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A story involving Giardinelli mouthpiece fit, and Verne Reynolds

Mouthpieces

John Ericson

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May 5, 2022

While well known for his horn music and teaching, Verne Reynolds was not known as an equipment guru. On the other hand, any good horn teacher has some practical knowledge of what helps students play better, and Reynolds as longtime Eastman faculty had his for sure.

One of the more popular articles on the site is A Look at Giardinelli Mouthpieces Through the Ages. As explained there, for many years these were one of the top lines of American mouthpieces, with popularity peaking I believe in the 1970s-80s.

While they are on the market still, the ones made now are not ones a pro might consider using. The old Giardinelli shop in New York City is long gone. But back when I started in on my Masters degree study at Eastman in 1984, LOTS of people used Giardinelli mouthpieces. To be honest, there were not many good options out there; the only other line that was as available at the same general quality was Schilke. People in the Conn 8D side of the playing world primarily used Giardinelli, and over on the Geyer side of things Schilke was the choice.

Most of the horn mouthpieces by Giardinelli that a serious horn player might use were screw rim. The thread design they used remains the standard used today in the USA.

The C series cups were their most popular model, the “C” being for James Chambers, longtime Julliard faculty and New York Philharmonic Principal Horn. Probably the most popular model was the C-10, which I am guessing I was in fact playing when I started at Eastman. The “10” is the size of the drill used to make the hole (using a set of machinists numbered drills, explained further here).

Made by hand one at a time, not every mouthpiece they made was great. The first place you might begin to suspect an issue is if you checked the bore with a drill. The likely result is it was not quite the advertised size. A 4 that was actually a 6, etc. If you started looking even closer, you would find significant variations in the backbore and the shank size, areas where thousandths of an inch really matter.

Where Verne Reynolds fits into the story today is he knew that the shank fit was significant. What he had me do to work on this to improve my mouthpiece was go to a particular local repair person in Rochester and have her turn the shank down to where she felt it was where it needed to be. Who was that repair person? Dorothy Frizelle, the same person the IHS excerpt competition is named for.

I recently got curious to compare her shanks on the two of these I still have with the three stock Giardinelli mouthpieces I have, and the difference is huge.

The first photo shows a stock cup (only, no rim).

The second photo shows the reduced diameter shank as done by Frizelle. You can see it fits in the receiver MUCH further. The receiver used for the photos is a vintage Lawson leadpipe.

Honestly, I think she may have taken it down too far. Of course, ideal shank size is a moving target, dependent on your horn and how you want it to feel. However, for comparison I can tell you a Houser 0 shank is about halfway in size between the before and after photos, and the stock Giardinelli shank is way too big for most any horn I have.

The result of the overly turned down shank is that the high range when I try these now is quite flat (although I can push it up to be in tune). Of course, think back to the old 8D you might have used with this mouthpiece. Typically, the high range was sharp on these, so a mouthpiece that tends to plays flat in the high range might have helped…. Maybe that was the goal?

Somehow I made it work. After Eastman I began to experiment with Atkinson mouthpieces, then Lawson, used a FARKAS MODEL when I won the Nashville audition, etc.

But Giardinelli mouthpieces such as these above are old school and not a very good choice today. If you are using one, you owe it to yourself to try something more modern. For more ideas on the topic check out the most recent episode (53!) of The Horn Notes Podcast, available everywhere you access podcasts or directly here.

Rethinking how we teach horn – without Kopprasch

Horn Teaching

John Ericson

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Apr 20, 2022

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If you do a simple search of the topic “rethinking how we teach”, you will find a number of people reconsidering various aspects of pedagogy in relation to the pandemic and the changing times.

Is it time to ditch Kopprasch?

I would propose that it is time horn teachers should rethink several elements of standard horn teaching. Do we just do things because we do them? Simply repeating the way we were taught? Are the materials actually effective? Are they just familiar and available?

Of course, as teachers, we try to be effective, and the materials we use are part of that equation. In my own case, I recently realized that my use of teaching materials has changed in recent years in several ways.

Wildly different teaching styles

In the bigger picture, there are some wildly different teaching styles out there. Some are objectively rather extreme styles.

One style I really question is the type of teacher that focuses lessons on just a few exercises that to an outsider would look like warmup exercises. Weeks, months, even years spent focusing on just those exercises.

