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TPTV: Clevenger on Jacobs
An ongoing series of YouTube videos is TubaPeopleTV. Hosted and created by Michael Grose of the University of Oregon, this week the new episode is an interview with horn legend Dale Clevenger on his...
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Recital Notes, 2013 Edition
My annual horn recital will occur on Sunday, October 20, 2013, 5:00, Katzin Concert Hall at the Arizona State University School of Music, assisted by Yi-Wan Liao, piano, and members of the Arizona...
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Quick Tip: Final Recital Preparation
Mahler Songs of a Wayfarer is one of the works on my annual recital that is new to me as a performer. Working on this has been very interesting and enjoyable, especially the process of moving from...
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Random Monday: Hello World
Hello world. My name is Bruce Hembd. Life for me has been a bit complicated over the past year, and so I have been away from this place for a good while. Please do not be worried. The ordeal is not...
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The Annual “Best Schools for Horn Study” Article
It is that time of year! The question always comes up about the best schools for horn study. I have taken a stab at answering this question a number of times in varying formats: What [Type of] School...
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TPTV: Thomas Jostlein on Jacobs
Another installment of TPTV came out this week, this time featuring hornist Thomas Jostlein. His name has been on our minds here at Arizona State as we are playing his Campbell Fanfare on a concert...
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Hornist Motivations: Bucket Lists, etc.
A post yesterday on the Hornisten der Berliner Philharmoniker Facebook page brought to mind a point worth making about motivations for horn players. The specific post was a short video of a third horn...
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Random Monday: Giving, Receiving and Taking Away
Rather than break the pattern of past history, I decided instead to resume the “Random” series back to the semi-traditional day of Monday. Here is what is out there: * * * Fund raising for a donation...
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On Testing a New or Used French Horn
One topic that comes up often is that of testing new and used horns, a good topic and one I have not written about in any depth. Before I get to my thoughts though, there is a two part article by Bruce...
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Mailbag: Can I use a Single F to Practice Natural Horn?
A question I have been asked a number of times is along the general lines of can I use a single F horn to practice natural horn? Or, alternately, can I have the valves removed from a single F and use...
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Hornmasters Extra: Harry Berv
Working on the articles that became the “Hornmasters” series in Horn Matters, one name and method that had been unfamiliar to me was that of Harry Berv. Just a few days ago a fascinating remembrance of...
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A Mouthpiece Story and a Favorite Horn Ensemble Work
Two short items from ASU horn life last week are the focus today. Brahms will conclude, but first up, I was reminded this week how easy it can be to be fooled by preconceived notions what the problem...
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Random Monday: Better Late than Never
Last week I took a road trip to New Mexico in order to take care of some business, and also to get some work done on my horn. Regular readers might remember that a few years ago, I had some custom work...
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Testing the Soft Playing
Briefly following up on my recent article on testing a new or used French horn, a topic that has come up several times since then is the topic of soft playing. One would tend to think all you need to...
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Pele, a recent work for horn and wind ensemble by Brian Balmages
This coming Sunday afternoon I will be performing at Arizona State University a very attractive, recent work for horn and wind ensemble, Pele by Brian Balmages. For me the work was actually a YouTube...
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University of Horn Matters Extra: Four Types of Students
Recently I was pointed toward some resources on teaching that shed light on a topic I intuitively comprehended but had not seen laid out so clearly. It is a topic area not addressed at all in any of...
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Random Monday: Going Dutch, Furry Footstools and The Dude
Going Dutch Over the past month, I have been involved in a production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. The staging was a bit unusual in that the orchestra was onstage as a part of the naval-inspired...
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Horn History Update: The Real Story on Joseph Leitgeb
A recent link on Facebook pointed me to a great article, “A Little Leitgeb Research” by Michael Lorenz. One thing I have been very aware of for years is that there is a lot that needs to be questioned...
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Resetting a Triple to Stand in F
I did not report it here in Horn Matters but last year we were pleased to welcome a triple horn into the horn inventory at Arizona State. It is a Willson, more on that in a second, but the key thing...
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Random Monday: Real World Crossover
Prepping for the holiday I found some decorative antlers and decided to make a statement for the holidays. Learned helplessness According to Dr. Martin Seligman, being repeatedly exposed to...
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