John Ericson

Understanding the Hornmasters on the Warm-Up

In this series of Hornmasters posts I have presented and commented upon quotes from classic horn method books on topics in the order presented...

Joseph Meifred and the Roots of Teaching Valved Horn Technique

One thing that has probably come through in Horn Matters is that an interest of mine is the history of how the horn has...

Notes on Playing Assistant Horn

I am not playing assistant but I am playing in the section of the Phoenix Symphony again this week. The post below is from...

Review: Orchestra Excerpt CDs

Although we all know it is coming soon, I was recently struck by the statement “The CD really is dead” in a post in...

A Horn Right Hand Position Survey

A great new resource has been posted in The IHS Online, “Two Surveys of European Horn Playing Styles.” What you will find there are...

Introducing the Marching Natural Horn, a High School Art Class Project

One small chapter of my story is the making of this marching natural horn. It was the first horn I made. I have always enjoyed...

Hornmasters: Farkas and Schuller on Practice

Horn teachers have always wanted their students to practice. Sometimes, the methods used are not healthy ones. The traditional take Farkas in The Art of French...

One Cause of Focal Dystonia in Brass Players

One of the most serious problems a brass player can face is that of an embouchure dystonia. Why it is such a hard problem...

The Vintage Conn 8D

Last week an article was featured on Cleveland.com, “Conn-Selmer Inc. turns out classic horns for world's best musicians.” Also last week I got back...

A Brief Look at the Dauprat Méthode

Louis-François Dauprat (1787-1868) was professor of horn at the Paris Conservatory from 1816 until 1842. His monumental three-volume Méthode de Cor alto et Cor...