A related type of teacher focuses almost entirely on Kopprasch. In both cases, I think the idea is to achieve some sort of theoretical perfection in those materials (alone), and when you have mastered those singularly important (to the teacher) exercises, only then can you move on to real music.

The problem with Kopprasch

I used Kopprasch regularly in lessons for years, as part of the mix of things, but this past couple of years I have hardly used it at all. I do not miss it. Kopprasch is very predictable and is not good music. Hype and devotion to it does not make it interesting music. Gallay etudes for example are much better music. Maxime-Alphonse has wonderful moments where you can show off all sorts of nuance.

How did we get our horn teaching so tied up with Kopprasch? As a recognized “Kopprasch scholar”,** I would say because his book was the first of its type (published ca. 1832!) and worked reasonably well, at a time when we had limited options.

Eventually Kopprasch became a rite of passage for the horn student. Why? Why keep using the same, tired, old materials? For 190 years? Today we have so many other options for teaching materials. It is time to make use of them.

You do not have to be old to be an old-fashioned teacher

I’m sure that among those that have read this far into this article there are some teachers who are very dedicated to using a lot of Kopprasch. Traditional teaching has a place. Old school teaching also has a place. However, if you are a younger teacher teaching mainly out of Kopprasch there is a point (as in right now) where you need to realize that your teaching is old fashioned and perhaps a bit lazy. You could and should be more effectively addressing the same technical skills in materials written much more recently than Kopprasch.

What about using Kling? Mueller? Franz? Others?

I will just say for me, much of the older etude literature available is just not very interesting. The lone exception from the era is Gallay; he gets at some very interesting things musically and technically. I especially like to use his second horn etudes and the unmeasured preludes. Outside of that, most of the old standard etudes of this era I just mentally set aside as bad Kopprasch.

Moving into the early 20th century, Maxime-Alphonse has quite a few interesting etudes as well. He clearly is looking for some very specific things; roughly 2/3 of his etudes are well worth a good look in books 3 and 4. I can make great use of these in lessons.

Not a fan of LONG etudes

Another category of etude is the very long etude. Two pages or more, and technically challenging. I am not a fan of these as well. Yes, you can work on endurance with them, but this can also be done with better music (solo horn works, etc.).

Speaking of solo horn works, this entire category did not exist in the time of Kopprasch. We can make use of it today!

Developing a pedagogy based on shorter (and more recently published!) etudes

In my own case, I realized on reflecting on my teaching that in the past few years I have developed a teaching scheme based much more on shorter etudes than what I did in the past, also incorporating some duets as well.

This developed over time of course, but I think the two publications that most crystalized this change for me are the low horn version of my 35 Melodic Etudes and also my Modern Preparatory Etudes. I use both books a lot. One reason why short etudes such as these are great is the musical variety I can create. However, looking closer, another reason why both are good teaching material is that, being short, a student can work out the etudes relatively quickly, and then they reveal to me certain things as areas of interest. They give opportunities to expose and work on problem areas.

Kopprasch can do that too, but what happens is when one finally gets good at playing Kopprasch then you tend to play everything like Kopprasch. Moreover, many areas of technique are not addressed at all in Kopprasch, and the tonal language is very dated.

Summer project

For Horn Matters readers that teach, consider this summer searching out some new materials, and in particular consider the option of using more short etudes in your teaching scheme.

For me a summer project will be developing more formally a resource I need, a book of short transposition studies. Of course, many teachers use Kopprasch for this. I do not think these are very good for teaching transposition, as the etudes are too long and do not look like natural horn music. Again, a project for the summer.

Is it time? Yes, it is time

Good teaching materials should help you teach and help students learn. Kopprasch and similar 19th century materials might help you as a teacher as it is so familiar (to you!), but I am not convinced they help students learn at the rate they might learn from other, more effective materials. It is time to cut the cord and move on from Kopprasch as the focus of horn teaching.

**I was specifically cited as a Kopprasch scholar in the preface of the new Carl Fischer edition of these etudes, but obviously, I do not endorse it.

For more …

Check out episode 51 of the Horn Notes Podcast where I talk about Kopprasch, grad auditions, and more. I anticipate recording several new episodes in the coming months.

