Meet Your Makers — James Patterson
Andrew Pelletier: What is your horn story? What brought you to the horn?
James Patterson: I started the trumpet in junior high band camp but switched to the tuba to play in the advanced band. Later in high school while working on the Wilder trio for horn, tuba and piano, the sound of the horn caught my ear. So, I switched to the horn in my sophomore year.
-What brought you to the craft of building? Did you come to it via repair and customization? Did you apprentice with anyone?
I've always had an interest in how things work, especially musical instruments. While in junior high school (middle school) I regularly took home various instruments, cleaned and oiled them and tried to learn how they worked. I re-padded a flute and a baritone sax and whenever an instrument needed repair, I volunteered to take it to shop where I watched the repair tech and subsequently learned about instrument repairing. While in college I did repair work during the summers, and after my University experience I was offered a job working for Robert Atkinson. This was the first time I worked as a specialist building and modifying horns. After that I got a “real” job working in the aerospace industry. I worked my way up the ladder and ended up as a manufacturing manager with 29 people in my department. Of course, I continued playing the horn, doing some recording work and freelancing. After ten years, I really wanted to return to the music business, so I started working as an independent contractor at Bob Malone’s Brass technology shop. I quickly became the top horn specialist in LA; that was where I honed my skills and began to think about my own designs.
-When did you make the shift to horn builder? Was it a moment in time, or did it evolve gradually?
When I left the aerospace job, I started getting a lot of performing work, especially recording. But the industry was shrinking quickly, leaving me with a lot of time and opportunity for horn design. I started spending more and more time working on horns. I was the go-to guy at Bob Malone’s Brass Technology in Van Nuys, CA. There was definitely a day when It became obvious that I needed to open my own shop. So, In the mid 90's I parted ways with Bob Malone's shop and began Patterson Hornworks. One of the first things I did was to take a class on natural horn building with Lowell Greer where I learned the skills needed to make my own horns. Initially, I focused on building natural horns, complete crook sets and sheet metal mouthpieces. I really enjoyed making these horns and was able to perform regularly on the natural horn in the LA Baroque Orchestra. I was also doing a lot of horn rebuilding and customizing as well as mouthpiece making. As I continued to learn the fine points of horn design, I developed my own leadpipe and first branch tapers. From there, it was an easy transition to building the whole horn.
Coluna Pedagógica — J. Bernardo Silva
Foi com grande satisfação e alegria que recebi do meu muito estimado Prof. Ab Koster o desafio de dar a minha contribuição para a Coluna Pedagógica da IHS Newsletter. Esta Coluna é uma ideia fantástica e tem apresentado artigos muito interessantes e inspiradores. É mais uma demonstração do papel da IHS e de como é uma verdadeira sociedade internacional. Sem querer ser demasiado exaustivo, gostaria de partilhar com os leitores algumas das minhas ideias principais sobre a trompa e sobre a sua prática.
O caminho para o sucesso é muito complexo e depende de muitos aspectos que estão interligados. Como em tudo na vida tem de haver equilíbrio e estabilidade. No entanto, nesta ocasião, gostaria de destacar alguns pontos que para mim são fundamentais:
1 – SOM
Na minha opinião é aquilo que mais diferencia a trompa de todos os outros instrumentos. Certamente é o que, a nós trompistas, nos apaixona e o que encanta o público. Haverá sempre instrumentos que tocam mais forte que uma trompa, que serão mais virtuosos, que tocam mais agudo, mais grave, etc. Mas poucos instrumentos têm a capacidade de encantar com um simples som e de tocar qualquer alma. Olhemos para alguns dos nossos solos orquestrais mais admirados, como por exemplo a 2ª Sinfonia de Brahms, 5ª Sinfonia de Tchaikovsky, 9ª Sinfonia de Beethoven (Trompa IV), Nocturno de ‘Sonho de uma Noite de Verão’ de Mendelssohn, 1ª Sinfonia de Mahler, Sinfonia Alpina de Richard Strauss, etc… Não serão certamente exemplos de virtuosidade, no entanto são momentos fantásticos do repertório orquestral e capazes de deixar qualquer plateia rendida. E porquê? Certamente pela capacidade sonora do instrumento. Em suma, no meu entender o primeiro fundamento é a qualidade sonora. Deverá ser algo que nos identifica, a nossa voz e alma. Independentemente de haver diferentes conceitos sobre sonoridade, para mim o mais importante é que o som seja centrado, claro, e projectante. A nossa embocadura, a posição da mão dentro da campânula, a forma como respiramos e usamos o ar têm um papel decisivo na qualidade da nossa sonoridade.
