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Hornmasters Extra: Clevenger on Tonguing

John Ericson
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I recently (2011) became aware of a new resource that has some very interesting pedagogical notes from Dale Clevenger, longtime Principal Horn of the Chicago symphony. Credit James Boldin for noting this new resource, a 2009 Doctoral document by Margaret Tung (the same Margaret Tung featured in the infamous Rice “Horn Crew” video**, more at the end of this article) titled Dale Clevenger: Performer and Teacher. It is high time to mention it here in Horn Matters as it is a very significant paper.

Synchronization and pursing

As I never met Clevenger, the two main pedagogical topics presented, “Synchronization” and “Pursing,” are particularly interesting to read about. As Boldin also quotes in his article, Tung introduces the concepts as follows.

Two elements of fine horn playing that must be in constant balance are Synchronization and Pursing. Synchronization involves the process of beginning to play a note, in which the mouthpiece and horn connect to the face. Many factors must simultaneously occur, or inaccuracies on the horn will result. These factors include pressing in the mouthpiece, breathing, forming an embouchure, and placing the tongue for articulation while releasing the air. Pursing, or facial isometrics, involves changing the oral cavity of the mouth as well as the shape of the lips and embouchure to enable more air to flow through the lips, which produces a rich and centered tone. Synchronization and pursing, two unique teaching emphases of Clevenger, involve both physical and mental aspects of playing which improve sound and consistency on the horn.

The fourth step of synchronization

Where the discussion got especially interesting for me was the description of the fourth step of synchronization, starting on bottom of page 73 of the document. For what Clevenger describes is quite a bit different than Farkas in terms of tongue placement when tonguing and also motion. There is a photo of his recommended placement in the document on page 75, and of it Tung writes,

Position the tongue at the bottom of the top teeth to articulate. The cleanest articulation is produced when the tongue meets the bottom of the upper teeth. If the beginning of the note is fuzzy or unclear, most likely the tongue is making contact too high back on the back of the upper teeth or even on the roof of the mouth, which may interfere with the flow of air. At the point of sound, the tongue should already be in place at the bottom of the top teeth, and it should move backwards to create an articulation when the air is released.

The statements above move the discussion of tonguing way beyond Farkas.

What to take away from this

My main note being that many horn players struggle trying to do what Farkas said on this topic without realizing that his method as published does not line up with the methods of other great players. What Farkas described, while perhaps helpful sometimes as visualizations, are not physiologically accurate. If you are working on tonguing, really think over what Tung reports of the method of Clevenger, as it is certainly an accurate description of how many fine horn players approach tongue placement and motion.

In closing I will echo Boldin as well; I hope to see more from this document published in some form. It is one that contains a lot of information that is new to me that will be of interest to many horn players. The direct link to the full document is here.

**The Rice Horn Crew video (VerMeulen/Tung) dates to 2005 and was finally posted to YouTube recently. VerMeulen is playing the part of an over the top caricature of an extreme horn teacher in the video, which was made to advertise her upcoming recital. While it seems very believable, don’t take it too seriously, I have it on very good authority (from VerMeulen himself!) that it is in fact just humor.  The link is here: 

 Well worth watching for fun.

Continue in Hornmasters Series

On Breaking the Rules and the 60-Minute Practice Session

Bruce Hembd
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To a certain degree we learn methods and rules in order to forget about them later and move on to other things.

In “More on the rules of hornplaying” John Ericson brings up a thought-provoking piece on the IHS site, Frøydis Ree Wekre giving her thoughts on myths and negative rules.

Ms. Wekre’s article brings up a lot of interesting notions, and it got me thinking not just about negative rules, but also about some of the good rules – especially those that worked well in the past, but have morphed into something else over time.

Three, well-spaced hours

For a long time my routine was to practice three hours daily, with each session being about one hour in length. These three sessions were evenly divided throughout the day. Sometimes I might do four hours, but on average three seemed to be enough.

The key element here is the one-hour practice session, a concept that I believe is fairly common.

For myself, this was a habit instilled at an early age. From the beginning stages all the way through college and into my early professional career, it was the ritual that I relied on for good results.

With it came an ethic that was important. Practicing involves task-oriented work, and in order to get everything done and on schedule for weekly lessons, some thought, direction and planning was required. The one-hour session was a regular part of that equation.

