and execute) include: soave, leggiero, grazioso, and abbandono. While there is definitely an overarching “theme” to these terms, the composer thought they were important enough to include, so you need to take them seriously as well!
In addition to these terms, make sure you also notice (and respect) the – and > accent markings, as well as the dynamic range (from p to f)!
Etude #2: Kopprasch 3
This is the technical etude for this year, and while it may look easy (and in some ways it is), it does have a quite a few challenges that may take some time to conquer.
Key
Like the Shoemaker etude, this etude is also in the key of C major. However, it also takes a few excursions into closely-related keys, mainly G major (the dominant). Make sure that you are comfortable with both your C and G major scales as well as all the arpeggios within each of those scales. If you have this knowledge, this etude becomes much easier.
To put it more simply, you should not need to read every single note in this etude. If you’re fumbling over fingerings or needing to stop to identify the upcoming note(s) make sure you are very comfortable with my C and G major extended scale and arpeggio exercises.
Rhythm
Like many technical Kopprasch etudes, the rhythm in this etude is fairly simple and straightforward.
Maybe the most challenging aspect is making sure that the quarter notes and 8th rests are the appropriate length and that the quarter notes especially don’t start getting too short (or the 8th rests too long).
Style
This is the biggest challenge of the etude.
To perform this etude well requires a good-quality staccato articulation from a high A down to a low C (almost 3 octaves). For many students, staccato articulation in general is challenging in the middle register – and becomes even more so in the higher and lower register.
Some general tips:
- Play through slowly (half-tempo is usually a good start for faster music) in smaller sections slurred to make sure your air, embouchure, and fingerings are all working together.
- Practice adding in articulation with a legato or tenuto style, to emphasize the air moving through the tongued notes. Staccato notes (even very short ones) should not feel like the air is being stopped or choked off in the throat or at the lips.
- Staccato notes (even very short ones) will have a “decay” or “tail” at the end of the note, just like normal articulated notes, only much faster. Think of saying the syllable “Tah” and notice how it can decay slower “Taah” or fast “Tah”, but it always has a bit of decay. Compare that to saying “TA” and stopping the air with your tongue or throat and notice how much more uncomfortable stopping the air with your tongue/throat is.
I wrote a bit more about the style of Kopprasch etude 3 on this page, so make sure to check that out and you’ll find more advice and some additional practice strategies.
Final Thoughts
While there is more to say on these two etudes (and I imagine I will be saying it in the coming few weeks and months), hopefully this is enough to get you started!
As always, if you want some one-on-one help, feel free to contact me for a 1-on-1 lesson (either online or in-person). Additionally, this blog post on starting (or restarting) a practice routine may be helpful. You can also find all my blog posts about practice on this search page.
