The mechanics of the French horn have evolved dramatically over the centuries. What began as simple instruments made from animal horns progressed into Baroque and natural horns, eventually leading to the development of valve systems on both single and double horns. Today, players have access to a wide range of modern instruments, including descant horns, triple horns, and Wagner tubas, each suited to different performance contexts. Despite these significant changes in design, one aspect has remained largely consistent since at least the late 1700s: playing technique. The physical fundamentals of horn performance—especially the embouchure—remain central to success, yet they are often overlooked in the early stages of instruction.

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The embouchure setup is defined by how much of each lip is put inside the mouthpiece to create a vibration, or “buzz,” that then allows a sound to be produced on the horn. The “standard” approach to the embouchure setup is the one taught in horn method books; two-thirds upper lip and one-third lower lip inside the mouthpiece. These specific proportions have been proven to allow for the most technically proficient fundamentals, which include the widest range, stable musculature which enables a consistent direction of air leading to a beautifully centered sound, easy flexibility, articulation, and more, which overall have led to the success of many horn players.

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This setup was first written about in Heinrich Dominich’s book, Methode de Premier et Second Cor, published in 1808. All horn players during this era, both professional and amateur, were Caucasian men; therefore, this approach was and is based on Caucasian male physiology.  It wasn’t until the mid-1900s that non-male and non-Caucasian individuals earned positions in major orchestras. In 1941, Helen Kotas became the first female principal horn player of the Chicago Symphony, and the first woman principal wind player in a United States major orchestra. She preceded the prominent horn player and teacher, Philip Farkas, who wrote the most well-known horn method book, The Art of French Horn Playing. After Helen spent six years with the orchestra, Philip Farkas decided to return to the Chicago Symphony and resume his position as principal horn. Due to a loophole in his contract, the orchestra reinstated him to his previous position and moved Helen Kotas down to a section player. After the 1947 season, Helen decided to leave the orchestra and pursue other opportunities. It was not until 1970 that the first African American man, Robert Lee Watt, won his job at the Los Angeles Philharmonic as the assistant principal horn. Growing up, his father was a trumpet player and when Robert expressed interest in playing the horn his father told him it was not for him. He explained that horn playing was for, “thin lipped white boys... Your lips are too thick to play that small, thin mouthpiece. You’d be better suited for the trumpet...”. Robert prevailed despite his father’s dismay, and held his position at the LA Phil until 2007, for a total of thirty-seven years. 

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Robert Lee Watt’s father’s statement is not an uncommon response, and similar statements have been echoed to students with thicker and/or more protrusive lips. Many teachers tirelessly voice these misguided, micro aggressive proclamations about how thick lips are for larger mouthpieces and thin lips are for small mouthpieces. There is no citation available for reference due to the fact that there are no current publications regarding the inequitable French horn learning experience for people of color. This statement is often whispered through the grapevine between teachers or repeated by the students who come home to their parents saying what was suggested by the teacher. Many teachers mean no harm by these statements, and they are rather a result of the teacher lacking the education and resources to be able to teach horn to students with more protrusive lips, and/or wanting to see the student succeed on an instrument that may be less difficult. Ultimately, this statement by Watt’s father is entirely untrue, and leads to the crux of the matter that the “standard” approach is not applicable, or correct, for all horn players. 

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Band directors have a hard time teaching horn generally, for any age group. This is due to the fact that band teachers have very little training on the French horn to be able to teach it appropriately because of the short instrument fundamentals courses presented in most colleges. Once young students progress to a point that exceeds the teacher’s capability, they will recommend to the parents to find their child someone to study with privately. Private lessons in early stages of learning are key to quick advancement on the instrument; however, one-on-one lessons are a privilege, and are not accessible to everyone, as some communities across the globe do not have access to the funds, instruments, teachers, etc., necessary to provide private instruction. Many students who study privately often go on to audition for regional and state band/orchestra groups. Acceptance into these groups is impressive to those determining admission to music schools, but these auditions also allow the student to experience the competitive nature of the music business in a small capacity.

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At the start of a student’s college career, lesson teachers will often run diagnostics of the student’s fundamentals on the instrument during their first few lessons together. What sticks out invariably is the embouchure setup and how the mouthpiece is positioned on the face. If placed other than the “standard” way mentioned, the typical recommendation is to go through an embouchure change. Embouchure changes are used to reset the way one plays entirely. The process is lengthy, time consuming, frustrating, and if done incorrectly, can lead to injuries. There is a high percentage of students who go through embouchure changes due to the inability to study privately prior to college. These changes are recommended for both aesthetic purposes, as well as for specific technical deficits that are said to be a result from not playing the “standard” way. However, not all embouchure changes are successful, and new problems in playing may arise as a result. 

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While the “standard” setup has been the golden approach repeated in every method book since Dominich, today’s horn community is significantly more heterogeneous, and not every gender and ethnicity’s maxillofacial features are comparable to that of the accustomed Caucasian male, or compatible to that of the “standard” setup. Anatomical diversity between various groups of people have not yet been considered in regard to embouchure, and hornists are constantly put into a “one size fits all” box with the only embouchure setup that has been presented. In my study, it was concluded that 53% of all participants of the study currently play with the “standard” setup. However, 57% of participants who play standard went through an embouchure change, 88% of them being either non-male and/or non-Caucasian. 70% of all participants playing “standard" were encouraged to play that way by a teacher, and 70% of them also still have technical deficits. These results of the study evidently show that even though many participants were corrected to play the “standard” way, it has not been a conducive switch for the majority. Part of the reason the standard method is highly recommended is because it has traditionally worked for so long due to the lack of diversity in the field until the mid-1900s, when Helen Kotas earned her seat at the table and later Robert Lee Watt. While times have changed, methodology has not yet followed suit.