Home > Articles by: Bruce Hembd

Articles by Bruce Hembd

Indexed in reverse chronological order.

Lowell Greer on Natural Horn

PUBLISHED: August 7, 2009, Bruce Hembd

Beautiful photography of a period instrument master. Back in April 2009, Lowell Greer held a master class and played a concert at the University of Virginia with the University of Virginia Baroque Orchestra. Photographer John Edwin Mason was present and took some pictures in a morning rehearsal in Old Cabell Hall. The photographs, posted on [...]

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Teachers

Toccata and Fugue for Solo Horn

PUBLISHED: August 6, 2009, Bruce Hembd

Who needs an organ? Yes, that’s right… the famous Bach organ piece performed on horn with no backup or safety net. Frank Lloyd gives an amazing performance with technical flourish and virtuosic multiphonic skills. His organ pedal notes absolutely snarl, just like a reedy pipe organ stop! Recorded live at the 2008 International Horn Society [...]

Parody: Why The Mona Lisa Smiles

PUBLISHED: August 5, 2009, Bruce Hembd

Her dirty little secret. The famous painting Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is a pivotal work in the history of fine art. Very few other works of art have received the intense level of analysis and critique (and parody) as the Mona Lisa. This aside, it was one of the first portraits to place [...]

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Clams, Famous art, Photoshop

Review: Steve Park on YouTube

PUBLISHED: August 4, 2009, Bruce Hembd

A YouTube channel of interest. With a little creativity and technology it is possible to make some very nice presentations and put them online for the world to see. Steve Park, principal horn of the Orchestra at Temple Square and an instructor at Utah State University, cleverly demonstrates this in his growing library of YouTube [...]

Random Monday: Phoenix Symphony Gets Serious, Inside Grant Park, and Civility to the Rescue

PUBLISHED: August 3, 2009, Bruce Hembd

Random rumblings and ramblings. Taking social media seriously For any non-profit organization using social media, the old axiom of “build it and they will come” does not really apply anymore. The Internet is just too busy of a place to sit back and wait for things to happen. Eyes and hearts get easily distracted.In a [...]

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Legendary players, Phoenix

Choosing a French Horn Mouthpiece (III): Weight, Plating and Shopping Tips

PUBLISHED: July 31, 2009, Bruce Hembd

Other choices, a general checklist and a few related links. In addition to rim and underparts, other mouthpiece options include plating, weight, and shank seating. » Plating The most commonly used brass instrument mouthpieces are created on a lathe from a block of brass alloy. An extra layer of plating is needed in order to [...]

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Teachers

Choosing a French Horn Mouthpiece (II): Cup, Throat and Bore

PUBLISHED: July 30, 2009, Bruce Hembd
French Horn Mouthpiece Cutaway Diagram

In Part I, the main focus was on the mouthpiece parts closest to the embouchure. For this reason alone, it seems entirely logical that the rim, bite and mouthpiece diameter are a good place to start in choosing a mouthpiece. Worth mentioning too is that these parts are clearly in view. They are easily discerned [...]

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