The game changes

As life got busier, this habit changed.

Between teaching, playing and making web sites I no longer had consistent, well-spaced one-hour chunks of time to rely on. I found myself catching 30-40 minutes here and there, buzzing my mouthpiece in the car or working on warm-ups with students in order to get practice time in, as examples.

Whether it be for a full-time player in a major orchestra or a part-time player with a day job, a busy lifestyle forces one to adapt the practice regimen accordingly.

Necessity, goes the old saying, is the mother of invention.

This is not to say that the old rules suddenly become invalid, but rather to suggest that pedagogy is something that exists on a continuum. Experienced teachers and players, well-versed in a variety of approaches, know this and are prepared with an arsenal of learning tools to draw from.

Learning rules in order to transcend them

Looking at the big picture, we play this game of rules in order to get to the other side and change the game. Ultimately this is how we grow as musicians and learn as teachers and students.

This takes time of course but in a nutshell, it is how we find ourselves – especially our strengths and weaknesses.

These lessons are things to remember.

“Horns are a Quarter-Beat Late”–A Response

John Ericson
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This article came to mind in answering a recent question that came in, and a bit of searching told me that it was not in the current website. This is an article from the original HTML Horn Notes Blog dated 4/25/06. I will leave it exactly as originally posted (with the “Tip of the Day”) but with a few comments at the end.

First, sorry for the delay in recent postings. Things are finally slowing down again a bit, the spring semester is the busiest time of the year.

Arizona has a regional IHS newsletter, Horn on the Range. In the March issue there is an article by Tucson hornist Loren Mayhew, which is based on a posting or series of postings on the horn list.

The title of his article is “Horns are a Quarter-Beat Late,” and in it he argues in short that “if you attack the entrance exactly on the beat or exactly with the instruments around you, the horn sound will be late, guaranteed.” He speaks at some length about sound delay, distances to reflective surfaces, absorption of surfaces behind the horn section, etc.

There is a point to all of his points but I am skeptical that this is the real problem. I have never to my memory had this problem in an ensemble professionally and I have played in many, many different acoustics. There are two central points I believe he missed.

A first point would be that many players honestly believe that they are articulating on time and may actually be articulating on time, but what the conductor and audience hears as the articulation is the point just after the articulation occurs when the sound develops to full volume. It is a version of the “twa-twa” problem. At a distance you don’t even hear the “T” of the “twa” at all, the sound that is heard is just the “wa-wa” part of the equation. This is especially apparent on loud, pointed articulations. [Such as off-beats.]

An element of this problem is mouthpiece choice. Few players can get a tight, pointed staccato articulation out of a very large mouthpiece like a C-1.

The second point would be this; many players just don’t play on top of the beat. You can’t lay back and “follow” you have to lead on every part. Be on top of the beat. Related to this, nothing can be more frustrating to me than percussionists who don’t play on top of the beat. I don’t know what is in their minds–why lay back?

In short, while I don’t doubt that theoretically the acoustic can impact articulations and perceptions of articulations out in halls, I do think that horn players need to be sure they can actually produce a very tight articulation right on the beat before they resort to sound reflectors and such.

TIP OF THE DAY: I was talking about articulations and mouthpieces with another horn teacher at one of the recent workshops and he told me that he had run into students in high school who had been suggested to use a C-1 mouthpiece and were having trouble. Of course they were! This is way too big for practically any player. I say this having been there and done that; perhaps every player needs to have the “big mouthpiece” phase at some point, but I am now way past my C-1 phase.

Looking at this again, I maybe was a little hard on Loren–I certainly am glad he took the time to write the article and also the points he brings up are valid–but I did want to make my point clear that while there may be acoustical concerns to overcome, actually I think often the problem is technical on the performer end of the equation. On the other hand, it is almost as though if some conductors see you with a horn you are already late no matter what you do. They have it written down in their yellow pad–horns late here, horns dragging here, etc.

This general topic, of horns being late, is a great one that will never go away. A more recent article I would point to presents the basic ideas to consider on the technical side is “Tonguing is the Answer.” A final note being there are rules laid out in books that don’t necessarily help players get the best, tight articulations that are right on top of the beat. I will have more on this topic on Thursday.

Random highlights from the Hornsolos channel

Bruce Hembd
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Today, I am featuring a fantastic YouTube channel by “Hornsolos.” This channel began about three years ago and slowly but surely, this anonymous poster has been adding more and more videos over time.

