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French horn mouthpieces - information on rims, cups, shanks, makes and models.

New instrument! Change mouthpiece? Break it in?

Some horn players are very averse to change, but changes have to be made! One exciting type of change is getting a new horn...

Mouthpieces in Stainless Steel or in Brass?

Until pretty recently virtually all French horn mouthpieces were made of brass (plated with a layer of silver or gold -- with a very...

Commentary: A Popular Meme on Mouthpieces that is Wrong

I have seen the following meme go around Facebook several times: As a horn teacher I have to say this meme, while it sounds like...

A Mouthpiece like Dennis Brain Used

Many years ago, at the home of Philip Farkas, I held in my hands a copy of the mouthpiece of Dennis Brain. Farkas was...

On Testing Mouthpiece Rims

As noted in the recent article on mouthpieces and metal allergies, my current working theory is that may I have developed a sensitivity to...

On Mouthpieces and Metal Allergies

Of all the horn playing topics out there perhaps the most under reported and significant could well be the topic of metal allergies and...

How to Clean a Horn Mouthpiece and Sanitize a Lead Pipe

When I regularly taught beginning horn students, a portion of the very first lessons were usually devoted to maintenance of the instrument. This included mouthpiece...

Mouthpieces and the Descant (and Triple) Horn, part II: A Review...

Continuing on the topic of high horn mouthpieces, in recent years I have owned two examples each of the Moosewood BD and Osmun Haydn...

Mouthpieces and the Descant (and Triple) Horn, part I: Why Standard...

Descant and triple horns are important topics that are a mystery to many players. Besides the different fingerings, another reason why many players are...

A practical way to see if you need a European Shank...

In my earlier article on European shank horn mouthpieces I noted that mouthpieces of this type have a larger shank and are designed...