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Who Reads Horn Matters? Spring 2011 Update

Bruce Hembd
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In a few months, Horn Matters will hit upon its 2-year anniversary!

That 2-year anniversary date is September 1st. While I don’t think either John or I have looked that far ahead yet, this is a good time to at least look at what readership we have so far.

What has been going on?

January 1, 2011 – May 25, 2011

This graph from our Google Analytics tool shows a 6-month period that shows overall that readership is steadily increasing.

The readership since January 2011.

Some of these numbers have totaled up to:

  • 67,452 visits
  • 168,885 page views
  • 92 languages used

Loyalty

Looking at a metric called loyalty we see an interesting trend.

This web site does get a lot of one-time visitors, but we also have a steady crowd that regularly checks out the content.

While 50% of site viewers visit under 2 times, over 35% of readers visited more than 8 times in this 6-month period. 20% of readers visited as often as 50 times or more!

A graph that measures loyalty.

Countries

Looking at Analytics GeoMap Report, we can see the countries of origin of our readers during this 6-month sample.

Top Countries reading Horn Matters, since Jan. 2011

Horn Matters on Facebook

From our Facebook page we get yet another perspective of who is reading Horn Matters.

Facebook Demographics

Other numbers since September 1, 2009

  • Over 3,300 Facebook fans
  • 230 Twitter followers
  • About 250 RSS Subscribers

Overall we are seeing our traffic numbers climbing at a steady pace.

Thank you Horn Matters readers! This interest is a strong part of what motivates us to keep writing.

Brief Reviews: Improv Games, Scarlatti Etudes, and Jazzy Etudes

John Ericson
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Back in 2009 I noted that Jeffrey Agrell had out a new publication, Improv Games for One Player. This year at the Midsouth Workshop I received a copy of this publication for review and would offer these additional notes.

The subtitle of the publication is “A Very Concise Collection of Musical Games for One Classical Musician.” I like this publication very much. The title could at first actually lead readers astray, it sounds like it might have something to do with jazz improv. It does have something to do with improv in a general sense but actually it is more correctly chock full of interesting ideas of different ways to practice, many of which can also be easily applied to teaching situations. I hate to give too much away as interested readers should purchase a copy, but for example the “Accent Game” has several valuable twists on how to practice scales that could certainly help improve accuracy and technique in general. In the introduction Agrell notes

Why improvise? To have fun, to further technique and musicianship, and to acquire fluency and flexibility (to be ready for anything that comes along). It’s all well and good to play standard etudes and technical exercises, but to really achieve comprehensive musicianship, you need to improvise.

This book is definitely worth looking into and is very well printed and coil bound by the publisher, GIA.

At the Southeast Workshop I was given a copy of a new publication by Michael Brubaker, Twelve Etudes for Horn arranged from the music of Domenico Scarlatti. When I met him at the workshop I realized that I was already following his blog, Tempo Senza Tempo. In it he features highlights of his collection of antique photographs related to horn and music, and his contact information may be found there. These etudes are certainly not Kopprasch! They are arranged from works for harpsichord and he includes the Longo and Kirtpatrick numbers for every etude. This element is excellent as I found it very easy to find keyboard recordings of these works (YouTube, etc) which will serve as a model for the hornist to learn these etudes with the correct character and style. An example would be the first of the etudes, for which this seems to be a top version on YouTube. As to his specific realization of these works Brubaker notes

These etudes are intended as an introduction to Scarlatti and baroque musical form. The Sonatas were originally written for the harpsichord, an instrument of limited dynamics, so ornaments and phrasings had a practical purpose very different than phrasing for the piano, or any wind instrument like the horn. Therefore the edited phrasings here should be understood as only one interpretation out of many other possible choices.

For the moderately advanced to advanced horn player, these challenging etudes in a Baroque style are pamphlet bound with a simple cover of a light coated paper stock.

Our final brief review for today is another collection of twelve etudes, sent to me by Portuguese hornist Ricardo Matosinhos. Titled 12 Jazzy Etudes for Horn, this is available in a very nicely printed edition by Phoenix Music Publications. Of these the author states in his website that

Usually advanced studies for French Horn tend to be too difficult. This is the first of 3 etude books for Horn on modes scales not very usual in horn studies, as well as some extended techniques and special effects. All this in easy to play studies where difficulties are not mixed, (if the study is difficult or even very difficult in some aspects, it will be simple on others) and above and of all its always present a great rhythmic component and a lot of fun.

