Random Monday: Beautiful fortissimos

• Screaming fortissimo
  David Thomas reminds us about quality vs. quantity when it comes to loud playing. He quotes a review of a chamber music concert he found online:

What is with all these chamber-music groups that translate the word “fortissimo” as “sacrifice tone and tuning to play as loudly as possible?”

• Do musicians need mental toughness?
  This is the question Dr. Kageyama asks. He ends up with a superb 12-point list that defines it for musicians.

• Getting buzzed
  A good mouthpiece buzz translates into a good sound through the horn. Phil Collins gives his ideas on the topic, along with some suggested exercises to try. Myself, I do a lot of ‘sirens’, as he calls it – slow glissandos, up and down.

• Horn student dies in tragic accident
  I used to hang out on the roof of Eastman quite a bit. Back in the day, there was a pretty easy way to get up there that not many people knew about. A huge building demolition project across the street was always fun to watch from up there. Lucky for me, this never happened.

• Interview at Band Fusion
  This web site is becoming one of my favorites of late. It is a chance to read about horn students in other parts of the world. Here is an interview with Chua Liang Cun.

• And more…
  At the same web site mentioned above, they are republishing a series of articles by William C. Robinson -”Teaching the French Horn.” Part one is here. One assumes that there will be more.

Random videos

This video from clarinet superstar Ricardo Morales, illustrates the differences between playing onstage and in the pit. His words about color and shading are something for horn players to think about, especially when it comes to loud playing.

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David Pyatt gives some advice on the YouTube Orchestra audition.

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A nice cover of a Radiohead song with some creative cinematography.

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