The horn or french hornHistory - Use of the horn has been in existence for approximately 30 centuries! - The ancient "shofar" was used in biblical times for war and worship and then in the Middle Ages of battle and hunting. - Originally the horn had no valves or keys. - In the 1700's, Joseph Hampel creatively used the hand in the bell of the horn, which increased the pitches that the horn was able to produce. - Eventually, values were added. - Then, the double horn was produced in the 1900's. - Handel was the composer most identified with writing parts for the French Horn. |
The B-flat or the F Horn or Both!
All three are legitimate choices. The lower register of the F Horn is more difficult for beginners to play, but is the more traditional choice for orchestra. The double horn is an option to have the benefits of the lower register of the F horn and the upper register's accuracy and tone quality of the B-flat horn.
Hand in the Horn
The proper way to hold the horn includes ones right hand in the bell. Learning to adjust one's hand in the bell is important for intonation and quality of tone. Because of the different sizes of everybody's hand, positioning and adjustments are individual as one learns to play, and also, will adjust as one's hand matures. The horn can be muted with the hand (stopped tones) or with a mute.
The Uniqueness of Playing the Horn
Playing the horn well is a combination of good breath support and adjusting embrochure and hand position until the desired sound is produced. That's why listening carefully and developing the ear is extremely important in playing the horn with good intonation and good quality sound. A mental image of the desired tone needs to be developed by audiation, listening to other horn players and good recordings, etc. The higher the range,the stronger and brighter the sound.
Also, the design and acoustics of a room affect the horn tone quality more than that of any other wind instrument.
The horn is uniquely, very adaptable and will be played differently for each player, with each ensemble, in combination with different instruments, size of groups, with soloists, or with the human voice.
Maintenance and Care
- As with all horns, great care should be taken not to dent or bump the instrument, but particularly with the bell of the french horn. The bell of the horn is thin, and can even be dented with the pressure of the fingers or the weight of the instrument! Dents cause unwanted intonation issues.
- Moisture needs to be cleaned out with the water keys or by unwinding the instrument and cleaning as often as possible.
All three are legitimate choices. The lower register of the F Horn is more difficult for beginners to play, but is the more traditional choice for orchestra. The double horn is an option to have the benefits of the lower register of the F horn and the upper register's accuracy and tone quality of the B-flat horn.
Hand in the Horn
The proper way to hold the horn includes ones right hand in the bell. Learning to adjust one's hand in the bell is important for intonation and quality of tone. Because of the different sizes of everybody's hand, positioning and adjustments are individual as one learns to play, and also, will adjust as one's hand matures. The horn can be muted with the hand (stopped tones) or with a mute.
The Uniqueness of Playing the Horn
Playing the horn well is a combination of good breath support and adjusting embrochure and hand position until the desired sound is produced. That's why listening carefully and developing the ear is extremely important in playing the horn with good intonation and good quality sound. A mental image of the desired tone needs to be developed by audiation, listening to other horn players and good recordings, etc. The higher the range,the stronger and brighter the sound.
Also, the design and acoustics of a room affect the horn tone quality more than that of any other wind instrument.
The horn is uniquely, very adaptable and will be played differently for each player, with each ensemble, in combination with different instruments, size of groups, with soloists, or with the human voice.
Maintenance and Care
- As with all horns, great care should be taken not to dent or bump the instrument, but particularly with the bell of the french horn. The bell of the horn is thin, and can even be dented with the pressure of the fingers or the weight of the instrument! Dents cause unwanted intonation issues.
- Moisture needs to be cleaned out with the water keys or by unwinding the instrument and cleaning as often as possible.