There are recordings of two of the etudes posted in his site. I would rate these as being pretty challenging, certainly more difficult than the Scarlatti etudes above in that there are a number of extended techniques and special notations, not to mention the more complex rhythms to read and master. Dedicated to Arkady Shilkloper, these are jazzy, but actually I perceive more as just difficult etudes rather than studies specifically geared to learning or performing jazz. This is to say that the jazzy elements are a hook, but even if you are not working to learn a jazz style there is a lot to gain from working out an advanced etude publication such as this. The notes at the beginning of the book and the glossary of extended techniques also certainly increase the chances of learning these difficult etudes as intended by the author.

I have several more items lined up to review that have piled up this year, be looking for more next week as new music and recordings are always good motivators–especially so heading into the summer.

The Beethoven Sonata, Opus Smooch

Bruce Hembd
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Russian writer Leo Tolstoy is probably best know for his most famous works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina. In 1889 he published a novella, The Kruetzer Sonata. Today it is a lesser known work, but in its day it inspired both a play and a passionate painting by René François Xavier Prinet.

Through a twist of some mysterious fate, the painting has updated itself to something more apropos for Horn Matters.

 

On Applying for a College Horn Teaching Position

John Ericson
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Besides performing, a lot of advanced horn students have dreams of teaching the horn full time at the college level. In The Musician’s Way Blog last weekend Gerald Klickstein had a great post on “Applying for faculty positions” that is a must read for those who aspire to teach full time, as there are several distinct elements of what makes for a successful candidate that are not necessarily obvious to the student hornist. To have any hope of winning the few jobs there are that come open you have to have an idea of the bigger picture of what is wanted.

There are three main categories to the pointers he presents toward winning a college position:

  • Build credibility
  • Forge a professional network
  • Submit polished materials

I have heard it said the first step toward making a good impression is a warm welcome. In terms of college teaching your preparation and career as presented in your resume is that warm welcome. It should show much more than you went to the right schools and studied with the right people. In fact, those elements may backfire in some applications, because the search committee may be ideally looking for someone with a more broad background (such as an undergraduate degree in music education or studies at a variety of types of schools) than the applicant who seems (on paper) to be the stronger applicant based on studies alone.

College horn teaching positions are among the hardest jobs to win. There are very few openings and the bar seems to be going up every year. Building the resume is a key thing to do as a first step toward the goal of winning this type of job if it is your aspiration. Read his article for the full rundown on each of his pointers, as that will give some very clear ideas of what needs to be in your resume and what you need to work toward.

Question from the Mailbag: How do I Overcome Embouchure Lockdown?

Bruce Hembd
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I am an undergraduate at [academic institution name withheld] studying horn with [a well-known horn teacher].

I read your article, “Valsalva Stuttering and Embouchure Lockdown“, and I seem to be having this exact problem. Your article was very helpful. I was wondering if you knew any ways to overcome this issue, or could direct me to someone who could help.

It is ruining my playing and the few teachers I have seen have been unable to help me.

I can imagine the frustration you must be feeling and can empathize. From afar I am afraid that is about all that one could do, but you might check out these articles for starters:

One article has a video, and the other gives highlights from the video. Dr. Peter Iltis has compiled a lot of data to think about. He also has a good article in the recent Horn Call publication from The International Horn Society.

When seeking out help from a teacher I would caution you to be somewhat wary of claims that you can be cured or that the teacher knows exactly what is going on. A patient teacher familiar with these issues can certainly help, but ultimately this could be any combination of elements – psychological, physical and technical.

Tips and hints

If I were to give any advice it would be this – avoid the mindset that working harder and practicing more will fix this. That can be a bit of a trap and may perhaps lead to making the problem worse.

This condition is generally not a sign of physical weakness or a lack of mental fortitude. Patience is key – you might explore options from other teachers in another city or state near to your location.

Famous players and teaching

A famous player may or may not be the best guide in this particular pursuit. Not all of the great players in our field excel at teaching beyond their own scope of personal experience.

You might explore the possibility of seeking references. Ask a teacher or colleague you respect about other teachers that they would recommend who could help.

I would also urge some caution in this quest. Some individuals might feel threatened or insulted when asked for second opinions. Use good judgement and trust your instincts when asking for outside help.

