John Ericson

Hornmasters on Double and Triple Tonguing. Part I: Schuller and Farkas

While long considered an essential skill for the trumpet player, double and triple tonguing was not so essential that it was included in The...

An Inside Look at Double and Triple Tonguing

Over a year ago the focus of an article on breaking the embouchure was an X-ray video of a horn player which showed the...

Hornmasters on Staccato, Part II: Fox, Berv, and Hill

Staccato tonguing is a problem for many horn students. In part I of this article Farkas and Schuller laid out their approaches to teaching...

Hornmasters on Staccato, Part I: Farkas and Schuller

Continuing on the topic of tonguing, we finally turn officially to staccato tonguing. Two approaches There are speaking broadly two approaches to staccato presented in horn...

Foulk on Sexism and Things to Not Say in a Master Class

In updating the Events page recently I noted in the website for the 2012 International Women's Brass Conference an article by co-host Lin Foulk...

Hornmasters on Setting the Lips and Breath Attacks

This is a topic that is really central to tonguing but not necessarily well taught or understood. Breath attacks can be a tool To begin, for...

A Garland on Your Bell: Not Just Bling

One option out there from a few horn makers is a garland, an extra band of metal added to the edge of the bell...

Turning Points

One turning point we horn players have in common is we all decided at some point to play and keep playing the French horn....

Hornmasters: Farkas and Reynolds on Sforzando

For those following this series on tonguing closely, while many fine horn players do play with the tongue at the bottom of the teeth...

On Prescreening Auditions

One recent trend in schools of music is that of requiring prescreening auditions. In my own teaching this year the exact requirement is “In...