September 15, 2010 by Bruce Hembd

Archived under: Entrepreneurship, Equipment, Practice, Random   |   Tips

Anatomy of a Practice Space


The room where I practice at home is also where do design and development work. This is the music wing of my desk. I like to use online tools or my iPhone for metronome work.

(Click on any image for a larger view.)

desktop1 300x224 Anatomy of a Practice Space

My new Patterson/Yahama occupies the left side of the desk.

This is Day 13 since it arrived and I am watching its newly unlaquered skin gradually acquire a more rustic patina. A French press of coffee and an air flow measuring device are nearby, with pictures of Max Pottag and Milan Yancich in the back.

horn 300x224 Anatomy of a Practice Space

Like Random Mondays, random stuff builds up back here. Some of it will get mounted on a wall someday – a signed Farkas photo, a John Lennon photo and my original Horndog logo.

wall 300x224 Anatomy of a Practice Space

This is my personal mouthpiece wheel of doom. With the new horn I am trying a change.

The 3 front-runners are:

  • a Moosewood D6 Cartouche – heavy-wall and annealed
  • a Stork c12W – a slightly wider diameter rim
  • a Moosewood RB12Y

I just hope that the RB stands for Roland Berger or Really Brilliant and not Really Bad.

All kidding aside, it is the current favorite that I am using most frequently. It has a raw brass underpart (no plating) with a gold-plated screw rim. With the Patterson / Yamaha horn it has a nice feel and it has a consistent warmth and depth in all ranges.

doom 300x224 Anatomy of a Practice Space

Below are the necessary items for lubrication.

For the horn I use a homemade concoction in two flavors – thick and thin.  I use the thicker stuff on the spindles and exterior rotor end points – under the caps and next to the stop arm. The thinner stuff gets used inside when needed.

For the internal lubricants – coffee in the morning, soda and water in the afternoon and beer at night. The yeast, wheat and barley are good for the chops, I tell myself.

Due to my work schedule I tend to average more practice at night during the week. Like I said, it’s good for your chops.

liquids 300x224 Anatomy of a Practice Space

articles: 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

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Anatomy of a Practice Space
Published on September 15, 2010 by Bruce Hembd

Archived under: Entrepreneurship, Equipment, Practice, Random   |   Tips
John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.