Clik here to view.
Sabbatical part 4. Hidden Problems to Fix
Another type of hidden problem to fix is tubing ends under the ferrules that join the various pieces of tubing. The tubing ends on a better horn are cut off square and fit together perfectly under the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
PSA: Strauss 1 has No Exposition
In recent years I have seen repeated references to an “exposition” of the first Strauss horn concerto. What makes it very puzzling is the people I see making the assertion that Straus 1 has an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sabbatical, part 5. A Gumpert Horn Reborn
The last big horn building project I had completed was in the 1990s when I was playing in Nashville, which is when I also built my first workbench and obtained the tools I’m relying on today. The big...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Healthy Chops and Other Updates
2021 has already been a long year, but I hope shapes up in the end as a good year for horn. It has been a year starting with adversity for sure, but that can be something that leaves you stronger. Part...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sabbatical project update, and a new book on what?
In short, the second project horn is playable, and I have a new book out. To the horn first, this one as has been mentioned combines parts from a vintage Mirafone with a lovely bell (but missing parts...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Horn Camp Connect, and other thoughts one year into “The Year of Zoom”
This past weekend I was honored to be featured for the monthly Horn Camp Connect session of the Kendall Betts Horn Camp. The video is below, and my portion begins just over one hour in. It starts with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sabbatical part 7: A Retro Horn in F and G?
First let me say this horn came out really well! For this project I combined most of the tubing from a vintage (probably 1960s) Mirafone single horn with the valve section (and more) from a Yamaha. As...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Revisiting the Ascending Third Valve
As part of my most recent horn building project I realized that I could set up that horn as an ascending third valve instrument. Ascending third valve?!? Back nearly 10 years ago I posted in this site...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spun Bell? Hand-Hammered Bell?
I have mentioned hand-hammered bells a number of times in this site, but surprisingly I have never really explained what the term means. All Bells are Spun A first point to make is that all bells are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sabbatical, part 8: Resurrecting a Geyer
I had some options for a final major project, and then was lucky to locate the body of a vintage Geyer single horn of similar design to my Mirafone/Yamaha combo that turned out so well (more here). The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Horn Etudes by Female Composers
Many Horn Matters readers will be familiar with the Works with Horn by Female Composers website by Lin Foulk. If not, this is a must visit resource of the horn world, be sure to check it out. However,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sabbatical Finale: Finishing the Geyer
As mentioned in the previous installment, I located (on eBay) the remains of a Geyer single F horn, minus the original bell (which had been used to restore a higher value Geyer double). My guess is the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Warming up on the F horn, getting back in shape
Recently I posted two new episodes of the Horn Notes Podcast, looking at topics of our time, getting back in shape after the pandemic and also at how F horn practice might fit into that practice. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Encourage yourself with your old recordings
One of my regular summer projects is working slowly through my old cassette tapes of performances, and converting them to MP3 files. This past week I met with a recent ASU horn grad who won a position...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Revisiting an Old Huttl Horn
Back more than ten years ago I posted a short article an interesting old Huttl horn. It was one obtained from a former teacher and dates to the early 20th century. As I say in the earlier article, I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A new personal website — is it also time for you?
For me this summer was the time to build one. Although I had one of the first personal horn websites out there — 1998! — it was always part of my Horn Articles Online site and was very dated. It was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using drones to improve warmup and practice of etudes and excerpts
As we come out of this year of not great practice it is very important to have drones be part of your daily practice regimen. Using drones to improve your warmup and practice of etudes and excerpts is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sabbatical Extra: A Yamaha Conversion Horn, and Revisiting the Ascending...
During my sabbatical semester from Arizona State I looked briefly at one of the horns I had worked on, how I could set it up as ascending third valve, and posted some brief impressions. Immediately...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review update: Horn Playing from the Inside Out, Third Edition eBook
New for 2021 is an updated version of Horn Playing from the Inside Out by Eli Epstein. While we don’t often do reviews, this is a book we have followed closely here at Horn Matters, Epstein has much...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Congratulations IHS! And looking toward the next 50
A milestone that has passed is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Horn Society. Congratulations! While it was founded at the 1970 International Horn Workshop, the first workshop...
View Article
