John Ericson

How to Hold a Stop Mute, and a Mute Comparison

One topic I had literally never, ever, given any thought to until very recently was how to hold a stop mute. My method of...

How to Practice Maxime-Alphonse Book 6

One book of studies many Horn Matters readers undoubtedly own is Maxime-Alphonse book 6. The etudes, besides being very difficult, are also very long....

Dimes, part III: Use dimes from before 1965

Twice before in Horn Matters we have turned to the topic of Dimes: Why You Might Need Dimes Got Dimes? Which brings us to Part...

Tilt, the Secret to Mid-Low Range Power

People are always looking for horn secrets. One difficult range for many players is the “cash register” just below the staff, getting the notes...

Book Excerpt: Tips Toward Playing More Musically

Every so often I get a big idea. A recent one was to update the best of my publications into new editions and sell...

Orchestra 101: A New Publication on Auditions and Orchestral Playing

Horn Matters readers may recall Orchestra 101, a series of over 20 articles looking at the positives and negatives of freelancing and orchestral playing...

Stepping Up Your Mozart Horn Concerto Performance

A recent master class with Javier Bonet at ASU brought up some great topics in relation to Mozart 3, with the following two main...

Mailbag: Tuning Various Models of Double Horns

This very good question just recently came in, from a music educator: I am seeking any resources on French horn tuning, including diagrams with slides...

And now, A Mello Catechism, third edition

Of all my publications, I think the one that has mystified the most people has been the mellophone book. I even thought about dropping...

Now available: The Low Horn Boot Camp, second edition

Continuing the series of updated editions, today the focus is on the updated and expanded second edition of The Low Horn Boot Camp. The...