John Ericson

Thoughts on Choosing a School for Advanced Horn Study

The topic of choosing a school for horn study is a large topic. Any talented horn player will find themselves with several good choices...

110% accuracy is the goal?

The horn is, among standard orchestral instruments, perhaps the easiest to miss notes on. I recall Verne Reynolds requesting in lessons 110% accuracy. Reynolds...

A Single B-flat Horn FAQ

Are you trying horns again? Yes. I always tell people they need to keep their eyes open, a better horn is probably out there, keep...

Horn 101: The Harmonic (or Overtone) Series

This summer I taught several younger students and I had to explain to all of them about the harmonic series. The harmonic series are...

Don’t Miss! Two Practical Tips to Improve Accuracy of Entrances

This is another post from the archive, dated 7/12/2004, when I was performing Principal Horn and teaching at the Brevard Music Center in North...

Introducing the Hosaphone™ Travel Horn

When I was a Doctoral student I traveled one time from IU to the Historic Brass Society event in Amherst with Rick Seraphinoff and...

Caruso Studies and the Horn

Many brass players have been introduced over the years to the brass teaching of Carmine Caruso (1904-1987). He was a saxophone player but earned a...

4 Issues that point to a composer not knowing how to write for the...

As horn players we see a lot of horn parts written by composers who don’t really know how to write for the horn. First,...

The Issue of Weight and Different Horns

This summer I have several projects and performances in preparation. Besides presenting on the Wagner tuba at the IHS event in Denver I will...

The Non-measured Preludes of Jacques-François Gallay

One of the most recognized nineteenth-century horn teachers is Jacques-François Gallay (1795-1864). Gallay studied with Louis-François Dauprat (1787-1868) at the Paris Conservatory, entering his...