Wednesday, February 28, 2018

A little BE goes a long way!

Sometimes I get feedback from horn players who bought the book several years before, read it, but for whatever reasons, didn't work the program.  It's fun to get feedback from them when they finally take time work at the exercises. 

The first example is from Andy in the UK:

Hi Valerie,   
I wrote to you a couple of year ago about how much my stamina had improved since reading BE. Now to be honest, I’m not a serious horn player these days - occasional amateur playing but mainly just play a bit of jazz at home for fun.  However, it always played on my mind that despite studying at a London Conservatoire I couldn’t really play the horn other than being a vaguely good low player in orchestral music (Doesn’t matter these days - I’m a school teacher/composer/conductor). My stamina let me down for solo repertoire and getting out of the stave was a great struggle. Anyway, I haven’t practiced any of the exercises religiously and I sometimes go a few weeks without playing at all but I can now get out of the stave and I’ve attached a top Bb video just to prove that even just reading the book and doing the exercises a bit can transform your technique! The Bb was a very insecure high note for me before I read BE. Thanks for promoting BE.   Andy Meyers (London -UK)  
The second example is from a local horn player in the Tacoma, WA area.  Steph has played low horn for years but was recently given the fourth horn with challenging high register requirements. Here's what she wrote me in a text message recently:

Steph: Been working on RO and RI. Is much easier to play the upper range.  Doesn't sound pretty yet, but will keep at it. 
 Val:  you go, girl!!! It's amazing what a little BE can do for the chops. BE still dazzles me after 11+ years using it.  If it weren't for Jeff Smiley, I would have given up long ago. 
Steph: Well right about the time I resigned myself to not playing the highest couple of notes in the 3rd movement of Star Wars between 71 and 79, I was able to play it today without cracking or pinching the notes. Go figure... I guess I'll have a couple weeks to keep working at it. 

A third example is from Colin Ng which is linked here

A little BE goes a long way!

Please see this link for more articles & information on acquiring The Balanced Embouchure for Horn.

The Balanced Embouchure Book with CD is $45.00.
The BE for French Horn booklet and/or PDF of horn adaptations is $3.00 (with book purchase).
Shipping & handling is $5.50 to $25.00 depending on location. (The quoted prices are in US dollars.)
Those who purchase The Balanced Embouchure with a Comfy Horn Strap, receive a $5.00 discount (as well as break on shipping).

To Order:
Step 1. Email me: ValerieW78 “at” Gmail “dot” com. Please tell me what instrument you play and the country you live in.
Step 2. I send you an invoice with payment options (credit card, PayPal, check or money order).
Step 3. You pay the invoice.
Step 4. I ship your BE book.
Happy horn playing!
Valerie Wells