If you are currently auditioning for symphony orchestras this resource is a place where dozens of short video excerpts are available at the click of a mouse.

A few highlights:

A Mahler 6 solo played by Gail Williams

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A short excerpt from Mahler 4.

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Rossini’s The Seige of Corinth featuring a young Dale Clevenger.

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See the complete YouTube channel here.

[Updated 2021 from a “Random Monday” post by JE. I selected the Mahler 6 solo as a replacement for a Mahler 7 that was no longer online.]

Brief Review: The Dämpfer Mitt

John Ericson
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Recently we had coverage on Horn Matters of a video of a presentation by Dr. Peter Iltis on embouchure dystonia. Iltis it turns out is not only a hornist and a Professor of Kinesiology but also an inventor! During the 1990s he had out a product called the Dämpfer Mitt. It went off the market, but in early 2011, due to continued requests over the years, he found a new manufacturer and upgraded this classic product, which I was able to test recently for this review.

I had a student some years back that had the original version of this product, and she liked it. The Dämpfer Mitt is it is a mute holder that straps onto your chair to allow for very fast and quiet mute changes. It will hold two mutes “at the ready” so to speak and also comes with a carrying case for the mutes and accessories. This photo of the current version is taken from their website, where you can find much more information on the product.

In short, if you don’t like hanging mutes on your wrist when you play to make fast mute changes (which I certainly dislike) in orchestral and chamber music situations this is the product for you! It is well made and should certainly last through a lifetime of horn playing. As they note in their site, besides the advantages for transportation and security in performance, kicking over your mutes would also be a thing of the past with a Dämpfer Mitt.

We at Horn Matters welcome the Dämpfer Mitt back on the market, a product that will certainly appeal to many hornists.

Ask Dave: What is the true cost of being cheap?

Bruce Hembd
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A quick story with a moral:  Years ago I had a customer who was using Spray ‘N Wash® as a rotor lubricant.  He was using it on the strength of his belief that a certain very well-known horn player was using it and recommending it.  I asked him how it was working, and he told me his valves never moved so fast!  I tried them and indeed they moved smoothly and fast.

He was leaving his horn for a few weeks while he went on a Christmas holiday break, during which time I was to clean it for him.  So, having other work to do that was promised out I set his horn aside for a while, knowing I had plenty of time to get to it.

When I finally opened the case, pulled out the horn, and tried to remove the rotors I had one of the hardest times I’ve ever had disassembling a horn!  Not only were the rotors frozen, they were stuck.  Lots of penetrating oil and elbow grease later, I busted the rotors out and cleaned the horn.  Afterwards I used a standard rotor oil and the valves worked like new, again.

The “cheap” lubricant worked as long it was kept wet on the valves.  As soon as it evaporated, the rotors froze as hard as could be.

Moral of the story:  a cheap solution can lead to expensive repairs.

p.s.:  I had a conversation with the afore-mentioned famous horn player some years later and asked him if he had ever recommended this treatment?  He had not only not recommended it, he had never heard of it.

Moral of the postscript:  beware of the fallacy of the “appeal to authority.”

From the Mailbag: Kruspe or Geyer–Which is Better?

John Ericson
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For many years there have been two dominant “flavors” of double horn, Kruspe and Geyer style, in use in the United States. The question of which is better is one that comes up often and is a hot button topic of our horn world.

First, I should note clearly that makers rarely if ever use the term Kruspe to describe their larger horns as in fact Kruspe is still [as of 2011] in business! In the era from the turn of the 20th century until WWII they were one of the standard types of professional horns in use in the United States. They made (and make) many models of horn but the Horner model was certainly the one that was used the most by big name players and it was the type of horn that Conn copied when they created their 8D model back in 1937, of which this is an example. Note that the thumb valve is located on the “face” side of the valve cluster.

Meanwhile, there were other ways to make a double horn and the design that emerged as the strong competitor was the Knopf/Geyer type of wrap [UPDATE: For more on the Knopf/Geyer comparison see this article]. Note in this picture of a Hoyer horn of this type that the thumb valve is located on the side away from your face, opposite of the Kruspe wrap. It is still operated by the thumb, it just has a longer lever.

