Before Farkas: Preparatory Instructor for French Horn (1937) on Tonguing
In working on a project this past year related to Philip Farkas I have had a nagging feeling that there has to be some...
Podcast: Growth Mindset and the horn player
The latest episode of the Horn Notes Podcast is out, and the topic is Growth Mindset. Guest for this episode is Nicole...
A few words on the warmup, your condensation, and sensitivity to...
In this time of separation during the coronavirus, it is a good time to rethink your warmup, to experiment, to work to improve technique,...
Daydreaming in the Rests; Breathing and Blowing
A bit of free association.
During rehearsals of Verdi's Rigoletto this past weekend, I had a stream of free-associative thought during a long period of...
Cramped quarters, decibels and organ bells
Between a rock and a hard place
Easter weekend is a good payday for many brass players. Mine gig was in the choir loft...
Mental Health and Horn Playing: Anxiety and Daily Routines
About 15 years ago I fell into a playing slump. I had stopped doing my daily routines and started relying on freelance work and...
On the topic of phrasing
As we come back from over a year of spotty, Covid era practice, one thing I have observed is a lack of dynamics and...
A Curious Anomaly from Verdi’s “Don Carlo”
Recently on our Horn Matters' social media accounts, we uploaded a meme related to the perils of horn transposition. It features characters from an...
Mailbag: Practicing the High Range
With the start of the semester a few questions have come in related to playing, and one topic I could pull out of them...
Improve your Technique by Improving your Valve Lever Position
Over the break I’ve had a chance to really look at some questions I had about the valve lever position positions on my three...