This caveat aside, a teacher that knows their limitations, has the best interests of students in mind, and remains somewhat detached from emotional drama should be able to point you in a good direction.

Good luck and best wishes.

Review: Daily Routines by Marian Hesse

John Ericson
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Among a growing library of publications from Mountain Peak Music are a pair of books – Daily Routines for Horn and Daily Routines for the Student Horn Player by Marian Hesse. Inspired by routines presented by David Vining in the trombone version of this publication, several things set these apart from other publications of this type.

First, these are very nicely printed. Sometimes I read reviews of horn publications other places, then get the book and think hey, what about this low quality printing and cover and binding?? Mountain Peak has hit a very professional level of publication quality with a great cover and paper and is to be commended for this; it is a standard every publisher should strive for.

Inside each book you will find eight routines laid out in full which are fresh and not warmed over versions of other routines you have seen. The blurb in their sales page tells the story:

Daily Routines provides a systematic way to develop and improve fundamentals. There are 8 routines, each divided into skill categories: long tones, crescendo/diminuendo, flexibility, subito dynamics, resonant low playing, tonguing on one note, tonguing and moving around, high range and low warm-down. Each of the 8 routines is devoted to a particular broad topic, such as Range. Players need only play one routine a day to develop and maintain fundamental skills.

The version for student horn players is similar but aimed at younger students. I have worked over several of those routines with my two younger students and have worked over the larger version myself. What I have actually enjoyed the most is an ability to mix and match exercises to make my own routine different every time, as there is no reason you can’t do the first exercise from the third routine and then the second exercise from the seventh routine, etc. It is a very flexible publication.

As to the version for younger students in particular this is a great option. Few publications of this type have ever been specifically aimed at younger students; teachers who work with younger horn students should check out this collection.

In addition the publisher has set up a separate website featuring these new publications, http://hornroutines.com/. This is a great marketing idea and from either their sales page or from the hornroutines site you can access sample pages.

As we head into a long summer it can be a great time to experiment with some new routines. If you are looking for new exercises these publications are excellent resources that I will enjoy working with this summer.

A quick look at “A Horn like Dennis Brain Played”

John Ericson
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At the upcoming international horn symposium I will be presenting a session titled “A Horn like Dennis Brain Played.” On it I will be using two different horns, an Alexander single B-flat described in this prior article (like he used at the end of his career) and also this horn, a hundred year old Hawkes piston valve horn generally similar to the horn he used earlier in his career.

The session description as submitted is as follows:

While all serious students of the horn have heard recordings by the legendary horn soloist Dennis Brain, most listeners have never heard horns very much like the horns he performed on live in a room. This session in a lecture-recital format will focus in on the equipment he used during his performing career.

The session involves performing (!) on both of the horns, with the Hawkes being the really unfamiliar looking (and sounding) instrument. Dating to around 1916, it belongs to Arizona State. I [UPDATE] used to have a longer, general description of this horn in our studio site, where I noteed that

This horn takes crooks just like an orchestral natural horn and has crooks for E-flat, F, G, A-flat, and A with a short, 1/2 step coupler and short and long tuning slides. This is the type of valved horn used widely in England (and France) up until around W.W.II. It is in great shape. The bell and bore are very much like that found on the typical natural horn. The bell has a garland, and the tone is much more like that of the natural horn than that of a modern horn.

The keys I need to use it in are F and B-flat. Initially my feeling was that it played reasonably well in B-flat but not very well at all in F. The first photo is of the horn set up in F, which was the pitch length Brain used in his earliest recordings.

Part of what makes this particular instrument play less than ideally in F is the valve slides are set up so that pushed in all the way they are the right length for B-flat and pulled out all the way they are the right length for E-flat. There are marks on the slides to tell you where to pull them for each key, as seen in the second photo. They are a little hard to spot in the photo but the horn really is tuned at the factory, the lines for F are pretty much right where they need to be.

Without straying too far into the weeds the essential down side is that the bore is very inconsistent on the F side. Dennis Brain did not play a horn that had these bore inconsistencies but I decided to see how well I could get this to play for demonstration purposes. Initially it felt incredibly stuffy on the F horn with any valve depressed and really was a “Devil to Play” as the song goes. On the crook that came with the horn it also had a terrible roll on the F on the top of the staff.

