Quote from Benjamin Franklin


iStock 000004660826XSmall 150x100 Quote from Benjamin FranklinIt is hard for an empty bag to stand upright.

This is one good reason for visiting web sites like Horn Matters, reading horn-related texts or listening to recordings. This knowledge is empowering; it fills you up and makes the likelihood of tipping over less likely.

In my first lessons with a big-time, well-known teacher I was vastly under-prepared. An empty bag really.

A valuable lesson was learned from that youthful laziness – the best lessons depend on the student being prepared.

Veteran Phil Collins sums it up nicely in Free Lessons:

Again, your responsibility is to come prepared with tempos, fingerings, transpositions, etc. well before that big lesson. Everything on the page is your job to prepare. Don’t waste time and money having the teacher tell you what you could have learned on your own.

Do your homework before you see the coach. Who knows? Maybe the coach will be so impressed that you’ll get a free lesson!

BRUCE HEMBD is a web marketing developer by day who plays French horn professionally at night.» More information about Bruce Hembd » More articles by Bruce Hembd » Contact

Related to this article


  • Quote of the Week–Yeo on Good Students and Good Teachers
    As the year starts it is a great time to think about goals and how to reach those goals. Self evaluation is always in order. In relation to that, an article in the Douglas Yeo trombone site is well worth pondering for all horn teachers and...
  • Quote from Charlie Parker
    In the quest for space and a better user experience, the random quotes feature at the top of Horn Matters has been taken down. If you were a fan of this feature, fear not  (!) – that bank of wisdom is something that will make excellent...
  • Quote of the Week–Reynolds on High Range
    As the semester starts for students after winter break, a reminder from my teacher at Eastman, Verne Reynolds. For young embouchures, the high register is especially sensitive to what and how much one played yesterday and how carefully one warmed up today. Verne Reynolds, The Horn...
  • Why Young Horn Players Need to Take Lessons with Horn Players
    I was recently told a true story by a former student, one many horn teachers have heard. He inherited several young private students from another teacher. This teacher was a brass player but not a horn player. One of them he was told going in could...
  • Quote of the Week–Kling on Condensation
    Horns get water in them–condensation–that must be removed. Some students seem to have more trouble than they should getting it out of the horn. It helps to have good problem solving skills. I will always remember when I was a undergraduate and a trumpet player converted...
  • Quote of the Week–Gardner on the High Register
    If you are looking for a book to read over break, the Randy Gardner book is to be recommended. In particular I found this quote to be right on the mark: “Use it or lose it” is a truism in many walks of life, and it...
  • Auditioning for a Music School?
    Auditions are rolling and with that I have a couple tips for people with auditions coming up. The first tip is to actually prepare your audition materials with a horn teacher. That you are reading this says you are pretty motivated to get somewhere on the...

Comments ()


John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.