- - Please visit: Legacy Horn Experience - -
New for 2021 is an updated version of Horn Playing from the Inside Out by Eli Epstein. While we don’t often do reviews, this is a book we have followed closely here at Horn Matters, Epstein has much original to say. Also, with each edition he has updated the text significantly toward presentation of a physiologically accurate brass pedagogy.
Our original review
Third Edition review
The major update to the book is the embedded videos. This is a wonderful upgrade and makes this an absolutely unique product in the horn world. And it is priced right at $9.99 a copy!
The newly updated eBook version may be purchased here.
Expanding briefly on the prior reviews, one thing (among many) he does is take on some popular pedagogical takes and gently lay out issues with those takes. One great example (from page 24) is the following, where he takes on the idea that a “trout face” will help low range production.
If horn students aren’t specifically taught how to play in the low register, they sometimes come up with unusual ways to configure their lips to produce low notes. A frequent aberration is the “frown” or “trout” embouchure, in which the corners of the mouth curve downward. Players who use the trout embouchure are on the right track, since it’s easy to think that bending down those corners would make the oral cavity larger. Unfortunately, the jaw actually raises up when we bend the corners down.
Epstein has posted a video (below) that describes the new version of the book further. Bravo to Epstein on this updated edition!
