John Ericson

“Hey, I Did Not Miss Any Notes”

Ever think this after a concert? The first time that stands out in my memory is a performance of the Gounod Petite Symphonie for...

Ultrasonic Cleaning FAQ

Recently I made some decisions about what pieces I will perform at the Southeast Horn Workshop this year. Part of that decision making process...

Hornmasters: Berv on the Shorter Warm-Up

Harry Berv clearly notes in A Creative Approach to French Horn Playing “THERE MUST BE a warm-up period before the practice session begins.” A shorter...

Interview: Jazz Hornist Mark Taylor and Notes on Embouchure Dystonia

Last weekend I noted that in Episode 120 of The Mellocast the topic of Focal Dystonia came up with jazz hornist Mark Taylor. There...

Hornmasters: Yancich on the Second and Third Warm-Up

One type of warm-up that is rarely discussed in print is the second and third warm-up of the day. One of the few to...

Podcast: Practice More Effectively by Listening to Music

The latest episode (120) of The Mellocast is on the topic of practice, and one of the main points made is that you can...

On Making Recorded Auditions

It is audition season for schools and festivals. Recently a video and an article made the rounds featuring one particular video audition this year...

Horn 101: Does My Horn have a Bb Tuning Slide?

This topic has come up for me at this point in many horn lessons over the years. The short answer is that your horn...

Hornmasters: Farkas and Schuller on the Warm-Up

There are a number of topics where it is particularly interesting to compare and contrast the approaches of Philip Farkas and Gunther Schuller. Being...

Brahms and Modern Performance on the Natural Horn

Brahms wrote for the natural horn in all of his works but wrote for it in a period when the valved horn was coming...