American Horn Quartet Interview

A look behind-the-scenes * In this video the Star Wars character Darth Vader takes on the role of orchestra conductor. But instead of a baton the big baddie uses a light saber to lead the ensemble in — what else? — the “Empire” theme from Star Wars. Thankfully, the stage manager gave the musicians plenty [...]

Frequent site visitors know that this past year I have had a project to improve my B-flat horn fingerings. It really has been a challenge; I was not taught to use B-flat horn fingerings in the lower range. They are getting better but I do feel like the proverbial old dog learning a new trick. [...]

Up for a practice challenge? Try playing a bunch of tongued octave jumps in a row. How soon till you miss? In my practice this last week I have been focusing on tongued octaves. I find that it helps to play special attention to exactly how you tongue each note. I am not going to [...]

Random acts of humor. Horn virtuoso and conductor Anthony Halstead** and character actor Donald Pleasence* – separated at birth? Long-lost brothers? *best known as the quintessentially evil Dr. Blofeld (famously parodied as Dr. Evil) and as Dr. Loomis in 5 Halloween movies. **best known as one of the finest natural horn players on the planet.

Reflections and navel-gazing. The responses to “Copy, Paste and Steal” have been very helpful. A big thanks to those that took the time to comment and test things out. Announcements on both the Jupiter web site and on the Boston Brass’ (very purple) web site confirm that after 15 years, hornist J.D. Shaw is retiring [...]