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From the Mailbag: Not Kruspe, Not Geyer …
The topic of Kruspe or Geyer was a prior “From the Mailbag” question, but what if a horn is not a Kruspe or a Geyer type horn? There are a lot of ways to bend and arrange the tubing of a French horn...
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From the Mailbag: Practice Space
Another recent question that came in had to do with the acoustics of the ideal practice space. More specifically, what acoustics I would prefer in a practice environment. For me personally I prefer...
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Back in the Saddle and Happy New Year!
It has been a few months since I have written for Horn Matters; to sum it up, my energies have been distracted by a few things in my working life. The best writing effort that came from this...
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Why you should NEVER try to fix a bent bell flare
It is very easy to crease the large part your bell flare. The rim is very large and exposed in comparison to the rest of the tubing, and the flare is thin and soft. Any kind of bump, drop, or undue...
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Hornmasters: Farkas on Conductors
Philip Farkas recognized a practical reality; ultimately, in orchestras, conductors are our bosses. He makes a point in The Art of French Horn Playing that we need to learn what the conductors we work...
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Introducing the University of Horn Matters Horn Repertoire Course
Want to know more than your teachers? You will if you complete the University of Horn Matters Horn Repertoire Course. This class is a companion to the University of Horn Matters Horn Repertoire Course...
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Random Monday: Ghosts, Piggly-Wigglies and Travelling by Air
Ghosts in the machine A good amount of time was spent over the weekend with our ailing Sales Area - for the time being I have reverted it back to the default plugin. No items have been lost in this...
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Hornmasters: Cousins and Reynolds on Conductors
Farquharson Cousins has quite a lot to say about orchestral playing and about conductors specifically in On Playing the Horn. He notes for example that A really fine conductor is a joy and a godsend;...
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Tip of the Week: Play to the End of Time
Many years ago (in a location I cannot remember) I attended a concert of the Munich Philharmonic while they were on an American tour. The legendary Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache was on the...
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Horn Repertoire Week 1: The Resume, What to Prepare for Professional...
One of the projects this semester is to develop a great, professional resume. To prepare this document there is an excellent guide put out by the American Federation of Musicians (available to members...
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Fried Horns, by William Melton
Today we welcome an article by hornist and scholar William Melton, with a link to a fascinating recording of Mahler 2 (the first complete recording!) and the story of an important horn player and...
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A Session at AMEA: “Why the Horn?”
Dated 1/14/05, this article from the HTML archive of the old Horn Notes Blog is a brief report on a session presented jointly with three other Arizona hornists, including both of the other full time...
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Random Monday: Horns for Sale, That’s Entertainment and What’s Popular
More evidence on the benefits of musical training Recent research from a study in Germany indicates that musical training can help children use words. The results of an 18-month study suggest “a...
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Auditions 101
For some years in Horn Articles Online I had a substantial article posted under the title “Audition Central.” My original idea was to present for my students (and anyone else who cared to read it) my...
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Internet Meme: A Rage Comic on Rolling in the Mud and Playing Like a Pig
Regular readers will know already that I enjoy making silly cartoons and Photoshop renderings that are related to the French horn. Some previous efforts have included: ‘Sad Keanu’ and ‘Strutting Leo’...
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Horn Repertoire Week 2: Orchestral Auditions and Orchestral Life
This week we really have much more to cover than could possibly be covered in one week. Fortunately, most of this general content spills over into materials and concepts we talk over individually in...
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Friday Funny: 12 of the Most Irritating Sounds on the Planet
Being a musician I am perhaps a bit too overly sensitive to the sounds and noises of modern life when I am out in public. That being said it is time to vent some of those irritants … all in good fun....
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Review: Horn Playing from the Inside Out. Part I, Introduction
A new publication in 2012 was Horn Playing from the Inside Out — A Method for All Brass Musicians by Eli Epstein. This is I feel one of the most substantial and significant horn method books to be...
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Review: Horn Playing from the Inside Out. Part II, the Basics
One thing I really appreciate about this new publication is that Eli Epstein clearly explains an approach that is very different than that seen in other publications, with the underlying goal of...
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Humor: On the Dynamic between a Conductor and Horn Player
Our dubious colleague Mr. Archibald Noodlefish* returns for further commentary, sharing his odd take on a well-known quote from Sir Simon Rattle about orchestral horn players. *Mr. Noodlefish performs...
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