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Symmetry and Balance: 3 Reasons to Not Worry about an Off-Center Embouchure
A mirror can be a very useful tool in practice sessions. It is a great way to self-diagnose and to make adjustments that can further improvement. Many high school and college practice rooms these days...
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Accuracy Tip: Watch Your Fingers
Over the years one thing I have noticed in watching students is that a percentage of missed notes have to do with how your fingers move, or more precisely how they don’t quite move at the same time as...
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Humor: 14 Famous Musicians and their Odd Doppelgängers
In the previous article from Wednesday, “Symmetry and Balance: 3 Reasons to Not Worry about an Off-Center Embouchure” some liberty was taken with the imaging software Photoshop and my own face. In...
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Ask Dave: How do I Re-cork a Mute?
Mathew asks: What advice or tricks can you provide for re-corking a mute, both successful removal of the old cork and application of the new cork? Dave replies: This is an excellent question that I...
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Professor Corno: About your Mouthpiece Choice
This question recently came in through the contact page and was passed on to Prof. Corno: What’s the best way to pick out a mouthpiece? I’m a student looking for a comfortable mouthpiece that will...
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Random Monday: Lyres, Conductors and Monks (Oh My!)
Working without a conductor The old Greek story of Orpheus and his journey into the Underworld to rescue his wife opens some interesting commentary when that name is applied to a chamber group that...
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Hornmasters on Pitch Bending
In this series we now arrive at the topic of pitch bending, an exercise that can be of great benefit to hornists to develop tone quality and the lower register. In the addendum to Essentials of Brass...
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Humor and Parody: Louisville Orchestra Advertises for Replacement Musicians
Recent reports from Louisville, Kentucky indicate that the unending labor crisis between the orchestra management and musicians remains at a standstill. For those unfamiliar, a wealth of background...
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Parody & Satire: Should I Audition as a Replacement Musician for the...
As a follow-up to Wednesday’s spoof on how the Louisville Orchestra is using social media to advertise for replacement musicians, we have another absurd parody. Three direct questions are asked of a...
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What your Horn Says about You When You are Not Around
Often, when working on a horn the wear and tear tell me a lot about how a horn is handled, used, cared for, and stored. Your horn is “talking” to me in the shop, and I am listening. Look carefully at...
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Professor Corno: “Please feel free to …”
Something you hear said often when getting ready to play in a lesson or audition or whatever is “please feel free to play a few notes first” or similar. After you play those notes though and actually...
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Hornmasters on Horn Chords
Another technique long known but rarely touched upon in print is horn chords, also referred to as vocalizations or multiphonics. Barry Tuckwell in Playing the Horn presents how to play them and also...
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Random Wednesday: Records, Auditions and Routines
Those boring announcements At just about every concert I play these days, the magical anticipation gets interrupted by prolonged announcements and speeches. I can identify with this sentiment: Instead...
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Playing a Horn that Fits In, Internationally
A question recently came in from a reader from the United States that was playing in a foreign orchestra. Their horn of choice in the USA was a Conn 8D, but now they were playing in a section...
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Louisville Orchestra Moves Ahead for Replacement Musicians; Recognition for...
In case any of us were thinking that the Louisville Orchestra Inc. (LOI) plan to hire replacement musicians was a ruse, a news story released this morning confirms this intention is in fact, a...
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Humor: Louisville Orchestra Audition Memes to Share and Help Spread the Word
Louisville Orchestra Auditions - click for a larger view. While it may not seem like much to some the world of memes holds a great fascination for certain age groups, especially younger people who are...
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How to Clean a Horn Mouthpiece and Sanitize a Lead Pipe
When I regularly taught beginning horn students, a portion of the very first lessons were usually devoted to maintenance of the instrument. This included mouthpiece care. Putting lips onto a...
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Orchestra 101 Bonus: What is an Orchestra?
Back a couple years ago I posted a series called Orchestra 101, on professional orchestral playing. Following some of the comments I see online relating to the ongoing Louisville Orchestra situation...
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Internet Memes: LOL Cats, ‘Goggies’ and yes, French Horns
A meme is a virally-transmitted cultural symbol or social idea. Combining images into a humorous juxtaposition with some kind of photo editor is how they are created. For those that may not be aware,...
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Questions from students: Music Career Focus and Teachers and Students
It is that time of year! Questions tend to come in toward the end of semesters. Today we have questions that came in from students for classes. First up are these questions for a career development...
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