2 – EMBOCADURA
O papel da embocadura é crucial e definidor daquilo que somos como trompistas. Uma embocadura forte e estável é fundamental. O objectivo é tocar de forma competente em todo o registo da trompa, conseguir ser flexível mantendo a qualidade da sonoridade e afinação. Recomendo a prática diária de vibração labial, com e sem bocal. O estudo de notas longas é muito útil para o fortalecimento da embocadura, resistência e da qualidade sonora.
Interview of the Month – Tawnee Lynn Lillo
Kristina Mascher-Turner: Tawnee, you are a woman of many talents - it’s hard to know where to start! How about at the beginning? How did you come to play the horn in the first place, and how did you first start your career as a horn player?
Tawnee Lynn Lillo: If I could describe my unique prowess to the reader, it’s that I’m excited about everything. To some people, this must sound exhausting :) After dabbling in running, tennis, sports, piano, flute and some violin, the horn pretty much called my name in band one day in 8th grade. My family of 7 lived on 80 acres of land so that my father could have an airstrip to fly his planes to/from work. We “temporarily” (1988-2006) used a diesel-powered generator for electricity. Watching Independence Day with my family at home during generator hours was when I was first sold on the horn!! The student model F horn we all start out on came home with me, and I taught myself how to change the sound from a dying elephant to something more enjoyable that summer (I had a cockatoo at the time who would sit on the bell and bob his head up and down to my beats). As for my career, I feel I am smack dab in the middle of it as we speak and am doing everything I can to stay focused, alert, aware, happy, and smiling, helping and inspiring as many as I can along the way. After studying at the University of Arizona with Keith Johnson as well as at USC with legends Vince DeRosa and Richard Todd, I started playing small jobs around campus and the surrounding areas. From there, all kinds of adventurous opportunities arose. Every SINGLE person I started my Masters degree with at USC is playing at the highest level and mostly teaching at colleges/universities!
KMT: While at music school, we are often captivated by the idea of winning that big orchestra audition and settling into a stable routine (and salary). So often, destiny takes us in other directions. How important is it for us to keep our feelers out for alternate paths?
TLL: Being in that principal horn spot, especially (on any part) full time in a symphony is an accomplishment for the history books and really takes a badass individual. Preparing, staying focused, being a team player who works well in this setting, having the proper balance, etc. is something many dream of while some naturally have that talent/skill. With all kinds of talent in our industry, and with the whole entrepreneurial picture, now is definitely the time to learn, research, develop and incorporate other skills that allow our musical abilities to grow and expand. It’s pretty incredible getting the opportunity to do what I do as I’m sure most of you reading can relate to on some degree. Being surrounded by and getting to hang out with, make music, perform, laugh, and have deep/important conversations with such skilled colleagues, friends and mentors alike is an incredible gift. Having the opportunity to sub more with the San Diego Symphony has been a highlight, and preparing my student for the professional world has been a reminder of how well I was taught/guided!!
KMT: You first got into contracting through your association with an opera company - can you tell us about those early key moments?
Hazte cargo del negocio mientras persigues tus sueños
por Amy Thakurdas
Los músicos piensan que la parte del “negocio” de sus carreras es aburrida y tediosa. Este artículo es una muestra para ayudarles a alcanzar sus metas profesionales y personales. El presente artículo no está pensado para profesionales que ya estén viviendo sus sueños, sino para aquellos que están buscando activamente sus metas. Tengo la esperanza de que esto te permita identificar algunas áreas que necesites fortalecer en la búsqueda de tus sueños.
