June 10, 2010 by John Ericson

Archived under: Equipment, Horn study, Pet Peeves   |   Professionalism & Etiquette

Pencil Clips


One of my younger students was fascinated by my pencil clip. This is really a must have item for the horn player. It is a plastic clip that attaches to the horn and will hold a pencil.

MIPC Pencil ClipsMy understanding is these were initially actually clips made for connecting together audio cables. They work great for horn pencils, as in the photo.

One thing you will find when you use these is that pencils vary in size a bit, so when you find one that fits your pencil clip well hang on to it!

As to where to buy these, I am sure that there are a few sources out there. I grabbed the photo in this post from the listing in the Osmun website. It is something certainly every horn teacher should have a few of for their students to make sure they have a pencil handy at all times. It is a part of taking a professional approach to horn playing.

Noting the pencil in the photo, one random story. In a lesson a teacher asked me, out of the blue, “did you ever wonder why pencils are yellow?” A question to ponder. I normally have a silver pencil on my horn.

JOHN ERICSON has wide-ranging experience as an orchestral player, soloist, and teacher.» About John Ericson » More articles » Horn Notes Edition » Contact

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Pencil Clips
Published on June 10, 2010 by John Ericson

Archived under: Equipment, Horn study, Pet Peeves   |   Professionalism & Etiquette
John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.