A Meme Flood for April Fools’ Day

Memes & Photoshop

Bruce Hembd

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Apr 1, 2022

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April Fools’ Day is an annual tradition celebrated in many cultures worldwide. It is a time for humor and jokes, and in recognition of this day here are some horn-related memes, both old and new. Enjoy!

#1.) Troll over Beethoven.

#2.) Getting the Hand.

#3.) Being “one” with your instrument.

#4.) Blame the milkman.

#5.) Advice duck, making sacrifices.

#6.) Polly want an embouchure?

#7.) Cheating boyfriend.

#8.) Trolling the IHS.

#9.) Drake, on third horn.

#10.) The joys of collective bargaining.

#11.) Such a gift to have perfect pitch.

#12.) Conductors and transposition.

#13.) From the Marvel Universe.

#14.) Must have been a Verne Reynolds etude.

#15.) Friends, on playing the Viennese horn.

#16.) Sometimes up is down.

#17.) Overly manly man.

#18.) Vince contemplates the possibilities.

#19.) Genie was not a great horn teacher.

#20.) Playing off the leg? Not a problem with the Corno Ultimo.

#21.) Scumbag brain throwing a wrench into the works.

#22.) Life in the Tatooine Philharmonic.

#23.) NFTs are all the rage these days.

#24.) The inner game of tennis.

#25.) If Darth Vader were a conductor.

#26.) Patience is a virtue.

#27.) Little Ricky has issues with his Daddy’s ghost.

#28.) Kitty musketeer to the rescue. Mus-cat-teer?

#29.) Leopold?

#30.) Pushing yourself.

#31.) Captain Kirk does not like Khans.

#32.) Never underestimate a nerd.

#33.) Walker, Texas Ranger.

#34.) Cuteness will only take you so far.

#35.) Ghosts.

#36.) Words to the opening of Don Juan.

#37.) Life as a horn player.

Memes brought to you by:
Captain Blasto

Failure as a Goal for Success

Mental Health & Anxiety

Bruce Hembd

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Mar 18, 2022

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humpty-dumpty — Pictured above: Humpty Dumpty. Click the image for a wiki article with more details.

Sometimes when I get contemplative about life, I look back and examine my past failures. Without a doubt, I have made some colossal mistakes and to be honest, some of them I remember with a bit of shame and embarrassment.

Introspection can be a good thing but, for myself at least, it can easily spiral out of control into disappointment, even sadness. So when looking back at past failures it is best for me to frame it in a positive light, even if it feels a bit forced.

I have no regrets about these failures. It is a natural part of being a human being, and I look at them as a learning opportunities to start over again, but with the added knowledge of what to avoid the next time.

The main goal with thoughtful introspection like this should always be to improve and build up the spirit, not to tear it down.

Baby steps lead to giant steps

dumbbell hand weight A few years back, I took up weight lifting as a way to improve my health. It started out with very light weights, plenty of rest between exercises, and short sessions. Over time this progressed to heavier weights, less rest between exercises, and longer sessions.

In the weight-lifting world, there is a wealth of scientific research (and personal opinion) on pushing yourself to failure in order make “gains.”

It should be said however that mindlessly pushing yourself in this manner can have unintended consequences. While pushing to failure can be a good technique for building muscle, it can also lead to poor performance and an increased risk for injury, if left unchecked.

The mental and physical sides of failure

This train of thought can also apply to horn playing. Pushing yourself at a level that outpaces your body and mind’s ability to recover and adapt should not be the strategy of choice. Doing this on a regular basis can lead to physical injury and perhaps worse, a negative mindset where you start doubting yourself and your abilities.

Failure as an expectation in the practice routine

Years ago as a student, I adopted an intense practice method where physical failure in my facial muscles was expected at every practice session and sometimes, after every exercise within a session. It was viewed as a goal to aim for; an accomplishment in order to build strength and power in my playing.

My embouchure would hurt after those practice sessions and worse, I willfully ignored that pain and discomfort. This was all done with good intentions, but in hindsight I now realize how detrimental this approach was to my horn playing.

I mistakenly interpreted pain in my embouchure as a lack of effort, a weakness, an inefficient practice technique, or something like “well, I must not be trying hard enough.”

My playing would suffer for days, even weeks, after these intense sessions. Over time, this had a secondary effect on my confidence and my ability to maintain a positive mindset when playing solo and ensemble repertoire outside of the practice room.

