Here are some basic horn exercises that I use a lot in my current teaching. These exercises can be used both as a warm-up or to solve specific technical or musical problems.
This collection of exercises is not final or complete. More things will be added as I write them out for students (or myself). If you have a specific exercise you’d like written out, or a problem in your playing that you want to address, feel free to contact me! For issues that can’t be solved by text, I also offer lessons both in-person and online, so if you are interested in one-on-one help, see my French Horn lessons page.
NOTE: All the bass clef in these exercises is written in new notation. If you don’t know what that means, I’ve got a short summary of the differences between new and old notation over on this page.
Remember that there are no “magic bullet” exercises – make sure your brain and ears are engaged while doing all of these!
Everything on this page is provided for free for students and other teachers alike. However, running this site does take both money and time. If you’ve found these resources useful, please consider a small donation >to keep this site up (and to keep me caffeinated).
French Horn Boot Camp
These articles are in-depth thoughts about how to tackle specific challenges in playing the French horn. Each article covers a wide range of experience levels, from beginners to more experienced players.
If you have any requests for specific topics or have questions about anything on these pages, don’t hesitate to contact me.
French Horn Exercises
Here are some of the exercises and handouts that I give to students.
Each link below will take you to my Google Drive page, where you can view, download, or print these PDF files.
Basic Horn Information
Warm-up Exercises
- Long Tone Exercises
- Buzzing Exercises
- Basic Lip Slurs
- Advanced Lip Slurs
- Harmonic Series Studies (use with F/Bb Harmonic Series page)
Scales and Arpeggios
Other Horn Exercises
Other Horn Resources
- Transposition chart – A quick reference for horn transpositions. See my Transposition page for more information
- Mouthpiece Comparison Chart – See the specs of hundreds of mouthpieces all in one place!
- Choosing a Mouthpiece – Changing or upgrading your mouthpiece can be overwhelming. This page can give you some tips on what’s important (and what isn’t) when you’re on the hunt for a new mouthpiece.
- French Horn Music (and Books) – A table of music sorted by ensemble (etude, solo, duet, etc.) and difficulty (beginner, intermediate, etc.). Also features a list of some of my favorite books related to music and learning.
- Practice logs – Wondering why you should use a practice log? Here are a few reasons that practice logs can be one of the best practice upgrades you can make!
Everything on this page is provided for free. However, running this site costs both money and time. If you’ve found these things useful, please consider a small donation via my Paypal page.