John Ericson

A few words on the warmup, your condensation, and sensitivity to others

In this time of separation during the coronavirus, it is a good time to rethink your warmup, to experiment, to work to improve technique,...

On effective practice when your life routines are disrupted

Besides the topic of practice spaces addressed in the previous article (here), there is also the question of what and how to practice with...

On practicing in a less than optimal space

With the present coronavirus situation, many horn players are suddenly finding they need to practice in less than optimal spaces, as in spaces where...

Workshop presentation: Kruspe, Geyer, and more

With the corona virus canceling so many horn events this spring, this is the first of a series of articles with podcasts, on topics...

The important topic of how to refer to the 5th Symphony of Shostakovich

As a student I don’t recall anyone saying anything other than Shostakovich 5 in reference to the famous symphony and the famous horn excerpts...

What is an “F extension” on a single Bb horn (or descant)?

A topic that comes up periodically is that of the F extension and the single Bb horn (and descant). What is the advantage? First, what...

A visit to a horn maker

One thing many wonder is, what does it look like at the shop of a working horn maker? Early this year I was able...

35 Melodic Etudes by Meifred and Schantl — back in print, in 3 (6!)...

In 2016, as part of my original line of epublications, I was able to bring to print a group of 35 forgotten melodic etudes...

What was the first French horn you owned?

This past week the parents of a young student I teach decided it was time to think about buying her a horn. The dad...

Comparing inner diameters of rims by the grip diameter

A question I get pretty often is why one rim of the same inner diameter may feel larger or smaller than another marked to...