Articles by this Author

Choosing the Right Mouthpiece | Jan 15

I worked in a music store for many years, and one of the most common requests we’d get from customers was help with picking a new mouthpiece. The conversation would often start something like this: “I

Cups and Rims | Jan 16

As we began discussing in Part 1 of our series, brass mouthpieces seem relatively simple at first glance. After all, they’re basically just a metal funnel, right? But a closer look shows that there

Why Use Synthetic Valve Oil on Your Brass Instruments? | Jul 03

Are you tired of your valves sticking halfway through your performance, even though you just oiled them? Brass instruments like trumpets and French horns need a lot of lubrication to work properly. All of the different moving parts need

Recorders: Baroque vs. German | Sep 27

Recorders are a fun and accessible first instrument that’s easy to learn and play. In fact, it’s safe to say that the simple recorder is one of the most common musical instruments on the planet, with millions of children

Throats and Backbores | Oct 03

(This is the third part of a series about brass mouthpieces.)  In Part 1, we talked about choosing the right mouthpiece for your needs. In the previous article we explored