Creando un Portafolio Profesional
Muchos nuevos cornistas habrán seguido el camino tradicional para encontrar un trabajo tocando en una orquesta o dando clases. Con los espacios limitados que existen en ambos mundos ejecutando y enseñando, se recomienda tener un “Portafolio Profesional” actualizado al siglo XXI. Esto les permitirá tener diferentes trabajos relacionados con el corno y como resultado tendrán contacto con algunos de los mejores ejecutantes y profesores.
Mientras trabajaba con seis cornistas graduados, ellos tenían múltiples intereses y talentos que les permitían acceder a carreras en administración, manufactura, escritura histórica, mercadeo, arreglos musicales y recaudación de fondos. Los seis lograron colocarse en sus respectivas áreas de interés. Aunque no es la forma tradicional con la que todos los cornistas sueñan vivir, ellos se mantienen en la esfera del mundo del corno y disfrutan de haber conseguido la meta de sus primeros trabajos en un área deseada.
Estos nuevos profesionales se ganan la vida y hacen la diferencia en la comunidad del corno de muchas diversas maneras. Más adelante en el camino de la vida de seguro encontrarán trabajos enseñando, mientras tanto están haciendo una valiosa contribución al mundo del corno con sus múltiples talentos.
Pequeños pasos hacia la meta.
Toma pequeños pasos cada día hacia tus metas. Muy pronto cuando veas hacia atrás, verás lo mucho que has logrado. Solo recuerda tomar un paso cada día. Es muy fácil distraerse o procrastinar.
Agiliza tus rutinas hacia tus metas y no olvides revisar tu plan de vida como músico regularmente. Podrías crear un cronograma y poner un tiempo específico para lograr cada pequeño paso. O puedes apuntar a completar un paso cada día antes o después de tu tiempo de practica diario.
Reputación y oportunidades
Si donde vives existe abundante trabajo como músico independiente (freelance), entonces tu reputación como cornista puede ser establecida tocando en orquestas locales. Si por el otro lado existen muchos cornistas en tu ciudad, mantente tocando, las oportunidades aparecerán y son aprovechadas por los que estén listos.
Cubrir a alguien o ser maestro sustituto puede abrirte puertas que no están disponibles, es mejor que quedarte en casa sin hacer nada. El cambio constante puede ser un poco inquietante, sin embargo, es sabio permitirte modificar tu plan con respecto a cómo tus sueños y circunstancias de vida vayan cambiando.
No pongas límites a tus sueños
Tus metas musicales y pasos hacia estas metas pueden ser pequeños, grandes o inclusive cambiar. Si completas 6 metas en un año en 10 años serán 60 cosas que habrás logrado hacia tus sueños. Muy pronto veras que no hay límite.
Disfruta del viaje mientras llegas a tu destino
Mi mejor consejo es que disfrutes tu viaje, tanto personal como musical. No hay un tamaño que les calze a todos. Conocerte a ti mismo y diseñar un camino que mejor se adapte a ti (no seguir ciegamente los caminos de alguien más) será una muy gratificante forma de llegar a tu destino.
Espero que este artículo les haya dado algunas ideas para cultivar sus carreras como un músico completo mientras viven sus sueños. Que todos sean felices tocando corno.
Amy es una doctora de Medicina Naturista especializada en manejo del stress usando técnicas Mente/cuerpo. También es la directora musical de “Oxford Horns”.
Spanish translation: Juan Carlos Porras Castro
Taking care of business while pursing your dream
by Amy Thakurdas
en Español
Musicians find the ‘business’ side of their career dull and tedious. This article is a taster to help you achieve your musical and life goals. It is not aimed at the professional who is living their dream but rather those who are actively pursuing their goals. Hopefully, it will allow you to identify some areas you might need to strengthen while pursuing your dream.