In other words, I became my own worst enemy.

The effects of cumulative fatigue

From “Fatigue Explained” (an article on weight lifting) we have this to consider:

Cumulative fatigue interferes with training in 3 distinct ways. First of all, it lowers the athlete’s ability to perform maximally, both in force production and in technique execution. […]

The second reason fatigue interferes with training is by its direct effects on hormonal and intracellular adaptive pathways. As fatigue levels rise, so does the catabolic hormone of cortisol. […] you might even be able to push through being tired […], only to realize that most of your hard work did not turn on adaptive pathways nearly as much as usual, and your hard work was partially for naught.

Lastly, by summing up microtears and expanding their size over the weeks and months of hard training, cumulative fatigue increases the risk that such tears will lead to injuries. […]

Fatigue-mediated injuries usually take much longer than several weeks of hard training to become likely, but what is almost certainly true is that many months of hard training without a chance for microtears to heal completely is going to increase injury risk.

Improvement though failure

This all being said, I agree with the general sentiment that it is lazy to just get by in life without taking action to improve yourself. Pushing ourselves to do better is how we can grow – physically, mentally, and spiritually.

And to a certain degree, yes, failure demonstrates that we are making an effort. In our horn playing, occasionally pushing ourselves towards muscle failure can indeed lead to a stronger embouchure and better performance.

But, this approach can only be a stepping stone to success as long as its effects are carefully observed and taken into thoughtful consideration. Mindless practice with failure as the goal can have unintended consequences, to both your horn playing and your mental state of well-being.

A few ideas to consider:

If you feel fatigue or discomfort in your chops, stop and think. Ask yourself, am I hurting or helping my chops? Be conscious of the fine line between pushing your chops to failure in order to build strength, and causing long-term damage.
Be aware of fatigue accumulation in your practice and the mental trap of “not trying hard enough.”
Think deeply about rest and recovery between exercises and practice sessions. Outpacing your ability to recover and adapt should not be the strategy of choice.
Do not be afraid to take time off the horn. A day or two of rest after a heavy playing schedule will allow your chops the time they need to recover and stay limber.
Forgive yourself and try to learn from mistakes and misjudgments in your practice methods. Talk with your teacher or a trusted colleague if you are feeling “off” with your chops. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. It is not a sign of weakness to admit that you have a problem.

Screen time versus your horn playing (and everything else)

Technology & Digital

John Ericson

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Mar 13, 2022

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This past week I noted an article, “Study: Too much screen time harmful on molecular level.” Likely you have heard that overall, it is a good idea to control your screen time, especially outside of work hours. What caught my attention though was the article looked at a study done at my own university, and it had a brand new angle on the topic.

The basic suggestion from this article, which summarizes a recent study, is to limit screen time to less than 75 minutes in a day. Or at least try not to go over 2 hours. From the article,

The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend no more than one hour of screen time per day for children 5 and under. There is no consensus on a safe amount of screen time for adults, but connections between well-being and digital technology use show harmful effects on individuals engaging in more than two hours of daily screen time.

Of course, you are reading these words on a screen of some sort and I think that is good! But there is a big topic here. With the pandemic and remote work, a LOT of people have been working online. Two years ago this week, I had to change to teaching all my lessons online. We have all had a lot of screen time since then, and people are starting to study the consequences of this.

Conventional wisdom for years has been that lots of screen time is bad for your eyes. But in the study they found that too much screen time actually is harmful to your health in general, in some very specific ways. From the conclusion of the article, quoting the study itself,

Our results indicate that individuals with more than 75 minutes of daily screen time had microbiome and metabolome profiles consistent with obesity, Type I diabetes, myocardial infarction, chronic fatigue syndrome and a host of digestive disorders.

Yikes! So not only will you help your eyes and such by reducing screen time, also, in the big picture, you will live longer and better.

What is the first step?

Even before reading the article on the study I had been wanting to reduce my screen time, and now I have additional motivation — and maybe all of us should pause a moment and think about this topic. Screen time creeps up on you, and elements of work and life the past two years have pushed us all into extensive use of screens.

The first step is to pause and think about what life might look like with less screen time, and what it might feel like. In some cases (most even) we can’t reduce it to the recommended 75 minutes. But likely we can reduce it significantly, and perhaps find a way to get at least one day a week down to that level or even less. It could make a difference on many levels of life, physically and mentally.

