Health

Nerves, Pills and Doping

Behind a debate once confined to musicians lies a wider shift in how performance anxiety, medication and professional responsibility began to be separated instead of confused.

By Christian Baechler

Part 1

Zen and the Art of Horn playing

Beyond technique: Jeffrey Agrell explores how Zen challenges Western thinking—revealing a new path to awareness, focus, and deeper musical experience in horn playing.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Brass Techniques Series • Part 2

The Body

A brass player's physical condition depends on more than muscular strength, with sleep, nutrition and recovery shaping the balance between technical control and fatigue.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

The subconscious, a useful friend

From yogic practices to auto-hypnosis, mental conditioning and visualisation are linked to performance, self-control, and the body's hidden responses.

By Michel Ricquier

Part 18

Dental Clinic for Wind Players

Influence of the lateral teeth upon sound production

By Toshio Nemoto

Part 22

Dental Clinic for Wind Players

For brass players having wisdom teeth extracted is not without risk

By Toshio Nemoto

Overlays and bonding

New dental aids for brass players

A trumpeter’s dental experiments in the 1980s turned teeth, mouthpiece pressure and embouchure into an unexpected field of collaboration with dentistry.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Brass players athletes

Brass players are athletes. Bengt Belfrage reveals how training, recovery, breathing, and mental focus—borrowed from sport—can transform performance and endurance.

By Bengt Belfrage

Overstrain injuries in brass players

Causes and Cure

By Bengt Belfrage

Is there more to stage fright than just anxiety?

By John Hipple

The use of the mind in instrumental performance

Relaxation, concentration and mental imagery reshape technical practice, linking self-confidence and instrumental control beyond physical training alone.

By Michel Ricquier

Part 2

Zen and the Art of Horn playing

Beyond technique: Jeffrey Agrell explores the clash between intellect and intuition—arguing that true musical expression begins where analysis ends.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Part 5

Stage fright and subliminal messaging

By Michel Ricquier

Part 6

Dental Clinic for Wind Players

Causes and cures of sudden vs. gradual embouchure and playing problems due to neuropathy

By Toshio Nemoto

My teeth

A dentist visit that changed everything: René Périnelli reveals how his teeth directly shaped his trumpet playing.

By René Périnelli

Sophrology and Music

For brass players, physical tension and concert anxiety can become habitual obstacles, while sophrology offers a different approach to posture, memory and performance.

By Robert Ischer

Part 20

Dental Clinic for Wind Players

Difficulties following a simple dental treatment

By Toshio Nemoto

Problems during musical performance

By Joachim E. Lahme

Part 4

Dental Clinic for Wind Players

Unknown to most players, there may be significant changes in the internal oral environment of a musician during the process of wind instrument playing

By Toshio Nemoto

Part 3

Feeling pain while playing a musical instrument

By Urban Diethelm

Part 11

Dental Clinic for Wind Players

Median space method

By Toshio Nemoto

Part 17

Dental Clinic for Wind Players

Tips for teachers in examining for dental problems

By Toshio Nemoto

General remarks on the role of the teeth for wind instrument players

Your teeth are part of your instrument: a dental expert explains how they shape sound, technique and long-term health.

By Jean-Paul Rocca

Part 3

Dental Clinic for Wind Players

The source of sound production in brass instruments is lip vibration

By Toshio Nemoto