A Guide to Testing Horns
Francis Orval
I have learned from various manufacturers and dealers that most people buy a horn by relying on first impressions or their "feeling" about a horn. I think that this is a dangerous system and many players end up buying a "dud" when the problems could have been found out before the purchase. The most common problems I have come across are:
1. A horn with a good sound but bad intonation.
2. A horn with good intonation but a bad sound.
3. Bad notes (harmonics) that "hid" during the testing.
4. The buyer's idea that "I have to adjust to the new horn."
QUESTIONS
The first step in testing a new horn is to know what you want. What type of sound do you want to hear and what type of metal produces the sound you like most? What type of resistance is necessary in a horn for you to play your best? How much weight can you hold? A stopping valve and a cut bell add perceptibly more weight to a horn and of course a triple is heavier.
These and many more questions should be considered before going to the "store" or especially before ordering a specially made horn. Also, you must decide on the importance of each one of these factors.
So You Want to Be a Pro?
by Rebecca Root
[Note: The personal situations described as "current" have of course changed since the original publication of this article in 1979. However the story and the lessons told in it are both timeless and universal.]
As I sit here on a Saturday night, (usually reserved for concerts) in my warm, comfortable house, instead of a cold, tension-filled orchestra hall I find the need to express my thoughts on some events in my life during the past ten years.
I have recently resigned my post as principal horn in the New Orleans Philharmonic and am currently enjoying my first year as horn instructor at Columbus College here in Columbus, Georgia. I must admit that nearly everyone in the music business discouraged me from quitting the position I'd had in the New Orleans Symphony for five years. But, as many people discover, when determined to marry, and live with another, one must be prepared for certain allowances and adjustments. Since my husband could not find employment as a voice teacher in the New Orleans area, we had to look in other cities for jobs. Columbus quickly accepted us, and we are now completely transplanted, after only fours months of living here.
Medical Problems of Wind Players
by Philip Farkas
Brass playing encompasses at least four distinct categories of functions and techniques. One of the most important of these is the formation of the embouchure - the adjustment of the mouth and facial muscles and the positioning of the tongue and mandible so that the lips will vibrate when blown through. The breathing apparatus - the diaphragm, the rib cage, the intercostal muscles, and the glottis - must be correctly coordinated to work in conjunction with and maintain efficient vibration of the lips.
The third factor in brass playing is the ability to hold the instrument in a comfortable yet steady playing position. This requires strong but relaxed skeletal muscles, particularly of the arms, shoulders, fingers, and even the legs of those players who stand while playing.
The fourth aspect of playing is the psychological one of combating stage fright, which is most often exhibited in trembling arms and legs, dry mouth, tachycardia, and mental disorientation. All too many potentially successful artists have had to give up the music profession because of the inability to cope with this stress.
Audition Excerpt List
Brian Thomas & Seth Orgel
[Note: It is highly recommended to read the entire article that accompanies this survey list! The full article has great practical advice on audition preparation.]
The results of the audition repertoire were compiled from material found on 41 audition lists. The number in parentheses indicates the number of times the piece appeared on the different lists. The lists used were from both high and low horn auditions.
The repertoire lists were compiled from the following North American orchestras: Alabama, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Grant Park, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Louisville, Nashville, New Orleans, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Rochester, San Antonio, Savannah, Seattle, Syracuse, Thunder Bay, Toledo, Tucson, Utah, Vancouver and Winnipeg.
We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Vincent Cichowicz, Dale Clevenger, Mason Jones, Widge Kincaid, Steven Lawlis, David Orgel, Roseann Salamon, Norman Schweikert, and Harry Shapiro.
Is A Beautiful Sound Really of Any Importance?
Excerpts from a lecture for the 9th International Horn Workshop, Hartford, 1977. The complete article is available only to IHS members.
The title of this little talk can perhaps be taken as a provocation; isn't a beautiful horn tone exactly what we are all striving for? Yet I ask this question because I am convinced that the tone we produce is the most unimportant aspect of getting the best result, and it must not be the focus of our problems and concentration.
How often don't we say: "Oh, what an ugly sound he or she has!"? Do we really mean what we say? Couldn't there be something else displeasing us? Try to analyze: perhaps he or she has a hard or clumsy attack? Or there could be something else I haven't mentioned here. Anyway, if it is any of these characteristics or any other kind of playing behavior, it has nothing to do with the tone; it is the treatment of the tone.