What about horn playing?

In terms of horn playing, it is a great analog activity to embrace. We should all practice more and watch screens less! With printed music when you can.

But all kinds of analog activities are things we should be doing more. I realize some of my best memories of the pandemic were working on the horn building project during my sabbatical. No screens, horn related and interesting, and gave extra focus to my practice too.

Other things we can focus on

I’m now making an effort to listen more to the radio, podcasts, or music, to read physical books and magazines, and focus again on analog hobbies. I started over spring break a new horn building project — that was a great break from everything — and went for walks or hikes every day.

This whole topic area is one I’ll be curious to follow in the coming years as more studies are done. Whatever you decide to do, I think there is a win-win situation to be found in reducing your screen time and increasing the horn time, give it some thought.

Grad auditions, part IV. You do need to transpose, and other helpful asides

Auditions

John Ericson

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Mar 9, 2022

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For the final component of my auditions for some years now I have settled into a fairly simple and short sight-reading passage. For grad applicants I have them read the passage in F and then transpose it to a number of keys. It should be easy!

Public Service Announcement: Horns need to transpose well

In a way it is a gauge of what your teachers have valued and covered in lessons, and is also a gauge of if you have much orchestral experience.

But also, I do this to quantify better where you are in relation to the goals that you will likely express to me. Because …

Second PSA: Orchestral players must transpose well

Most applicants for grad degrees have serious interest in orchestral horn playing. Transposing well is a must. You can’t go to a gig and be fumbling around on a simple horn in D passage of the type I’m having you sight read.

This is another reason why you should not at all be using transposed parts at all in a grad audition. Looping back to the topic of Strauss 2 in an earlier part of this series, if you can’t play Strauss 2 from the Eb part maybe your Eb transposition should be better? Or, imagine how good your Eb transposition would be if you worked out Strauss 2 from the Eb part!

Aside: What about Mozart concerto horn parts?

The even less good thing I see often is using transposed parts for Mozart 2 or 4 in a grad audition. Of course, all of these things are not deal breakers but seriously, your teachers should be giving you honest feedback that includes a warning that you need to take off the training wheels and play from original notation parts only. It will pay off.

Aside: The topic of honest feedback

My final aside is that you do need to get some honest feedback from multiple sources to prepare a good audition. Feedback from people with enough experience to give you solid and helpful feedback toward a solid audition. Don’t prepare it on your own, thinking you can just revisit music from your recital or past lessons. No. The serious grad applicant needs to make things sparkle. With a final reminder that you goal out of the audition is to find a teacher who will give clear feedback and help you toward your goals. Good luck!

Conclusion: The future looks good

To close, I would like to end on a positive note. With the pandemic essentially over there should be a big uptick in auditions for good jobs in the horn world, as there have been a number of retirements and likely will be more in the next few years. It has been a tough few years for everyone, but those players ready for auditions will have some opportunities. It is a good time to be looking to improve yourself and to set some goals for your horn future. Good luck!

Return to Part I of series

Grad auditions, part III. Excerpts in general, and Till and Brahms 3 specifically

Horn Excerpts

John Ericson

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Mar 8, 2022

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For several years I’ve had the Till and Brahms 3 excerpts as being required of all grad applicants. It helps to have apples to apples components as I rate applicants.

The bigger problem

I say this carefully but I was forced to come to a conclusion that many horn teachers don’t teach excerpts well. For many excerpts there is a very limited range of what could be considered a correct interpretation. Certain boxes have to be checked off, boxes a good teacher defines through insights gained by their orchestral experience and taking professional auditions.

In my own case I took 30 professional auditions and was Third Horn in Nashville for 6 seasons (among other playing, including as Principal Horn at the Brevard Music Center). I have clear ideas of what I want to hear.

Sometimes too, I suspect the student doing the audition has not played the excerpt for a competent teacher, or if they did, they did not implement their advice. Or maybe too many Zoom lessons? In any case, I have some specific thoughts to consider.

The excerpt a strong applicant should offer

Shostakovich 5 is an essential excerpt. It is not a deal breaker; I’ve accepted many grad applicants that did not have low range power yet. But this excerpt remains the elephant in the room, the excerpt you should be offering even if I don’t require it. If you are reading this and your low range is very much still in progress, my Low Horn Boot Camp book could be of help.