As a number of big pros are playing Geyer style horns some people have predicted the death of the Kruspe wrap for years. While they do have less small bends in the design, one element of the problem is perception as most “production” horns are Kruspe wrap and they are often built heavily, for a school market, like tanks (so they won’t dent easily). On the other hand most Geyer style horns are hand made by custom builders and most are lighter and more responsive instruments [also meaning “easier to play”–see UPDATE III at end of article]. The classic Kruspe style horn is nickel silver with a large throated bell and a classic Geyer is brass with a smaller bell throat. Also, as typically made today Kruspe horns have a heavier weight bell, although this will vary maker to maker.

I came to horn playing from the Conn 8D side of playing and would highlight two prior articles as background reading:

But I won my job in Nashville however playing on a modified Yamaha 667 and have toyed again recently with a vintage (East German) Hoyer “Meister.” Note that there is one important quirk of Geyer style horns to consider, described in this article. Plus Bruce profiled one custom maker of Geyer style horns here for more background.

Speaking of the Yamaha 667, they obviously got good advice when they developed this instrument as it has much of the feel and sound of a handmade custom Geyer style horn. This is why people will bother to spend money to upgrade them. My co-author on this site Bruce Hembd did this recently; follow his story in these links with plenty of photos:

Bruce also owns and 8D and in short, Bruce and I have both seriously played on both styles of horn. They each feel a bit different and have their respective places in our professional horn world.

Any individual player that is really used to one setup or the other (Kruspe or Geyer) is pretty much automatically not going to be as comfortable on the other style of horn. Part of why some players feel strongly pro or against one or the other type is when you try the horn of the other type you are not using it with a mouthpiece that matches it ideally. Plus it blows different and sounds different (Kruspe=big and darker, Geyer=brighter and closer to European ideals) and the responsiveness of each horn will be different. You may not like the change. But a listener might really like the change if you took time to get used to it.

This leads us to a final point I would throw out there, the sound issue. Kruspe and Geyer sound different to be sure in the way they progress into a brighter tone quality as you crescendo. I know some reader will at this point think “oh, Joe sounds like Joe on any horn” which is true to a point but not true on a high level. Joe won’t sound the same in a good hall if they are a good player.

The big picture is the only listener that really matters is the conductor. Factory horns have a different sound than custom horns due to reasons of instrument weight and such, which is part of it. However, if you had a conductor hear the same player performing on a Kruspe wrap or a Geyer wrap as typically made today in a blind test they would chose the Geyer style horn almost every time. It will depend on the hall of course as well but the Geyer style horn has more color in the tone and is perceived to have more clarity. Right or wrong, that type of sound will catch their ears better and will tend to make them think that player has more technical prowess. And they are in fact the boss.

There is a much longer answer possible and every horn teacher will have a bit different take on all of this. Kruspe or Geyer is a minefield that every advanced student of the horn will have to negotiate carefully and you really should try both. Good luck to all readers in your personal quests for horn happiness.

UPDATE: Within actually only a few months of posting this article, and having thought about it for years, I actually made the switch to a Geyer/Knopf style horn. Among other things, as implied above, I feel this type of horn in general gives the type of sound that is more marketable in our present professional world in the U.S.A., and I have enjoyed the change, it feels very comfortable to play (meaning: less work!).

UPDATE II: See this article for more on the Schmidt and Lawson wraps and styles of horn, two popular models that are neither Kruspe or Geyer.

UPDATE III: Plus there is a point to expand about one type of horn being easier to play. As I put it in a note within a recent article,

If you are going to play a horn for hours week after week you need something that plays easily, especially as you get older, rather than expending great physical effort to produce some idealistic sonic concept.

Thoughts on Playing on Piston Valves, a King Mellophone, and the IYM

John Ericson
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As I have been preparing for my session at the IHS symposium that involves performing on a vintage piston valve horn, I have been playing on piston valves quite a bit. Piston valves are very interesting animals if you have basically only used rotary valves for years. As I have commented elsewhere, they feel quite a bit different, especially in legato and slurs. Piston valves really are smoother, but as hornists this is an element we only rarely can experience.

Last week I played the vintage Hawkes piston horn quite a bit crooked in F. Although still not easy to play, over the week it started feeling better and better. I became more used to how it blows and for sure it is more responsive than the F side of any double horn or any cheap student model single F.