So I figured that I better go “all out” and I took it in to a local shop and had it ultrasonically cleaned and the valves scope aligned. In B-flat the horn really got going but in F it was still very stuffy. So I dug back into the available crooks and discovered that a Seraphinoff crook I had makes this horn work pretty well with the short coupler and the short tuning slide, and I have another option that may even play better. So I have it ready to go in F.

The third photo is how the horn looks in B-flat, with the short crook and the valve slides pushed in. Although it probably was a challenge to relearn his technique with new fingerings I can easily see why Brain moved to the B-flat crook, it plays a lot better with a clear, light sound and easy production into the high range. On the F crook the horn feels very much like a natural horn; in B-flat it feels more like a modern horn. Light as a feather!

On either crook I should add that the legato is superb in valve changes. Piston valves really have a different feel than rotary valves. But on the negative side I can’t play this horn for over a few minutes without a holding strap. With a strap I am OK but I really would not want to use this horn full time. The piston valves have an awkward direction of action that maybe would be OK if that was all you had ever played but coming to it from rotary valves it is not ideal.

But with that said it still has a surprisingly small sound and would not work for low horn playing well at all, especially so in B-flat. It would also stick out like a sore thumb in any modern orchestral situation and I would not personally want to play much outside of classical solo repertoire on this horn. The switch to the Alexander B-flat horn makes total sense; it was relatively speaking a sports car and must have opened up new worlds of works for Brain. Plus the sound is much more like that of the double horns most of us use.

I will have much more in the session in San Francisco. I am looking forward to the coming month of really practicing on these horns to prepare this session and I hope that many of you might be able to join me there.

UPDATE: For information on another element of his equipment, his mouthpiece, see this article.

A variation on the blue horn

Bruce Hembd
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A big thanks to Facebook friend Eric Anderson for allowing me to share this nice picture. The horn [mellophone] is a cast aluminum reproduction that was lovingly painted by artist Omega Distefano.

Click for a larger view.

It reminds me of the whole blue horn phenomena in the U.S., but this is much more artistic and interesting!

[Extracted from a “Random Monday” post, 2021, JE]

Ask Dave: Should I strip my horn’s lacquer?

Bruce Hembd
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Lacquer provides a thin, almost clear barrier between you and the metal in your horn. It protects you from the metal and the metal from you. But some people believe that lacquer dampens the horn’s resonance and prefer a horn stripped to bare metal.

Like anything else in this world, there are advantages and disadvantages to having the lacquer removed from your horn. You have to decide what’s best for you, because there is no right answer for everyone.

What advantages would I get from a stripped horn?

A stripped horn resonates more efficiently.

Walter Lawson did research some years back on the effect of different types of lacquer on horns. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but nitro-cellulose-based lacquers (commonly called “air dry”) had a damping effect on the resonance of less than 1 decibel, which is technically considered not discernible to the human ear. Epoxy-based lacquers had an effect more in the range of 2 decibels. So, the type of lacquer applied makes a difference. If you have epoxy-based lacquer on your horn you might get more of an advantage stripping the horn than if you have air-dry lacquer on your horn.

How can you tell which kind of lacquer you have? There is no pat answer. Most late model, factory-made horns have some kind of epoxy-based lacquer on them for durability. But, factories are actually changing over in recent years to nitro-cellulose lacquers. The only way you will know for sure if you get any advantage at all is to have your horn stripped.

It is my opinion (opinion only, based on feedback from many players) that the player can feel a difference in the horn’s resonance even if the listening ear perceives none. Because of the feedback involved, I think that the player’s perception of the horn’s output is a far more complex matter than can be measured by a computer with a transducer. In general, players like the feel of the way their horns play after stripping, and may even get more resonance and projection.

And the disadvantages?

It’s a nasty job involving caustic chemicals, so you might not want to do it yourself.

And, afterward you have a horn that will tarnish over time in ways you cannot predict. The acids in your hands will cause some areas to tarnish more quickly than others, so you want to wipe your horn down after playing to remove acids as much as possible. If your body chemistry is extremely acidic, then you might affect the metal badly in areas where the hands go often, though this is rarely a problem.

If you have allergic reactions to metals, then stripping the lacquer is definitely not for you. Your horn could make you chronically sick through exposure to the metal.

There is also the extremely unlikely risk that you will not like the way your horn plays after it is stripped of the lacquer. More likely, you might think there is no difference in the way it plays, and all for the price of stripping it.

So, if I’m unhappy with the result can I have it lacquered again?

