Marching French Horns

[Piper]

Can anyone please explain to me why the Kanstul frenchies appear to have a deliberately designed stem bent upward near the mouthpeice? Is it unique to the Kanstul design or is there a specific reason for it?

Just curious.

[Robert Kirby]

So that frenchie players can have a downstream airflow without pointing their bells into the ground. As far as I recall, it is unique to

Kanstul.

Robert

[nukeme70]

So that frenchie players can have a downstream airflow without pointing their bells into the ground. As far as I recall, it is unique to

Kanstul.

Robert

Forgive my ignorance on all things small-bore, but why is this desirable? Since contra mouthpieces pretty much envelope the entire mouth, I've never had any issues with up or downstream playing, or even the option to do so...is this just a FH thing? I've known sop players that played head-down, jaw-out so that their horn would be level...is this the same type of deal?

[ambassadorhorn]

Can anyone please explain to me why the Kanstul frenchies appear to have a deliberately designed stem bent upward near the mouthpeice? Is it unique to the Kanstul design or is there a specific reason for it?

Just curious.

I remember seeing corps french horns designed this way even back in 1980 and I never understood why it was necessary. I was always able to play bell-front like the rest of the horn(brass) line without the need of an angled lead pipe. There were a few players who tilted their heads back when they played but they didn't seem to be in the majority.

[ereese]

I remember seeing corps french horns designed this way even back in 1980 and I never understood why it was necessary. I was always able to play bell-front like the rest of the horn(brass) line without the need of an angled lead pipe. There were a few players who tilted their heads back when they played but they didn't seem to be in the majority.

Paging Doctor Norman, doctor Kenny Norman.....

[Vanguard Rich]

Paging Doctor Norman, doctor Kenny Norman.....

I bet that Drs. Howard, Fine or Howard could answer this one. Looking at Kanstul contras/tubas, they also are the same way; bell angled slightly upward with the rest of the "plumbing" level when playing. Both Bb and G's.

[Shadow_7]

It's a down stream player thing AFAIK. I don't think I've ever met an upstream french horn player. On the small bores any sort of overbite is amplified. So the lead pipe is bent so the player can watch the drum major and see the field versus marching around with their shako perched horizontally, and yet still on the top of their heads. It's a marching thing. Without the bent leadpipe, the player might be playing with their head tilted so far back that they can't see the field or the drum major. Or having to periodically point the horn at the ground to check in for all purposes. Upstream players tend to play that way to facilitate the high end, and to make the horn a little more squirrelly to help with trills and flexibility. These playing traits are naturally a part of a french horn for a down stream player, and amplifying them is not normally desired. Given that a french horn is the same length tubing as a baritone (if in the same key as...), but plays on a small-ish trumpet sized rim mouthpiece. Plus the V shaped cup which makes it more squirrelly by default. As in small changes make big changes in what note / sound comes out of the horn. Plus that whole bore size and back pressure thing that probably makes upstream playing an impossibility on a french horn.

Edit: Not to mention the concert french horn with the hand in the bell thing.

Edited March 17, 2011 by Shadow_7

[84BDsop]

I remember seeing corps french horns designed this way even back in 1980 and I never understood why it was necessary. I was always able to play bell-front like the rest of the horn(brass) line without the need of an angled lead pipe.

Your avatar is proof of that, Sam.

There were a few players who tilted their heads back when they played but they didn't seem to be in the majority.

That's 'cause Lisa was SO #### SHORT, she had to tilt her head back to see anything!!

[HornsUp]

The "interpretation" of bell front a while ago used to be that the axis of the bell and the axis of the leadpipe had to be parallel.

But we can go back over 30 years, and find that the venerable King K-70 baritone had a built-in bell elevation of about 10-15 degrees.

And there have been others.

[Howdy]

I really miss the DCI marching french horns. Back in the day many corps had different parts for the mellos and marching f horns. Listen to vintage (78-82) Spirit of Atlanta french horns. Simply amazing.