Articles by John Ericson Indexed in reverse chronological order.
Some Tips on Applying for College Teaching Jobs
PUBLISHED: October 11, 2008, John EricsonTeaching horn at the college level is an interesting and rewarding career. But how does one apply for these positions effectively? Some great tips on this topic were recently posted at Rate Your Students. This is a site that probably most regular readers Horn Matters have never visited (and I have never posted on as I [...]
A Key Thing to Practice
PUBLISHED: October 9, 2008, John EricsonOne of the most important things you will ever practice are long tones with a perfect crescendo and diminuendo. For example six counts up and six counts down, with perfect intonation and no lumps, each side of the peak a mirror image. The reason this is so critical is you have no hope of playing really [...]
Yancich on the Release of Notes
PUBLISHED: October 8, 2008, John EricsonA recent post by Bruce Hembd is a most interesting one with respect to articulations and in a larger sense accuracy. Bruce studied with the late Milan Yancich at Eastman, a figure I have blogged about in other posts previously. I picked up a number of pointers from him in perhaps a half dozen lessons, [...]
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Bruce Hembd, Milan Yancich The Singer Heavy Routine
PUBLISHED: October 2, 2008, John EricsonThis week in the pedagogy class we focused on warm-up routines. One old standard discussed was the “Heavy Routine” found in Embouchure Building for French Horn by Joseph Singer. A classic publication from 1956, when I was a student I recall some of the big players or at least wannabe big players used this routine. [...]
Fluffs and Aperture Shape
PUBLISHED: September 28, 2008, John EricsonAs noted in a very recent post, there are many types of clams and words to describe them. One type of clam I have long called a fluff. We all know what it is; you try to start a note, most often a soft note, and it does not speak right away. I was reminded [...]
A Little Lady on an Old Conn Tenor Horn
PUBLISHED: September 28, 2008, John Ericson 
I recently had the chance to try this old Conn alto (tenor) horn in E-flat that was borrowed by ASU from the U of A for possible use in a brass band project. One thing that has always intrigued me about old instruments is the engravings, which were all done by hand by master engravers. [...]
Some Tips on Applying for College Teaching Jobs
Teaching horn at the college level is an interesting and rewarding career. But how does one apply for these positions effectively? Some great tips on this topic were recently posted at Rate Your Students. This is a site that probably most regular readers Horn Matters have never visited (and I have never posted on as I [...]
A Key Thing to Practice
One of the most important things you will ever practice are long tones with a perfect crescendo and diminuendo. For example six counts up and six counts down, with perfect intonation and no lumps, each side of the peak a mirror image. The reason this is so critical is you have no hope of playing really [...]
Yancich on the Release of Notes
A recent post by Bruce Hembd is a most interesting one with respect to articulations and in a larger sense accuracy. Bruce studied with the late Milan Yancich at Eastman, a figure I have blogged about in other posts previously. I picked up a number of pointers from him in perhaps a half dozen lessons, [...]
Bruce Hembd, Milan Yancich
The Singer Heavy Routine
This week in the pedagogy class we focused on warm-up routines. One old standard discussed was the “Heavy Routine” found in Embouchure Building for French Horn by Joseph Singer. A classic publication from 1956, when I was a student I recall some of the big players or at least wannabe big players used this routine. [...]
Fluffs and Aperture Shape
As noted in a very recent post, there are many types of clams and words to describe them. One type of clam I have long called a fluff. We all know what it is; you try to start a note, most often a soft note, and it does not speak right away. I was reminded [...]
A Little Lady on an Old Conn Tenor Horn
I recently had the chance to try this old Conn alto (tenor) horn in E-flat that was borrowed by ASU from the U of A for possible use in a brass band project. One thing that has always intrigued me about old instruments is the engravings, which were all done by hand by master engravers. [...]
Random Articles
Professor Corno: Cut your Bell Already: Let us say that you play a serious, professional quality horn. And it is fixed bell. There is a point where you need to get real and have the bell cut...
Orchestra 101: Overtime, Young Conductors, and the Temperature Clause: Another big pet peeve in amateur/school settings are services, especially rehearsals, running long. They run long because conductors have the luxury o...
Reader Mini-Poll: What is your Favorite Slow Movement from the Mozart Horn Concerti?: Three of the four concertos for horn by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart have lovely slow movements that rank highly among my favorite, all-time classical comp...
Recent sale Items
- 103 Alexander horn 1961
by: Ginger
May 14, 2012 - 06:47 - Yamaha YHR-668D
by: eburns
May 9, 2012 - 18:34 - Lawson Fourier 804G-NB
by: Jeff Warren
May 9, 2012 - 05:45 - Lawson 804GL (Precursor to the Fourier)
by: hornonthecob
May 7, 2012 - 22:02 - Conn 8D
by: dseirup
April 18, 2012 - 15:00 - Albert Kley Compensating Double Horn
by: wichitaband
April 10, 2012 - 15:15 - Cerveny, 3-valve F horn (c.1842-1896)
by: puzzi22
April 4, 2012 - 08:20 - Hans Hoyer/Walter Kroner Double Horn
by: gferris
March 26, 2012 - 11:40 - Conn 8D
by: msjames
March 11, 2012 - 18:58 - BAGS Detachable Horn Eco bag with mute
by: gtrottier
March 11, 2012 - 15:59 - Atkinson Ambronze Bell European Large
by: msjames
March 10, 2012 - 22:30
Random Hornmasters
- Hornmasters: Tuckwell and Bushhouse on Right Hand Position
- Hornmasters on Average Tonguing, Part V: Reynolds and Hill
- Hornmasters: Berv on Holding the Horn and Left Hand Position
- Hornmasters: Yancich and Fox on the Slur, Air, and Vowels
- Hornmasters: More Recent Thoughts on the Warm-Up
- Hornmasters: The Exhale and Points of Resistance, Part II
- Hornmasters on Mouthpiece Placement
- Hornmasters: Schuller on Mouthpieces
- Hornmasters: Tuckwell and Bushhouse on Horns
- Hornmasters: Farkas and Schuller on the Warm-Up
- Hornmasters on Double and Triple Tonguing. Part III: Brophy, Tuckwell, and Reynolds
- Hornmasters on How Much to Practice
- Hornmasters: Tuckwell on Holding the Horn and Left Hand Position
Random Humor
- Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra; By Indirections Find Directions Out
- Dark Mute/Dark Tone
- Archibald Noodlefish: What Defines Worthy Professional Experience?
- Lessons Learned from My Cats
- Mere Mortals Need Not Apply
- Art Masterpieces Graffittied with Horns
- Humor: The Farkas Photo
- Halloween Finale; Monster Horn Players
- Picasso’s Three Musicians, with a French horn
- Late Night Visitor; A Variation on Nighthawks
- The Horndog “Hubie” Award
- Parody: Why The Mona Lisa Smiles
- Archibald Noodlefish on the Pressures of being a Professional, and the Joys of being an Amateur
