May 29, 2007 by John Ericson

Archived under: Teaching   |   Hand position & holding

Hand Position Drift


I am through my first rehearsals and master class of the trip to Asia. The topic that has come up the most for me in terms of horn technique has been right hand position.

Many players (not just here) seem to suffer from what I refer to as “hand position drift.” I think the cause of this is instead of resting the horn on the thumb and first finger with the finger tips well into the bell with a fairly flat hand position (which is pretty ideal) the hand is too cupped and the horn is supported way down at the base of the thumb which causes the hand to be sort of at a 30-45% angle to where it really should be. Sometimes the pinkie looks to be hanging almost straight down rather than even touching the bell.

Ideally you want if possible to use a position that allows you to go from stopped to open in one easy “opening the door” motion. This will allow for the best high range production as well.

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Hand Position Drift
Published on May 29, 2007 by John Ericson

Archived under: Teaching   |   Hand position & holding
John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.