Category: Horn
Here you can view a specific archive, or you can go to the homepage.
-
Book Review: The War of Art by Steve Pressfield
Since I’ve become a bit of a productivity nut, one new thing I’m going to try out over the next few months is adding some reviews of some of the best books that I read that I find insightful, inspiring, or just plain useful. I’m going to start this off with Steven Pressfield’s . Overview…
-
The Importance of “Yet”
With school fast approaching (or for some, already here) this mid-June post by Seth Godin is worth keeping in mind when you are attempting to get better at any skill. I’ve written about Seth Godin before (you can find the posts here and here), and if you never heard of him, he’s worth checking out. He’s written…
-
Scales, Caring, and Cursing
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 to learn their scales is…
-
Can You Practice on Vacation WITHOUT Your Instrument?
It probably comes as no surprise, but being a professional musician comes with a lot of compromises to a “normal” lifestyle. Odd working hours, working on holidays, needing to maintain a high baseline level of playing; the behind-the-scenes of a musician is not always glamorous. For me, at least, that includes the need to do some…
-
Looking to Remove Bad Habits? Two Strategies You May Not Have Tried
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 them also didn’t happen overnight.…
-
New Custom Horn Model – Lukas/Pinc Horn
As I write this post, I was able to try out a new model horn several weeks ago from one of the best custom horn makers working today – Dan Vidican. Dan is fairly well-known for his excellent Lukas horn, and this new horn will likely become just as popular as his flagship instrument. This…