Category: Horn

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New Custom Horn Model – Lukas/Pinc Horn

June 6, 2018

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…
Keep Your Face in Shape – Embouchure Health Thoughts

May 16, 2018

Embouchure health is something that is probably not talked about enough in most brass-playing groups. While you’ll find hundreds of discussions on how to play high(er) or loud(er), or what mouthpiece is the best, you won’t necessarily find a lot of discussion on how best to manage the very sensitive muscles and tissue that brass…
Online Horn Master Class Resource

May 2, 2018

Masterclasses are a great and underrated resource. I went to my first master classes when I went to my first horn workshop (a pretty awesome experience in and of itself) and I still enjoy going whenever I get the chance. I feel like watching a great teacher work with a student makes me both a…
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Horn Hangout

April 25, 2018

The Chicago Symphony is probably best known for their incredible brass section. The sound of the CSO brass section has been a legend for decades, and one of the core components of any great brass section is the French horn section! In this episode of Horn Hangouts, Sarah Willis sits down with all five members…
What do “playing musically” and the mellophone have in common?

April 18, 2018

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 book discusses the history, technique,…
20+ Warm-up Routines Available Online

April 11, 2018

Most intermediate to advanced horn players have at least some sort of warm-up routine. While warm-up routines are great for maintaining and improving your playing, I find that periodically mixing things up can really highlight blind spots in your playing or help with certain repertoire demands that aren’t encountered on a daily basis. While you…
Being (or Feeling) Rushed Can Hurt Your Practice

March 21, 2018

Carrying on from my post a couple of weeks ago about finding time to practice (and just about anything else you need or want to do), this post from Bulletproof Musician illustrates some of the downsides of being rushed. The Iowa Gambling Task The article goes into more detail (definitely check it out), but basically…
Don’t want to practice? Listen to this instead.

March 14, 2018

If you’ve never heard of Seth Godin, and you’re in any type of entrepreneurial or customer-focused field (like musicians and teachers), you should check him out. His daily blog entries are both incredibly insightful and ridiculously short. Take this 7-sentence entry posted a few weeks ago as an example. Short, to-the-point, and incredibly insightful. A…
No time to practice? Here’s how to do it!

March 7, 2018

The past couple of years, I’ve been on a pretty big productivity kick. I’ve read books, blogs, downloaded apps, and watched Youtube videos, all in an effort to try to maximize my ability to do things quickly and effectively. I’m still pretty far from where I feel I should be – productivity wise – but…
Up Your Intonation Game With Drones

January 2, 2018

Playing in tune is one of the most fundamental skills for any wind or string player. However, in tune is not as simple as just getting a tuner needle to point straight up and setting your slides in one place. Different instrument tendencies, different tuning systems, temperature variations, and melodic vs. harmonic tuning, all affect how individual tones…