Creating a Portfolio Career
Many newly qualified horn players will have followed traditional steps to find an orchestral placement or teaching position. With limited spaces in both the performance and academic worlds, a 21st century ‘portfolio career’ is advisable. This allows for work in horn related industries and results in direct exposure to some of the best horn players and teachers.
While I was working with six graduates, they had multiple horn related interests and talents which allowed them to pursue careers in management, manufacturing, historical writing, marketing, music arranging and fundraising. All six placed in their area of interest. Although it is not living the traditional professional horn player’s dream; they are within the sphere of the horn world and enjoying their chosen goal orientated first job.
These new graduates earn a living and make a difference to the horn community in multiple capacities. Down the road performance of teaching jobs will inevitably appear and in the meantime they will have made meaningful contributions to the horn world with their multi-talents.
Small steps towards your goals
Take small steps each day towards your career goals. Very soon when you look back, you can see you have achieved so much. Just remember to take the steps each day. It is easy to become distracted or procrastinate.
Streamline your routines toward your goals and don’t forget to review your life plan as a musician, regularly. Maybe create a timetable and carve out a specific time to accomplish each small step. Or aim to complete one step each day before or after your daily practise schedule.
Crowdfunding a CD
by Stefan Blonk
For a long time, recording a solo CD was on my bucket list. In my years as solo horn in the Gelders Orkest (Arnhem, Netherlands) I made many recordings of the large orchestra repertoire: Mahler 5 and 6, Tchaikovsky 5, and many others. Furthermore, I recorded the horn concerto by Mercadente with the Amsterdam Police Band for the Molenaar label. But a solo CD didn't come at that time, mostly because I didn't know where to start and which pieces to choose.
In 2013 I quit my job. It wasn't going well with my orchestra because of heavy budget cuts, and it wasn't going well with me. I wanted something different. I took a sabbatical, and through the medium of the Millereau natural horn I had purchased from Lowell Greer, I found my way back to the joy in music. Soon my calendar was full of natural horn engagements. I found myself playing with fantastic groups such as the Orchestra of the 18th Century, the Apollo Ensemble, Anima Eterna, and many others. I also got an expanded position with the conservatory in Zwolle and started another project I'd been thinking about for a long time. I wanted a company where enthusiastic natural horn players could find a good selection of historical instruments.
During a rehearsal of the Brahms Horn Trio (on natural horn), the violinist said to me, "We really should record this!" And thus my old wish emerged once again in all its enthusiasm! I thought it over, did some research on crowdfunding platforms, and calculated the minimum amount the whole thing would cost.
The pianist, Riko Fukuda, had access to a variety of magnificent historical pianos. Her husband is Edwin Beunk, owner of fortepiano.nl.
To make a CD these days is fairly simple, as long as you have the budget for it. I had to keep it as cheap as possible without sacrificing the quality I had in mind. For the crowdfunding, I set a realistic goal: 5000 EUR - not enough for everything, but definitely a good start. I simply wanted to try it and see if it worked. I did a lot of advertising on social media, especially on Facebook, and wrote several emails to friends, family, and acquaintances. When you are asking for money, you have to be ready for rejections; you'll receive a lot of them. But there were also surprises. A rich friend pledged a large sum, and through that, the crowdfunding was already a success in advance.
You're asking people to support a project before it's even started. As a reward, you promise a CD, a concert ticket, both, or whatever else you can dream up. Of course, you have to be able to deliver what you promise! On top of that, the project has to be interesting. In my particular case, I called the project "The Natural Horn in the 19th Century." I started with the Beethoven Sonata from 1800, then the Brahms trio, and at the end the Rossini Prelude, Theme, and Variations. This last piece hadn't been recorded very often on the natural horn.
Contact was made with a technician and recording engineer. Edwin Beunk made his space available and took care of the pianos (for each piece a different instrument!) Riko Fukuda and Frank Polman played for free; they were also keen to record the Brahms.