This past weekend I was on a very different piston “horn,” as at a church retreat I took my old King mellophone as the instrument to play in the praise band, as I have done other years. At the retreat I also brought along my IYM mouthpiece, seen in this photo. It is a “heavy” mouthpiece and looks pretty intense, no? It did project well with a sound very much like Flugelhorn. I really wish that I could modify the rim to be closer to what I normally play, but otherwise it was a nice break from horn, especially so after working with the vintage piston horn.

I know there are readers out there that on principle hate the mellophone, but on the other hand it feels almost impossible to miss notes on a mellophone in the context of praise band if I get the right fingerings down. No wonder marching band directors love them. And with this mouthpiece the sound really is in a nice place. [UPDATE: Check out my mellophone book, now in an updated third edition]

To offer one other random tip, one thing I have to remind myself of when I go back to my mellophone is that for best intonation you have to extend the first valve slide ¼ inch except on the written C-sharp and D in the staff where you pull it in all the way. It makes a huge difference on this instrument, but other brands of mellophone feel a lot different and have different intonation tendencies.

To conclude, while the legato is great on both of the horns above and the easy accuracy was fun on mellophone, the big negative is that both instruments dished out some stress out on my left arm/hand. Yesterday I resorted to warming up “backwards,” holding the horn with the left hand in the bell and limiting myself to lip slurs and patterns on one fingering, a trick I believe many pros have employed over the years. Fortunately this week I will be performing on a concert at the IDRS symposium and for that I will be back on my triple which is set up much more ergonomically.

Ask Dave: What is “Red Rot”?

Bruce Hembd
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“Red Rot” is commonly used to refer to any reddish patch of corrosion on a copper-based alloy, such as brass. However, this loose usage covers two distinct but related conditions, surface corrosion and deterioration of the alloy due to de-zincification.

Red rot is found in brasses, which are alloys of copper and other non-ferrous metals, such as zinc. As the alloyed metal, most often zinc, is corroded out of the brass, a lattice-work of copper is left which is reddish in appearance.

If this happens on the surface of the part it is relatively harmless. Only a very thin layer of zinc has corroded away, and the part will likely continue to perform well.

However, sometimes the de-zincification is extensive.

True Red Rot is the complete breakdown of the alloy, and it occurs from the inside of a tube and proceeds outward. In this case, the loss of zinc from the brass is substantial and throughout the thickness of the part. It is identifiable as a reddish patch on outside of the tube, roughly circular, with a pin-point dark spot in the very center.

At this spot the alloy has failed completely, leaving a weak structure of copper behind. You can put a probe on the spot and push all the way through without effort. The metal has failed.

What causes Red Rot?

Red rot is caused by a reaction with acidic solutions, usually the aspirants from the player’s mouth. The acid reacts with the zinc and causes it to come out of the brass. Copper is more resistant to reacting with these mild acids.

There is acid in one’s breath, naturally. But acid levels can be increased by consuming certain foods, especially sodas. There are also acids used in instrument cleaning procedures.

What can I do about it?

Once you have Red Rot, there is nothing much you can do about it. If it is localized then you may be able to patch the part and extend its serviceable life. Otherwise, the part must be replaced.

How can I prevent red rot?

You can help prevent it by reducing the acids you introduce into your instrument. Avoid eating right before playing, and especially drinking acidic drinks such as coffee, tea, sodas, lemonade, and so forth. Brush your teeth before playing if possible, or even simply rinse your mouth well before playing. Empty the water out of your instrument right after playing and oil it before putting it away. Periodically, remove the tuning slide and run a flexible cleaner, or snake, through the mouthpipe or leadpipe of your instrument, rinse the pipe with clean water, and let dry before reassembly.

Your technician can help, as well. After a cleaning with any acidic solution your instrument should be acid-neutralized, rinsed thoroughly, and dried completely. Further protection is offered by oiling critical parts. Check with your technician to be sure that these protective steps are followed.

Some parts are made to be resistant to corrosion by using certain alloys. Yellow brass is most susceptible, so parts are often made of gold or red brass or nickel silver. These features enhance the likelihood of a longer life for your instrument, and should be considered when purchasing an instrument.

