by Austris Apenis

While practicing, I think many of us have been frustrated with the horn. We always try to do our best to follow our teacher’s advice, try new techniques, perfect every aspect of our playing, and practice vigorously. But even after doing all this, some things just don’t work as we want them to. We might think that maybe we’re just not good enough or that maybe we’re missing some crucial piece of information about playing technique. I admit that these thoughts have gone through my mind more often than I’d like. But in the last few months, my eyes have been opened: I finally got the chance to own a custom-built horn.

The journey was life-changing. Of course I knew that the instrument makes a difference, but I had no idea that it has so much influence on playing technique. I experimented with different models, tubing, tuning slides, bells, and even rotor caps. Every single element either directly changed the character of the horn, or it changed the feeling that I had while playing the horn, and these things influence the sound. Little shortcomings in technique can be solved by having an instrument that works with you rather than against you. An instrument that is efficient and makes certain technical aspects easier, in short, brings balance.

I’ve also seen my sound improve greatly. This comes from two things. First, players need to know what kind of sound they want to have. It’s like fashion: we need to feel comfortable with what we wear; it is an extension of our character, and the horn needs to match that. Second, we must feel comfortable with the resistance of the horn and with what comes out of the bell. This gives you confidence which allows you to relax. Relaxation is, in my mind, the fastest way to improve every aspect of one’s playing.

Don’t underestimate how important it is to have an instrument that matches you as a player. It can make or break you. Find a horn maker that can help you and start experimenting!

Austris: Did you play an instrument when you were young?

Klaus: I started music school when I was nine. My dream was to be a professional trumpet player. In the 1970s, I saw Roy Etzel and his Golden Trumpet on TV playing a piece that felt completely magical, and I thought, “I want to play trumpet like him.” So from about nine to eighteen years old I took trumpet lessons.

I always loved the horn sound too. In our school orchestra I sat next to a horn player (Stefan Dohr), and that sound stayed with me. I didn’t think of switching at first because trumpet was so fixed in my head.

When I was 19 years old, I moved to southern Germany where I learned the traditional German skills of brass wind-instrument making. Seven years later, I completed my “Meister” certification—still playing trumpet, but my connection to the horn kept growing.

When my wife (she works in woodwind repair and restoration) and I moved to the Netherlands and joined a really good wind band, it hit me in the first rehearsal: I have to switch to horn. In symphonic wind music, the trumpet can be less prominent, while the horn often gets the beautiful melodies. I started taking horn lessons and within two months I left the trumpet behind.

For me, the horn has a special job: it connects instrument groups and blends the orchestra. It also has critical moments—solos, soft passages, exposed entries. The sound has to be present without pushing: magical, mighty, beautiful, or holding back so others can shine. It’s the heart in the middle of the orchestra…like the human heart.

Austris: Exactly what Robert Schumann said. How did you become a horn maker?

Klaus: I had already been an instrument maker for around 18 years before I made my first horn. Before I started, I had an old Yamaha and I worked on many horns, trying to understand what makes them work and how they feel in an orchestra. Then I decided I would make one for myself, even if it took years.

You need tools first, especially mandrels, and you have to invent the shape before you build the instrument. I had a clear idea of the direction I intended, and I asked metalworking companies to build tools to my specifications. I didn’t want ready-made horn parts simply to assemble.

When my first horn was ready, I played it for a few months. Then a musician from the Aachen Symphony Orchestra came for a repair, tried my horn, and wanted to buy it. I’d spent so much money on mandrels, tools, and time, that I sold it and built the next one. Then I sold the second, and the third. It kept going like that.

I tested each new horn by playing it in my amateur symphony orchestra. In the beginning it made people crazy because every horn sounded different. But it became a feedback loop: the conductor and colleagues would say things like, “You have a rich sound today,” or “You’re projecting well.” They pushed me to listen, compare, and improve. Over time, people around me even became proud that someone local made these instruments. I am happy to make and repair horns now, together with my skilled team, Lok Yin and Hans.

Austris: Fantastic! So what motivated you to design a new type of horn?

