Home > Articles by: Bruce Hembd

Articles by Bruce Hembd

Indexed in reverse chronological order.

Random Monday: Myth Busting, Controversy and Sound Projection

PUBLISHED: February 6, 2012, Bruce Hembd

More myth busting David Wilken offers a very reasoned counter-argument to perceived dangers that playing “on the red” (an embouchure that rests completely within the lip vermillion) is bad for you. On the general topic of speaking in absolutes, his parting comment resonates most strongly and is something to think deeply about. At the very [...]

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Random Wednesday: Failure, Diversification, Diligence and Peggy Lee

PUBLISHED: February 1, 2012, Bruce Hembd

A Twitter fail-horn The caption claims that this is a corno da caccia (no, it is not). Putting that aside, it is a pretty cool re-imaging of the Twitter fail-whale image. The benefit of diversification When I was a conservatory student, my career goals were fairly narrow and specialized (as if they weren’t narrow enough by [...]

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Reader Mini-Poll: What is your Favorite Slow Movement from the Mozart Horn Concerti?

PUBLISHED: January 28, 2012, Bruce Hembd
mozart-portrait-mixer

Three of the four concertos for horn by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart have lovely slow movements that rank highly among my favorite, all-time classical compositions. Excluding the 1st concerto (which has no slow movement to speak of) what is your favorite? Take our informal poll at the bottom of this page and view the live results [...]

The Cabbage Speaks on ‘Wolf Notes’

PUBLISHED: January 25, 2012, Bruce Hembd

In response to a question about bad notes on a natural horn crook, both John and Dave have taken a crack at an answer. Behind-the-scenes we also heard from Brian Holmes a.k.a. the “Cabbage.” The initial question: My question is why a natural horn instrument with a certain crook might have a bad note. What is [...]

Random Monday: Getting Lifted, Getting into the Flow and Getting to Know You

PUBLISHED: January 23, 2012, Bruce Hembd

The perils of the American symphony orchestra At Sarah Lutman amplified, the newly released book from Stanford Emeritus Professor Robert J. Flanagan, The Perilous Life of Symphony Orchestras, Artistic Triumphs and Economic Challenges is reviewed. Specifically, Flanagan looks at paths orchestras could take to arrive at a stronger operating platform.  He examines historical trends and [...]

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Tips on Auditioning Horns, Part II: Mouthpieces, Leadpipes, Hybrids and the Schmid Double

PUBLISHED: January 20, 2012, Bruce Hembd

At the Southwest Horn Conference (SWHC) a variety of Kruspe and Geyer type horns were available to try out. I currently play on a hybrid Geyer-wrap horn and not wanting to miss out on playing some great Kruspe-wrap horns, I came prepared with an agenda. This agenda began with a pocket full of mouthpieces. Bring more [...]

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Tips

Tips on Auditioning Horns, Part I: Carl Geyer, Paxman 25, Patterson Custom and Finke Americus

PUBLISHED: January 18, 2012, Bruce Hembd

My main agenda for the Southwest Horn Conference (SWHC) – besides hearing concerts and talking shop – was to play on as many horns as possible. It had been a long while since I had an opportunity to play on so many different instruments, all in one convenient location. I was positively giddy at the prospect. But [...]

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