Meanwhile, I got in contact with the record label with whom the Apollo Ensemble also worked, Centaur Records. They were interested in hearing the recordings once they were finished. Afterwards, they approved the recording, and I sent the photos and text for the CD.
We had three days to record. That wasn't very much time. You have to bear in mind that before even one note is recorded, you will have already played a lot. I was in good shape and had prepared well, but at the end of each recording day I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Recording is tiring work. The Beethoven and Rossini recordings went fairly rapidly. The Brahms is much more difficult to record. You need a lot of time and a sound engineer with super ears. In my case, I was short on time, and the sound engineer was sitting too close. That's something to learn from for next time!
A CD label doesn't pay you or invest anything in the project. The risk is too great for them - the classical CD market is saturated, and fewer and fewer people are buying CD's. Even at Centaur records, you have to take on at least 200 CD's at $6 apiece. On top of that, you have shipping costs and European customs fees. You should therefore be fairly sure you can sell so many CD's to justify the costs. In my case, I can sell them on my website, through a colleague, or at various instrument builders whom I visit frequently through my business. I play a lot of chamber music, so I can sell my CD's at concerts. On top of that, they count as promotional material and are therefore tax deductible. Through the purchase of an historical instrument, I can throw in a CD for free.
This is how I hope to make some of my investment back. The crowdfunding brought in 5000 Euro, and the crowdfunding platform cost me 600 Euro. Recording and taking 300 CD's cost an additional 2400 Euro. I was so lucky to have each and every person who helped out - otherwise the project would have been a lot more expensive.
Last week, we played the Rossini and Brahms alongside the violin sonata by Schumann. And the CD was lying there - I was happy and proud! August 4th is the official launch date from Centaur Records. Soon afterwards, it will be available on line.
If you're a horn player whose bucket list includes recording your own CD, I hope you've found something useful in this article. Go make it special!
You can hear Stefan’s virtuoso natural horn playing on YouTube
Translation: KMT
Crowdfunding een cd
by Stefan Blonk
English version
Al heel lang stond op mijn bucket-list om een solo cd op te nemen. In mijn jaren als solo hoornist van Het Gelders Orkest heb ik veel opnames gemaakt van grote orkestwerken. Mahler 5 en 6, Tsjaikovski 5 en vele anderen. Verder nam ik het hoornconcert van Mercadente op met de Amsterdamse politiekapel voor uitgeverij Molenaar. Maar van een "eigen" cd kwam het niet, ook omdat ik niet wist hoe het aan te pakken en welke stukken ik dan zou willen opnemen.
In 2013 zegde ik mijn baan op. Het ging niet goed met het orkest, door zware bezuinigingen, en het ging niet goed met mij. Ik wilde nog wat anders. Ik nam een sabatical en vond door het spelen op een Millereau natuurhoorn, die ik van Lowell Greer kocht, het plezier terug in de muziek. Al gauw werd mijn agenda voller met natuurhoorn werkzaamheden. Spelen met geweldige groepen als het Orkest vd Achttiende Eeuw, Apollo ensemble, Anima Eterna en vele anderen. Ook kreeg ik een ruimere aanstelling bij het conservatorium van Zwolle én ik begon een ander project waar ik al heel lang over dacht. Ik wilde een bedrijf waar enthousiaste natuurhoornisten keus zouden vinden in historische instrumenten.
Tijdens een repetitie van Brahms hoorntrio (op natuurhoorn) zei de violist: we zouden het eigenlijk moeten opnemen! En toen kwam mijn oude wens in al zijn enthousiasme weer te voorschijn! Ik dacht er over, deed wat onderzoek naar crowdfundingplatforms en berekende hoeveel het allemaal minimaal ging kosten.
De pianiste, Riko Fukuda, heeft de beschikking over verschillende, prachtige, historische vleugels. Haar man is Edwin Beunk, eigenaar van fortepiano.nl.
Een cd maken is tegenwoordig heel makkelijk, als je maar budget hebt. Ik moest het zo goedkoop mogelijk houden, zonder de kwaliteit te verliezen die ik voor ogen had.
