French Horns

[Mello Dude]

I can think of three reasons right off the top of my head. Intonation when it was really hot out was REALLY REALLY bad and generally had to tune the hornline to the french horns for prelims. French horn players have to be the best marchers on the field so you cannot hear the feet throughthe horn. French horns are designed to have indirect sound and this is why if you have ever sat behind a french horn section playing FF you would understand why.

[randomnoise]

I can think of three reasons right off the top of my head. Intonation when it was really hot out was REALLY REALLY bad and generally had to tune the hornline to the french horns for prelims.

The equipment has improved. Now you have to tune to the contras in extreme weather (mostly due to size/length).

French horn players have to be the best marchers on the field so you cannot hear the feet through the horn.

It can be done - hundreds of us have done so - some at high leg lift! The dimensions of the mouthpiece are not incredibly different than trumpet or mello.

It IS easier to march and play a mellophone. But is that really a good enough reason to dump the horn? For some, it is.

French horns are designed to have indirect sound and this is why if you have ever sat behind a french horn section playing FF you would understand why.

I will grant you that a bell front french horn does sound different from a "real" french horn. But a player that is taught to play properly will sound just fine at higher volume levels - just like any other member of the brass section.

The reason I am so passionate about this (besides the fact that I am a horn player) is that Horn players have to change for drum corps. You are pretty forced to either play on a different 'piece or use an adapter and get a muffled sound that is not a characteristic mello timbre if you want to do corps.

And that is not fair to horn players - especially those who are serious about the Horn and can't easily switch mouthpiece types.

[Vanguard Rich]

A lot of interesting stuff has been presented here. I'm glad I started this thread, as I'm learning all of this stuff, especially starting with the notion that Corps fh players were "stuck" using a conventional fh mouthpiece, like their single/double Concert "Cousins". I've been playing the latter now for about 2 years, and it has been very enjoyable playing this instrument.

[Mello Dude]

The equipment has improved. Now you have to tune to the contras in extreme weather (mostly due to size/length).

I will take your word for it. When I marched FH in Phantom in 86 they were a nightmare in extreme heat.

It can be done - hundreds of us have done so - some at high leg lift! The dimensions of the mouthpiece are not incredibly different than trumpet or mello.

It IS easier to march and play a mellophone. But is that really a good enough reason to dump the horn? For some, it is.

Possibly that and the mere fact most FH parts are written in the second octave of the horn making the partials closer than other horns.

I will grant you that a bell front french horn does sound different from a "real" french horn. But a player that is taught to play properly will sound just fine at higher volume levels - just like any other member of the brass section.

Sorry, I have never heard an AWESOME FH playing FF bell front that didn't have a completely different sound bouncing off the back wall. I should know having actually played in quite a few symphonic orchestras with some VERY good professional players. It's the nature of the beast.

The reason I am so passionate about this (besides the fact that I am a horn player) is that Horn players have to change for drum corps. You are pretty forced to either play on a different 'piece or use an adapter and get a muffled sound that is not a characteristic mello timbre if you want to do corps.

And that is not fair to horn players - especially those who are serious about the Horn and can't easily switch mouthpiece types.

Life isn't fair and I agree the FH adds a certain flavor to a horn line. What killed the FH more than anything was going to three valves. You didn't need the FH anymore to cover the notes and with 5 mello's could easilly cover the 10 FH parts.

[Vanguard Rich]

"Life isn't fair and I agree the FH adds a certain flavor to a horn line. What killed the FH more than anything was going to three valves. You didn't need the FH anymore to cover the notes and with 5 mello's could easilly cover the 10 FH parts".

I believe you said it all right here. I don't believe it's "just covering the notes"....."the FH adds a certain flavor to a horn line". IMHO, it's all about the "sound"!!!

[Bossop]

One of my buddies who marched in the IC Queensmen of Winchester swears this is true. In the late 50's or early 60's, a few of the corps members went to the corps manager and asked if the corps could buy some french horns. He responded, "If American horns aren't good enough for you- to hell with you!"

[Shadow_7]

The dimensions of the mouthpiece are not incredibly different than trumpet or mello.

I'm tending towards the Bach 10S french horn mouthpiece because it's a closer match rim wise to my other mouthpieces (mellophone / trumpet). Bach 10S - 16.7mm / Conn CKB 6 - 16.7mm / G&W Dave Hickman 16.8mm / Kanstul M6 - 16.2mm. Some of those are eyeballed so +/- 0.5mm depending on the eye, and if you measure from the cup edge, or the inner curvature of the rim. So yes they are very similar mouthpieces. YMMV

[ContraRich77]

French Horns are number one.

All other horns are number two, or lower.

[oldbaritone]

For you french horn aficionados there, there is a front page story about french horns in the Arts section of the New York Times today, Wednesday, August 13th.

There is also an interesting, informative, and funny article about whether or not Elgar's music should be played with vibrato (apparently, there are very intense pro and anti vibrato folks out there.

Dave Tichy

[Vanguard Rich]

For you french horn aficionados there, there is a front page story about french horns in the Arts section of the New York Times today, Wednesday, August 13th.

There is also an interesting, informative, and funny article about whether or not Elgar's music should be played with vibrato (apparently, there are very intense pro and anti vibrato folks out there.

Dave Tichy

Here's the lnk to this article, with fh music to boot: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/music/index.html

This one wierd fh concerto. The guy is all over the place. Really controlled & very well executed, but the composition leaves something to be desired IMHO.