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Reviews

Reviews of equipment, recordings, and music

  1. Review: Hercules Tuba/Euphonium Stand

    I recently received an early Christmas present from Tom, one of my students, and I was encouraged to open it before Christmas. Inside the sizable package was a Hercules Tuba/Euphonium floor stand! I had been considering getting one of these for a while, although I had not yet sorted through what was a good fit for my use among the brands available. Tom saved me the trouble, because he had chosen well.

    There were two basic types of instrument stands that I had used. One is an upright ...

    Updated 02-04-2023 at 11:59 AM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
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  2. SymbiosisDuo CD Review: Playground

    New CD of euphonium and tuba music.
    There is a new SymbiosisDuo album called "Playground" and you should run out and get it (virtually speaking)! This one has some nice new ideas, but it retains some of the concepts that were so successful on their first album. There is a risk in producing an album like this, because the main instruments are so far from what might normally be heard on a few of the well-known selections. The same was true with the first album, but the musicians took that chance and the result ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:51 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
  3. Review: Euphonium Lap Pad from Quick Horn Rinse

    Our friends at Quick Horn Rinse have come up with another great solution to problems that many euphonium players face. The design and dimensions of modern euphoniums can make it tiring to hold them in the optimal playing position during concerts, rehearsals, and practice. Our tendency is to rest the bottom of the horn on the left leg. That relieves stress on the arms, but it usually places the mouthpiece too low, which results in players slouching to meet the mouthpiece.

    So euphoniumists ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:55 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
  4. QHR Euphonium Hand Strap - Review

    Bill Ricker is a doer. He sees a need in the realm of brass instruments and his mind starts working on solutions. He is the inventor of the very useful Quick Horn Rinse (QHR) for encouraging us to keep our horns clean by making it more painless. Now he has come up with a solution for those who struggle holding the horn securely without straining their left wrist over the long term.

    I have in the past used a "Duck Foot" that was custom made for Glenn Call. It was a curved metal brace ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:53 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
  5. CD Review - John Storey, Euphonium

    I recently had the privilege of reviewing a new CD of euphonium music. The artist is John Storey, who is principal and solo euphonium with the Coldstream Guards Band in the U.K.

    For U.S. readers who are not familiar with this band, it is roughly the equivalent of a U.S. Military Band. There are several wind bands in the Queen's regiments, including:
    • The Grenadier Guards
    • The Coldstream Guards
    • The Scots Guards
    • The Irish Guards
    • The Welsh Guards

    In the U.S. our service ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:54 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
  6. CD Review - SymbiosisDuo, Euphonium and Tuba

    I have a confession to make. I don't generally listen to euphonium and tuba recordings for relaxation/fun/etc. Because I play both instruments, I can't easily get out of an "analytical" mode so I can just listen to the music and performance. The same was true of orchestra and band music when I was still in the Coast Guard Band. Every time I heard a band I would be analyzing the sound, performance, programming and other ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:54 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
  7. Review: Heritage 4AL and 4ABL Mouthpieces

    I am just finishing a very enlightening test of two new mouthpieces from the Denis Wick Heritage series: the 4AL and 4ABL. My regular mouthpiece is a "classic" Wick 4AL, and according to my measurements, the Heritage 4AL maintains the same dimensions within the accuracy of my digital caliper. The comparison between my mouthpiece and the Heritage of the same size proved (in case there was any doubt) that the distribution of mass on a mouthpiece makes an easily noticeable difference.

    ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:51 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
  8. Review of David Childs Recital at ITEC 08

    Recital Review: David and Robert Childs

    Reviewed for the ITEA Journal

    (Volume 36 Number 1)

    by David Werden
    As soon as I learned this program was part of ITEC 2008 I was excited to hear it. David Childs and his father, Robert, are two great players, and I knew the recital would be both musical and entertaining. This is the first chance I have had to hear Robert Childs in several years, and ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:57 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
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