Till

On Till I have covered a lot of my thoughts in a prior post and also episode 50 of my Horn Notes Podcast.

The biggest issue is if you are a grad applicant you need to be able to play it with the correct rhythm and blap out a decent low C. Even these are not deal breakers for me for an entering MM student, we can work on these things, but still, these are things you have to learn and work out.

Brahms 3

I’m constantly telling people to play the solo louder and faster. This is not a slow, soft, sad excerpt! It is not from the slow movement of the symphony. Also, the texture is thick, you have to play over a lot of sound on the stage, it needs to sound like you will project to the back of the audience. It is a solo, not an inner voice in a woodwind quintet.

Another big issue is there are specific, best places to breathe. I will admit that I have strong opinions on this drawing from my own audition prep and having performed the work several times. However, recently I saw a European pro post to Facebook a video of Brahms 3 with their orchestra, testing a new horn. Honestly, they took way too many breaths! I don’t understand how this is OK, unless you have a very small lung capacity.

Above all,

A bad interpretation of an excerpt is not a deal breaker in a grad audition — any version will show your potential — but a good interpretation enhances your application to be sure.

When the series continues, we have one more major topic

Continue to Part 4 of series

Grad auditions, part II. New trends in solos

Horn Music

John Ericson

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Mar 7, 2022

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I don’t require any specific solos at ASU, and I found that, compared to prior years, there were a few changes.

Lots of Strauss II

I heard Strauss II in the past too, but there was a clear uptick this time around. I think word has gotten out that it is one of the best solos for grad auditions (and it is). I would note however the following:

Use the standard, published Eb part, and play everything in it as written,
Don’t use a transposed part that probably has random issues that I hear as mistakes, and
Above all don’t use that hand written horn part from the premier, the one on IMSLP, scanned by Hans Pizka.

Actually, nobody used that IMSLP part this year so far as I could tell, but people have in the past. It has so many differences compared to the standard published part — please spend the money and get the real Eb part and learn it well for a grad audition (and, this being a grad audition, you should be able to transpose Eb well by now).

The Confessions of St. Augustine by Erika Raum, and the challenge of interpreting a new work correctly

A few auditions in I learned that the first movement of this solo horn work was required by Michigan on grad auditions this year. It is a very nice work to play on an audition, and I hope to hear it more in the future!

My main observation was that people seem to not be able to interpret a new work well. As I see it, composers write music in such a way that you should play it basically as written. Certainly, that is the starting point! So, if an initial tempo is given very specifically, you should do it. Printed rhythms should be observed. Etc.

Looking around online, I see one key recording that some applicants may have referenced, and it is slow to the printed markings and to my mind not in the correct character either. And then another that pops up is even slower. Don’t imitate recordings like a parrot, think it over, especially a new work with few reference recordings, and be sure to convince me that you have clear ideas how to play the work that are based on the notations in the part.

The Jane Vignery Sonata, and finding the correct style

This work seems to not be required anywhere, and appears to have come up in the mix of solos organically (although it is on the list of options for the IHCA and the IWBC solo competitions). This is also a great audition solo and well worth checking out if it is new to you.

Written in the 1920s, it has a style that can be a challenge to grasp or convey well. For an audition (or competition) I think you need to highlight the many contrasts as the work opens, but there is another thing that I think you need to do before playing the work.

What will help you is to have worked through some Maxime-Alphonse etudes at a high level, especially books 3 and 4, which were written in the same period as the Vignery. The overall style is very similar (“light,” “French”). The reason this is such a key is the opening of this Sonata (and beyond) must not be played with the aggressive articulations typically learned in Kopprasch.

When the series continues the topic is excerpts.

Continue to Part III of series

Grad auditions, part I. As they say, the times, they are changing

Auditions

John Ericson

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Mar 6, 2022

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University horn auditions are over for 2022. I believe Horn Matters readers will find a number of interesting notes and tips in this short series reflecting on this round of auditions at Arizona State.

Overall numbers

The first thing that was eye-opening was that while the undergraduate numbers seen this year were similar to normal, graduate auditions were way up. Way up as in more than double the numbers of any normal to above average year (and WAY up from a year ago). Which is a great problem to have I suppose, but still actually is a problem, as I will have to wait list a number of applicants that I would have normally accepted. I don’t like doing this, but there are only so many slots to fill.

