Clik here to view.
Random Monday: Rules, An Improvisation and Venus on a Coffee Cup
Merchandise update Some re-organizing has been done and more products have been added to the new Horn Matters Merchandise site on CafePress. So far, we have 4 categories of T-shirts, coffee mugs and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hornmasters on Transposition
For younger students of the present day who are handed a copy of The Art of French Horn Playing to help them get a better start on the horn, perhaps the most confusing section is the section on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tip of the Week: Think About the Ends of Notes
I had a teacher long ago tell me that when it came to producing quality notes on a musical instrument, there were four parts of each note to be aware of: the beginning, the middle, the end, and the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Horn Pedagogy Week 1: Choosing the Mouthpiece and Horn
The first topic of the semester is choosing the mouthpiece and horn. There are a number of readings this week, but several of them are short. First up is this series of articles from the Hornmasters...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ask Dave: Why Do My Valves Get Stuck?
I’ve fielded so many questions recently about stuck valves that is occurred to me that most players do not understand why their valves get stuck. A horn comes from the maker with valves that work. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hornmasters on Trills, Part I: Farkas
One skill that for many horn players is a source of fear is lip trilling. A great trill is an absolute requirement for artistic performance of many of our best concertos and is today considered to be...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Random Monday: Provenance, Standards, Stereotypes and Dreams
That Lennon horn picture Thanks to C. Scott Smith I have some background on a picture that I own, of John Lennon tooting on a horn. That horn was originally owned by one of my former teachers: Neill...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hornmasters on Trills, Part II: Various Tips
Gunther Schuller addressed the topic of the lip trill in Horn Technique from the practical standpoint of viewing it “more as a means of obtaining lip flexibility than for the sake of developing the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Humor: da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man ‘Photoschlopped’
The list of accomplishments of Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci is, without a doubt, impressive. When we use the term renaissance man in today’s culture, his epic standard is the measuring stick...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Horn Pedagogy Week 2: Descant and Triple horns, Mellophones, Care and...
As we saw in week one, equipment is a big topic and one that could be easily expanded into a discussion that covers several weeks. And that discussion continues this week, with several related topics....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Our Third Year Anniversary and a Humorous Look at Gabrielle and her Sister
September 1st, 2012 (tomorrow, in our neck of the woods) will mark a significant milestone for Horn Matters. Three years ago, John and I decided to merge the content of our two separate blogs into one...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Positive Benefits of Oil Ports
You’ve seen them in the top bearing plates once the valve caps are removed: tiny holes. They are known as “oil ports” or “oil holes”, and they allow you to lubricate the top of the rotor directly....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hornmasters on Trills, Part III: Berv and Brophy
One of the most extended chapters of A Creative Approach to the French Horn by Harry Berv is on the topic of “Lip and Valve Trills.” He noted that “Discipline, patience, and consistent and correct...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Notes on the Recital, 2012 edition: Works Written by Horn Players
As has been my habit for a number of years, in less than two weeks I will present my annual solo horn recital. This year the theme of the recital will be works written by horn players, and will include...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Random Wednesday: Demotions, Scandals and Crushes
A Times critic gets demoted Apparently New York Times classical music critic Allan Kozinn is being re-assigned to a new beat. Alex Ross notes: Many in the music world, myself included, are baffled and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Horn Pedagogy Week 3: Right Hand Position, Fingerings, and Intonation
Three closely related topics are on the agenda for this week. Keeping it simple, all of the readings are from the Hornmasters Series. Farkas on Right Hand Position Schuller on Right Hand Position...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Persistence of Humor and Living it Large
Artist Salvador Dali was a unique voice in the world of art and he is arguably one of the pioneers in what we today call “performance art.” His artistic flair for creating dramatic imagery spilled over...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ask Dave: When Should My Daughter Move Up to a Double Horn?
Susie asks: My 5th grade daughter will be playing the French Horn in the orchestra this year. We were wondering what the normal time frame is for playing a single French horn before moving up to a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hornmasters on Trills, Part IV: Tuckwell
As I note in an article outside the Hornmasters series, One book that is not that well known today is Playing the Horn by Barry Tuckwell. It was written by Tuckwell in much the style of being his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Random Monday: U.S. Orchestras in Trouble?
Lockouts and misguided directions As Stormin’ Norman is so eager to point out, there appears to be a wave of labor disputes going on in the American symphony orchestra scene. Orchestras in Atlanta,...
View Article