Klaus: The main motivation was simple: I wanted a horn I could really enjoy playing in the orchestra. I tried the main brands I knew, but there was always something missing for me. I was searching for a horn that feels natural to play, has a beautiful sound, blends well with all other brands—and has “magic” in the sound.

My first eighty horns were made without any fixed model in mind: musicians would try one, we would change a little bit, and if it worked, they would buy it. After a while I started to see “red lines” between players, patterns in what different people need. That’s how I began to bring order to all the options, and this finally led to five double horn models.

Today, nearly everybody can quickly find, within these five models, an instrument that works for them at a rate of about ninety percent. The last ten percent is the fine-tuning. For each horn model I have written a “cookbook.”

Austris: Right, the famous cookbook! What choices do you need to make to build a horn and to write its “recipe?”

Klaus: The most important thing is the design of the conical taper, the shape of the inside air column. This taper influences tuning and the “recipe of sound.” If this isn’t right, nothing else will truly fix it.

Very important is also the construction material and how precise you are with it since the whole horn has to vibrate. You decide where the cylindrical part becomes conical, how fast it grows, and how the instrument develops. Even the leadpipe isn’t a simple straight cone: it has minuscule curves and waves that influence the overtones. There are a few key decisions, maybe seven or eight major ones, and then endless smaller choices that shape the final feeling.

In the cookbook, I write down exactly every step I need to take along with additional footnotes, and I read it again each time before I start. It’s about bell shapes, lead pipes, valve sections etc. Then the small details follow, braces, slides, and so on.

Austris: What kind of choices do people make when selecting their right model? And what kind of changes can you make to the base models?

Klaus: Musicians’ choices are based on how they play, what they want to feel and sound, how they want to reach the audience, and where they are performing. The musicians can test the five models like they would do a “wine tasting,” and they will have a favorite model. From there, I go into detail adjusting and blending the instrument to the musicians wishes. Some of the long list of wishes include: a balanced F/Bb horn, projecting well, sounding warm, providing a “spot on” attack, and easy slurs.

Austris: Wine tasting is something many of us horn players can relate to! It’s very subjective. Have you done some research in pairing different mouthpieces and bells with different horn designs?

Klaus: With mouthpieces, it’s relatively simple, because I make my horns work with all mouthpieces. The mouthpiece is the adapter from instrument to the player. The bell is extremely important for the sound that is delivered into the room. It is the gate into the room. There are many options, and it is my task to accompany the musician in making the right choices…and some musicians let me make the choices completely for them.

A very thick bell can make the sound more trombone-like. A very thin, flat bell can make it more trumpet-like or too flat. Finding a bell that makes the sound three-dimensional and beautiful is an art. There are guidelines, but they are not always logical.

Austris: How does the horn influence the player, and how does the player influence the horn?

Klaus: Some players want to produce only their own sound and send it into the horn. The horn is more a speaker for letting out what they are producing. Other players communicate with the horn. They explore what the horn gives them and what they can give back. That relationship is like a dancing partner: you work together to get the result. If you have a horn with few options, you are like a fish in a small pond. When you play a horn with many options, you are a fish in the big pond, growing and enjoying the space you have.

Austris: What do you think is the importance of having a custom-built horn? Can anybody benefit from it, even younger students?

Klaus: First, a custom-made horn still has to work with other horns. It shouldn’t be so exclusive that you can’t blend with other brands. Blending is essential.

A custom-made horn is not only for professionals. It’s for everybody who loves playing horn. Some people say, “For me it’s all the same.” They probably don’t need a custom instrument. But most horn players are fascinated about implementing their favorite playing characteristics.

A good horn is fun to play; it lets you show what you can do ,and it makes goals easier to reach. It is a filter and the perfect amplifier at the same time. In the best case, the horn feels very natural, like an extension of the musician’s body. Experiencing that while playing your instrument will allow you to enjoy horn playing even more.

Austris: In the last few months, I have experienced first-hand how it feels to tweak the horn and learn which element changes what. I’ve learned that it is more important than I thought. I hope that the reader will be encouraged to experiment with instruments and improve their playing through improving the “hardware.” Thank you, Klaus for the fantastic interview!