Dennis Brain in Chicago, November 25-26, 1950; Some Notes from Dennis Brain: A Life in Music

John Ericson
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A massive new biography of the great British horn virtuoso Dennis Brain was just published this month by UNT press, Dennis Brain: A Life in Music. While I anticipate I will have a more formal review of this publication soon I would offer some initial notes and also look at two interesting quotations related to his time in Chicago on tour as a member and soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

This book is well over 350 pages long and contains a variety of information on Dennis Brain. The strongest chapters are full of quotations and read something like an oral history. One chapter is on his time in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and looks in depth at their US tour in 1950. One stop was Chicago, and memories of two different Chicago horn players are cited.

The first is Philip Farkas. He recalled in 1991 that he

… went to the concert in which Dennis Brain played the Mozart No. 2. During it he scratched one little note and afterwards some of the players in the orchestra told me “We don’t know what happened to Dennis. This is the seventh performance he’s played in America and he never did that before!” So, this was a pretty good start—seven without a scratch!”

It is a good story, but one that I read and go HMMMM. Farkas was told this by “some of the players in the orchestra.” I will grant that it could have actually been the first note he missed on tour as a soloist (several others cited in the book speak of his very high level of accuracy), but it does also sound a bit like the sort of idle chat that orchestral players have always made, mixed with a bit of British humor.

In any event Milan Yancich also recalled his interaction with Brain, in a passage quoted from his own great book, An Orchestra Musician’s Odyssey.

I had an absorbing and delightful visit with Dennis Brain at Geyer’s workshop. He was a man of simple charm and blessed with an attractive and winning personality. I played on his Raoux horn which had been rebuilt from a single F horn into a double horn with a C alto attachment.

Actually, Yancich is slightly confusing on this point, as really it had been rebuilt into single B-flat generally similar to the horn in this photo (described more fully here) and was later rebuilt with a rotary ascending valve added for C alto; sources indicate that it did not have that valve added until after the 1950 tour. But to get to visit with Dennis Brain at the workshop of the famous horn maker Carl Geyer? Wow, what horn player would not want to be a fly on that wall. Jumping ahead just a bit,

Unlike the modern day French horn with rotary valve action, his horn had piston valves like the trumpet. It responded and had the feel of a mellophone. When I first held his horn in my hands it was of feather weight compared to my own Geyer horn. The horn was very easy to play, it responded quickly and the high register was superb in its response. When Brain played on my Geyer, he struggled to attain the high C. He had an embouchure where he set his mouthpiece into the lip (einsetzen embouchure) rather than the customary on the lip setting (ansetzen embouchure). The rim of his mouthpiece was quite thin. He stated that the placement and setting of the embouchure was almost the exact opposite of his father’s and that when he articulated it was different from the customary technique of most horn players.

This quote is most interesting. Breaking it down further,

  • The B-flat piston horn responded and had the feel of a mellophone. A mellophone! By this he of course means a classic, concert mellophone, not a marching mellophone. But the comparison is very apt and honest, especially having put in now a good bit of time on a very similar horn and also owning classic mellophone. For sure it would have had some of that same tone color and the piston valves have a very different feel. If you are not familiar with the concert mellophone referenced by Yancich, see this article for more.
  • There are many other quotes in the book relating to American players having trouble producing a note at all on his piston valve horn but actually Yancich found it “very easy to play” with a superb high register. Most of the other players seem to have been trying it at parties late at night after a few stout drinks, which was probably part of their problem getting notes out of it.
  • Brain struggled with a conventional type double horn such as most of us use. I believe that it must have felt heavy and unresponsive to him, after a lifetime of performance on very light and responsive single horns.
  • His embouchure was not what is usually taught, set in the red using a very thin rim mouthpiece. My second embouchure (I have changed my embouchure twice) was actually similar. (Which makes me wonder, what would have happened if he had changed his embouchure to a more conventional approach? What if I had stuck with the approach similar to his? We will never know.)
  • And finally, Brain was aware also that his tonguing method was also not what was normally taught. It is very easy to hear in his playing, he makes much use of a controlled, light “tut-tut” articulation. It is central to his sound and approach and certainly against the rules in the Farkas book. I also know that I use a similar tonguing method. More on this here and here.

The new book on the whole is full of information such as this on topics related to Dennis Brain pulled from a wide variety of sources. In the specific quotes cited here I could have used a bit more discussion, but still authors Stephen J. Gamble and William C. Lynch have developed a great new resource that all fans of Brain should own. More information on the book itself may be found here.

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