Yes, but re-lacquering a horn has its own set of potentially bad consequences. To lacquer it again it will have to be buffed and polished before it is returned to a shiny appearance, which can remove more metal than you would like.

The lacquer that you put on is likely not to be as durable as the factory-applied treatment. And you shouldn’t do it yourself, because lacquer is extremely flammable and potentially explosive. It should only be done by a professional, and that can be extremely costly.

A final word, if your lacquer is “pitting”, that is, wearing away in small spots rather than over a wide area, you should cover the lost lacquer before your body chemistry does more damage and deeper pitting. Be sure that you or your technician thoroughly cleans the area to be spot lacquered (use lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol) so that the new lacquer will adhere and protect. If you leave any oils, dirt, or acid behind, it will just sit under the new lacquer and do its dirty work. And the new lacquer is more likely to wear off quickly if it is applied to a dirty surface.

Weigh all the potentially good versus potentially bad consequences and make a decision based on what your needs are. If you do not have metal allergies, and if you don’t mind a tarnished horn, then a horn stripped to bare metal can reward you with a more open feel and possibly a more open sound.

Otherwise, I’d recommend leaving the lacquer on for protection and appearance.

Dreams and Nightmares Related to the French Horn

Bruce Hembd
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Even in middle age I still have fairly vivid dreams that I remember well after awakening.

Some of these dreams are horn-related, and the more anxiety-ridden versions tend to cycle around several reoccurring themes:

  • Who vandalized my horn?!
  • My bell flare is turning into putty!!
  • Where is the concert??
  • Where is my music???
  • My chair is not right!!!!

Who vandalized my horn?

Most recently I had a dream of an orchestra performance at an outdoor venue. The occasion was a pops concert of some type that featured the music of a famous, classic rock band. The members of the band were present at the rehearsal, seated off to the side like a panel of consultants.

One of them thought it would be funny to fill up my French horn with water when I wasn’t looking.

As I struggled to empty out gallons upon gallons of water from my horn, I could see the members of the band smugly snickering to themselves. They were very proud of this stunt.

I was extremely irritated and could not understand why someone would do such a thing. I may have even hurled some profanities in their direction.

No sooner than I had purged Niagara Falls from my horn, that I found something else. I blew a few notes and sand and dirt started pouring out the bell.

My frustrated reaction sent the band members into hysterics.

I frantically spun my horn in clockwise circles dumping out an endless cascade of sand, rock and pebbles. I could only think of the damage this was doing to my valves and how I wanted to throttle one band member in particular who took it upon himself to approach me and make light of my desperation.

I muttered something to him, which I think I said out loud in the real world, and I woke up.

Putty horn

One theme that seems to keep coming back is when the bell flare of my horn becomes suddenly soft and pliable. Each time I look down to it, it looks less and less like a horn bell and more and more like a floppy hat.

I try my best to re-mold the bell back to its proper shape, but it generally makes things worse. Sometimes the consistency becomes like pizza dough, holes and rips start appearing.

One nice thing with this dream though is that I usually figure it out that it is nothing but a dream in my head. I give the horn a good toss, giggle to myself and move on towards happier things – like running in a field of daisies, taking flight like Superman or rolling in soft, fuzzy puppies.

My chair is not right!

This dream is again anxiety-related and centers around the positioning of my chair in a rehearsal or concert. The typical scenario is that I arrive somewhat late and my chair is precariously situated on a high riser of some sort, with the chair and stand pushed tightly up against one another. Usually the riser is too narrow and the chair legs are dangerously close to tipping off the edge.

“How am I supposed to fit in there and play?” is the question I ask.

Playing along with it I try to make the best of a bad situation and end up struggling to fit into the constrained space. Sometimes the chair will sink into the riser as if it were also made of pizza dough, and other times I realize that this is a dream and we are back to tossing the horn and rolling in puppies.

Fun dreams

Not all of my music-related dreams draw from personal angst and anxiety. Some are actually quite fun.

  • I can play and improvise on the piano like a mad genius
  • I hear cool movie scores to action-related sequences
  • I am performing or improvising the world’s greatest horn concerto

I can’t remember the last time though that I had a dream of “uh…WHERE ARE MY PANTS?!” but this video below captures that scenario (and other ideas) in a truly surreal and darkly-humored manner.

How about you? What are some of your weird music-related dreams?

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