1 year ago, I bought a beginners French Horn. (Yamaha YHR-314ll) Now, for chair placements, my band director wants me to be able to reach the high f & high g (f is on the top line for treble cleff, and g is on top of the top line). Is it time to get a new horn or mouth piece? I have had the 1st chair horn (I'm 2nd chair) try to play on mine, but she can't either.

The first thing you need to do is make sure that you have learned all there is to know and that your embouchure is correct. While switching to a new mouthpiece will help, and needs to be done eventualy (as for begginers mouthpieces are not meant to be played on forever), incorrect embouchure will help too.

I'm currently playing on a Schilke 30. It's has a medium depth that can be compared to the Holton Farkas MC (medium cup). I would probably recommend either one of those. I played on the Farkas for a while, but the Schilke just seems to suit me better.

Plus things just take practice too. Practicing low notes will help you play high notes. I could hit G's until my 3rd year and not consistently until the end of my 4th, granted I never practiced in the beginning, but now I'm playing the F and G above that. So practice will help. Just remember, make sure the embouchure is right, then switch.

Also, do research. Different mouthpieces do different things. Some professionals have "shoeboxes" full of mouthpieces. If they want to play high they grab one, low another, medium another, all around another. Try to find one that gives you a good all around. In the beginning years you'll be fine with a medium ranged one.

I hope this helps.

<Added>

Sorry, in the first paragraph I meant to say having the correct embouchure will help too. I kind of defied my point by saying incorrect. I really should proof read...haha.

*Reads*

The third paragraph needs to be I couldn't* hit G's until my 3rd year...

I think that's it...

The YHR 314 is a single F horn. Playing high F and above on a single F horn is not easy and above G the notes are very easy to split. A single F horn is popular among some teachers for beginngers but as horn parts are now higher than they were 30-50 years ago, using a single Bb horn or a F/Bb double is becoming more usual and IMHO a necessary transition for Intermediate players. Obviously, playing on the Bb side uses different fingerings!

Playing on the Bb side of a double horn makes playing higher notes more reliable. You still need a good embouchure (which probably means little or no pressure) and good breath support. Too many students suffer from being taught by general brass teachers in the UK and this often limits their progress and develops bad habits.

A good teacher should be able to suggest some horns to try and mouthpieces - perhaps slightly shallower with the same internal diameter.

It is only my second year playing horn and in 6th grade (last year) I was in beginning band where songs are simple. Over the summer I went to our school's band camp where I was changed to Concert Band. In concert band they expected much higher of you and strenuous practicing was required. A few kids dropped out of band because the simple did not have the willpower or time to do it. Before school ended, I could barely hit the high D. Over the summer I was traveling and unable to take my french horn with me so I didn't practice most summer. After band camp, I was able to hit the high D but not always. Now only one month later, I can half the time hit the high F, but not even a halfstep above that.
Are there any websites that give info on choosing mouthpieces?

Also, what do you mean by the different sides of a horn and what does "Split" mean.

A full double horn combines the F and Bb horns and has a valve operated by the thumb (it may also have a 5th value for use when hand stopping on the Bb side and for making transpositions easier). The lowest standard note or fundamental on the "F side" is written C an octave below the C below the stave and sounds F (eg on piano). While on the "Bb side" the fundamental is the written F above sounding Bb.

For most of the range of the horn use of the thumb valve or Bb side provides an alternative set of fingering. Because the Bb side has less tubing, higher notes can be more reliably played on the Bb side. A more conventional way of describing this is that the harmonics (or notes you can play with the same fingering) get closer together the higher you play.

When there are two or more notes similiar in pitch which can be played with the same fingering it is easier to play the wrong on or mispitch. Sometimes, you will find that you start on one note and then hit another - this is known as "splitting" the note.

There are websites which provide technical information on mouthpieces such as http://www.horncups.com (I usually use PHC mouthpieces) and comparisons http://www.brass-forum.co.uk

My instinct, is that a different mouthpiece wont help much unless you are using one which is especially depth or otherwise unsuited to you. While there are "normal" ways of position your lips etc (2/3 upper lip 1/3 lower lip) many excellent horn plays use different setups. For instance, players with big lips cant comfortably fit all the red of the lips within the mouthpiece!

There books on embouchure and mouthpiece choice (eg The Art of French Horn playing by Phliip Farkas) but a good teacher would be easier to understand and give less general advice etc. Many horn players initially use too much pressure which has the consequence of poor endurance and sometimes tone and range limitations. The goal is to tense your lips - without stretching them thiner or using the mouthpiece to pin them - with plenty of air to encourage them to vibrate at a high frequency. This means that your face muscles are working in different ways to a typical cornet player. Your face muscles are pushing your lips together while the lip muscles are keeping them apart.

Dont expect to be able to change your embouchure overnight. It usually takes weeks or months depending on age (takes longer when your older), the amount you practice etc

Hey! It's my second year as well, and I play on a double horn. Using the Bb side makes things easier, but on the F side I can usually get up to an F, and if I try hard enough, an A...Just keep practicing the chromatic scale and see how high you get on the F side. If you get a double then you should be able to hit the notes with less strain (ha, who am I to talk???)
Don't get a new horn or mouthpiece just yet.
It's up to you though.

How does having a good lower register help your higher register?

I'm not really sure. I know that practicing the low notes will may your lips more flexible, which is needed for high notes as well as low notes. So I suppose that by practicing your low range that you are makes your lips more flexible, therefore helping your high range.

It works.