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Ask Dave: “How Should I Clean a Smelly Old Horn and Case?”
James asks: I recently purchased an old 1960′s Contempora online. However, both the horn and the case look like they haven’t been touched since the 1960′s; even the valve oil, slide grease, and rag...
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Mini-Review: Brass Instruments from the MIM Collection
Over the holidays relatives descended in droves upon my homestead, and so to get out of the house we decided to go to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in north Phoenix for a day-trip. This was my...
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Random Pictures from the 2012 SW Horn Conference, Part I
Over the weekend, I had pleasure of attending the Southwest Horn Conference. The event was expertly hosted by Rose French at the Center for Performing Arts at Paradise Valley Community College. Click...
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Random Pictures from the 2012 SW Horn Conference, Part II
I have attended a number of international horn and brass conferences, but before last weekend I had never actually been to a regional workshop. The main thing in particular that I enjoyed with the...
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Tips on Auditioning Horns, Part I: Carl Geyer, Paxman 25, Patterson Custom...
My main agenda for the Southwest Horn Conference (SWHC) – besides hearing concerts and talking shop – was to play on as many horns as possible. It had been a long while since I had an opportunity to...
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Tips on Auditioning Horns, Part II: Mouthpieces, Leadpipes, Hybrids and the...
At the Southwest Horn Conference (SWHC) a variety of Kruspe and Geyer type horns were available to try out. I currently play on a hybrid Geyer-wrap horn and not wanting to miss out on playing some...
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Ask Dave: ‘Wolf’ Notes on a Natural Horn Crook
Back in November, John Ericson answered a question about “wolf” notes on a natural horn crook. Here is the question once again, but answered by our contributing writer Dave Weiner. * * * Pierre-Antoine...
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The Cabbage Speaks on ‘Wolf Notes’
In response to a question about bad notes on a natural horn crook, both John and Dave have taken a crack at an answer. Behind-the-scenes we also heard from Brian Holmes a.k.a. the “Cabbage.” The...
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Anatomy of an Orchestra Gig: Getting Out-of-Town and Staying Overnight
When working in Chicago as a freelancer many years ago, a portion of my work involved commuting very long distances. For a few jobs this meant travelling out-of-state, to northern Indiana, southern...
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Reviews: Verdi’s Aida, H-Kote and the Femenella Bellrest
It is a busy time for me – February and March are packed with performances. Next week for example, I will be playing a both a woodwind quintet concert and a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Aida....
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A Mello Solution to the Buccine Problem
A buccina is an ancient brass instrument that was used in the Roman army. In the spirit of that instrument Respighi called for this instrument in two of his works. From the Wikipedia we learn In the...
View ArticleAsk Dave: How can I play high notes without squeezing them out?
Shane asks: How can I play the high notes without squeezing them out? Dave replies: At first, I was going to overlook this question as a practice question and not an equipment question. Then I thought...
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Mouthpieces and the Descant (and Triple) Horn, part I: Why Standard may be...
Descant and triple horns are important topics that are a mystery to many players. Besides the different fingerings, another reason why many players are lukewarm to descants and triples when first...
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Ask Dave: Can a valve be chrome-plated to decrease “slop”?
Steve asks: I am a mechanical engineer- I specialize in machine design… close-tolerance design is my specialty. I am looking to buy a used double French horn, but I know that sometimes used means...
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Mouthpieces and the Descant (and Triple) Horn, part II: A Review of the...
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. These are mouthpieces designed for playing high notes...
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Ask Dave: How do I Re-cork a Mute?
Mathew asks: What advice or tricks can you provide for re-corking a mute, both successful removal of the old cork and application of the new cork? Dave replies: This is an excellent question that I...
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Professor Corno: About your Mouthpiece Choice
This question recently came in through the contact page and was passed on to Prof. Corno: What’s the best way to pick out a mouthpiece? I’m a student looking for a comfortable mouthpiece that will help...
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What your Horn Says about You When You are Not Around
Often, when working on a horn the wear and tear tell me a lot about how a horn is handled, used, cared for, and stored. Your horn is “talking” to me in the shop, and I am listening. Look carefully at...
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Playing a Horn that Fits In, Internationally
A question recently came in from a reader from the United States that was playing in a foreign orchestra. Their horn of choice in the USA was a Conn 8D, but now they were playing in a section otherwise...
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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 care. Putting lips onto a mouthpiece...
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