I believe that other horn teachers are seeing the same general numbers. This is clearly a “wave year” for horn auditions. If you were an applicant anywhere, this may be discouraging news, but be aware it’s not you so much as this year was highly unusual.

Live auditions are back!

The best part of this year was live auditions were back. Hearing applicants live with no filter was great, and also, I was glad too those applicants could visit in person. Deciding on a college is a big decision and commitment; seeing the school in person is ideal.

Virtual auditions greatly improved

But also, our virtual audition system worked a lot better than last year. In our case applicants presented a recorded (video) audition representative of their best playing, and we then in the Zoom session do sight reading and I can explore some things from the videos. With the combination of factors available to me I finally have a view of the playing of the online applicant that is very similar to that of the live auditions.

Disclaimer

If you auditioned for me this year … don’t worry! I am referencing in this article series only generally your choices of rep and playing, looking mostly at what shows trends of the times.

Mozart mania!

Mozart first movements are still great solos for auditions, showing off important elements of style and skill. Most of them I heard were played well, with nice easy runs and such. Making music! Some good teaching out there, nobody played Mozart like Kopprasch this year (which has too often been the case).

In past years I made a point of checking if applicants were using transposed parts. I didn’t do that this year, but the basic thing to note is as a grad applicant you really should be using a part with the original notation (in Eb! You should be playing Mozart 2 or 4). I’ll address this topic further later in the series.

The pieces I didn’t hear

To close part I, there were two works I was glad to not hear on this round of grad auditions.

The solo I didn’t hear was Strauss I. It is a fine solo but also the quintessential undergrad audition solo. I really don’t want to hear it on a grad audition. I suspect no horn teacher wants to hear it on a grad audition. While yes, it is not what you play but how you play it, still, playing Strauss I basically just says to me you don’t know any more advanced solos.

The excerpt I didn’t hear was the Tchaik 5 solo. On this my reaction is very much like that of Strauss I. Yes, it is a great excerpt. Wonderful moment in orchestra! But tends to be offered by applicants who know hardly any other excerpts, and also it tends to sound flat and boring. And yes, I know some teachers require this one for their grad auditions (likely for the exact same reason — only the best applicants don’t sound boring on it), but I’m not too interested in hearing it. We can work on it later! I have other excerpts I’d rather hear that show me more about your potential.

Part II will look at some new trends in solos. I heard several new works this year, more soon.

Continue to Part II of series

Mouthpiece story — Testing “connections” with Maxime-Alphonse 4:12

Accuracy

John Ericson

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Mar 5, 2022

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Some certain works and phrases of works have interesting applications when it comes to testing mouthpieces and horns. In some recent lessons I have come back to the topic of “connections” of notes in relation to mouthpieces, and, more specifically, in relation to the connections found in Maxime-Alphonse book 4 number 12.

Eventually “connections” becomes an accuracy topic. If you can’t connect easily from note to note you will have chipped notes creep in. You also tend to think it is you, some problem you have, rather than an equipment issue that is the cause.

For sure some teachers and players also don’t realize this general issue and the large impact it has. Which brings me back to this specific etude, which is excellent for testing mouthpieces (and horns). It should be easy. Easy notes, easy range, beautiful and singing.

If you miss notes in every phrase it can be a function of how stiff your horn feels when it moves from note to note. It will very much benefit you to try several mouthpieces on some phrases such as found in this etude. There is no one perfect mouthpiece for this, as your horn will also have slots and they can feel from note to note looser or stiffer. Plus there is the issue of mouthpiece fit. Larger shank mouthpieces, that fit in less far, will tend to feel stiffer, with more tendency toward what some call bumps and clicks.

Horn makers tend to set up their horn for a mouthpiece they prefer. But again, this is part of why you need to experiment. You are you. You have to find your balance in relation to sound and sound production.

In my own case, I’ve found myself going back to two mouthpiece models I used before the current one. This is probably partially a manifestation of the “mouthpiece wheel of doom” theory, where you do experiments and then end up where you started. Still, the trials are worth the effort, and it is a good way to focus your practice as you can see quickly which ones actually work better in this etude. Give it a try!