Here’s your weekly dose of Kopprasch.  Recording things should get interesting in the next couple of weeks with the Southeast Horn Workshop coming up, as well as a recital and several orchestral and chamber music performances.  Actually, I am really enjoying going back over these etudes – trying to get them into shape for recording purposes forces me to pay very close attention to every detail, and as a result I’m getting more benefits out of each one.  Take, for instance, No. 6 below.

Though one might be tempted to worry about the high A, the real beauty of this etude is the work you get to do in the middle-low register.  Getting clarity of tone and articulation in the range just below the staff can be a challenge, especially at faster speeds.  Although it’s marked “Allegro vivace,” I think a tempo of around quarter note=92 is a good ballpark figure.  As always, make sure to exaggerate the dynamic changes.