John Ericson

About those “Tutti” parts in some Mozart Horn Concerto editions

A question that comes up quite often is that of the "tutti" parts in some editions of Mozart horn concertos. As in, what is...

The Art of Mellophone Playing

UPDATE: The third edition of A Mello Catechism is a virtual "Art of Mellophone Playing," available now (2018) in print and Kindle versions. This coming...

What [Type of] School is Best for Horn Study?

This article was first posted on the original HTML Horn Notes Blog way back on 11/1/04. It is timely again--today was the last day...

Just Say “No” to Transposed Parts

Transposed parts; younger students love them, but on the whole they are a crutch. One of the reasons they are used so often is...

Who is this James Chambers you Speak Of?

A few years ago I posted an article on the topic of “Who is this Philip Farkas you Speak of?” Along similar lines, perhaps...

“Well, Duh!?!,” a Key to Accuracy

The comments to my recent article on "tut" tonguing are a reminder that tonging is always a good topic to address. You don't want...

“Tut” for a Short, Crisp Staccato? Yes

Scott Whitener in A Complete Guide to Brass notes that The so-called tongued release does have its place…. Professional players often make use of it...

Introducing Ultimate Horn Technique and Ultimate Low Horn

To make it official, I have had a push on for some time toward the completion of two new publications, Ultimate Horn Technique and...

Before Farkas: The Dufrasne (Mercier) Routine, Part II

As I noted in Part I, a new publication of the Dufrasne Routine was recently put out in The Complete Hornist series. In the acknowledgements editor...

Before Farkas: The Mercier (Dufrasne) Routine, Part I

Ever wonder how the teacher of Farkas warmed up? Tonal Flexibility Studies for French Horn by William Mercier gives some clear insights. Cleaning the office...