Jasper Rees

Did you play a musical instrument in high school, only to give it up as soon as you graduated? Did you ever wonder what it would be like to pick it up again and perform in front of other musicians?

Well, Jasper Rees did. As he approaches the age of 40 he pulls his old french horn out of the case and attends the British Horn Society's annual convention. After playing in the mass horn choir, he decides to start practicing again with the goal of playing a solo at next year's convention. This show more book is about his journey of relearning the horn. Along the way he meets and takes lessons with some of the horn world's most famous players. Intertwined with his personal journey is a history of the horn.

I am a professional horn player and I found this book pretty amusing. The author definitely embraces the horn and I would have to say becomes a raging "horn-dork". This was mildly annoying to me because I know too many people who are like this. But, it was fun to read since I've met and worked with many of the horn players in the book. I even attended the "horn camp" that he attends - twice. (Who's the horn-dork now???)

Anyway, if you ever played the horn you will probably enjoy this book. Or if you remember your high school band days playing any instrument, this book may give you a few laughs or possibly a little inspiration to give it another go! show less

Quite a good read - on the whole Jasper Rees is a pleasant writer. The quest itself is close to my heart, as my Welsh lineage has always had a strong emphasis within my own inner connections. I thought Rees's recount was a little too lengthy for some of the subject matter, I found the initial rites of passage being language very good - however some of the "Welshness" Rees was searching for came across as stereotypical, and I kept on reading hoping that through-out the football, song, sheep show more and walking, there might be a chapter devoted more to the idiosyncratic nature of the Welsh temperament, perhaps abutting to the brythonic nature of the peoples of Wales. But this is Jasper's journey, and I can't argue with his perspective because it was through it that he was searching for his own association with what Welshness meant. It's a fair journey in any case, borderline novelisation of a Lonely Planet guide in parts but on the whole a welcome read. show less

This represents the dream of most of our Walter Mitty selves. I was in my mid-thirties when my son took up the trombone in school and, wanting to help him out, started French Horn lessons at the college where I worked. 20 years later he had long given up the trombone and I, after 15 years, gave up the French Horn, tiring (lazy, I guess) of the requirement to play every single day for 45 minutes to an hour just to maintain some flexibility in the lips. Skipping a couple days would set you show more back a week. I guess I also tired of being mediocre. I was what most would consider competent, good enough to play with local orchestras, but to get really good you have to practice hours daily. I did have the advantage of having played piano and organ for years so at least I didn't have to learn to read music. The worst part was transposing on the fly. I look forward to reading how Rees did. Got to admire his courage. show less

Rees is an engaging writer. The blend of memoir and music history is just right. I didn't feel that I totally understood why he picked up the French horn again in the first place, but I thoroughly enjoyed his narrative of what happened over the next year.