practice

If you’ve been in band or orchestra for any length of time, then the constant badgering from directors, sectional coaches, and private teachers to “practice your scales” is probably very familiar. If you’ve taught band, orchestra, sectionals, or private lessons, then the almost-automatic eye roll from students when you tell them […]

Scales, Caring, and Cursing

 in Horn  tagged horn playing / horn practice / horn teaching / horn technique / practice by (updated 110 days ago)
Too much pressure. Incorrect mouthpiece placement. Too much “smile” in the embouchure. Lousy right-hand position. Too little attention to intention. These are some of the bad habits I’ve had in my playing over the past 20+ years of playing the horn. These bad habits weren’t learned overnight, and moving past […]

Looking to Remove Bad Habits? Two Strategies You May Not ...

 in Horn  tagged horn playing / horn practice / horn problems / horn teaching / horn technique / practice by (updated 123 days ago)
Marching Mellophone
Nothing. Well, almost nothing (I kid – mostly). John Ericson, Horn Professor at Arizona State University, and one of the founders of the French horn website HornMatters.com, has a book about playing the various marching horns called A Mello Catechism: A Guide to the World of Mellophones and Marching Horns. This […]

What do “playing musically” and the mellophone have in common?

 in Horn  tagged horn equipment / horn playing / horn problems / horn teaching / practice by (updated 123 days ago)