r/horn

Hello! I’m a fairly new horn player, last year i joined an orchestra at my university and started playing on a burrowed and frankly horrifying double horn donated by an older member, and recently bought a a single horn of my own second hand.

This horn had been completely unplayed for about a year, so i bought it knowing it needed some maintenance. I’ve gotten the first and third valve working, but the second is genuinely completely stuck. Most guides and tricks I’ve seen talk about inserting some rotor oil and slowly wiggling the mechanism but I can’t get it moving at all. I’ve tried rinsing it (with soap and without) and also grabbing the mechanism itself and twisting but genuinely nothing works.

What should I do? Just keep rinsing, oiling and twisting hoping I get the (probable) deposits gone? Some stronger chemicals? Cleaning alcohol? Benzene? WD-40? I’d really like to avoid going to a repair shop since there isn’t one in my city and those I’ve found elsewhere cost (the equivalent of) $300 for a cleaning, which is 60% of what I bought it for and would total higher than the price of a new one.

Thanks agin to this community for patiently asking my questions as a tuba player who is beginning to fool around with horn. I am wondering why the "standard" fingering are the way they are when it seems to me that using fingering from lower octaves might make a lot os sense

For example written D5-G5 using standard fingerings you move between the 9th and 12th partials

D5 0 -9th, Eb 2 -10th, E 0 -10th, F 1 12th F# 2 12th, G 0 12th..

However that whole chromatic range is available in the 12th partial as starting on 1+3

To me that makes for much easier chromatic passages in this register.. and it is something I do occasionally on tuba in the high range for both intonation and facility especially in exposed legato playing. Especiialy when pushing the range on BBb tuba on pieces that I really should be using my Eb or F on. It is often easier than making sure I am on dead on hitting the right partial.

I am sure there is a very natural reason... I am just trying to make sense of this wierd skinny F-tuba with a tiny mouthpiece in front of me.

I've never gotten a clear answer from anyone on this. Does it technically change the resonance of the bell or anything? I don't notice any particular dampening on natural horns with painted bells compared to unpainted.

Thanks in advance for any information on this

Hornbarf /hornbarf/ - a crazy explosion of really wrong notes at the worst possible time.

“Everyone heard my hornbarf echoing off the rafters of my church”

“ I still don’t know what happened….must’ve been a hornbarf”

I started my first year of undergrad as a horn performance major this fall. Currently, I use a Kruspe wrap Holton from the 70’s with a custom lead pipe and bell. I got very lucky, and a friend of my private teacher was selling her horn at the same time I was looking for one. It‘s a very nice sounding horn, and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on it. However, I realize that Geyer horns are much more prevalent in American orchestras than Kruspe. Because of that, at some point I plan on getting myself a Geyer wrap horn. What I’m wondering is how necessary is it. I plan on using my current horn as long as possible. My current professor says that it will probably get me through college. But, I‘ve also heard that it’s really hard to get gigs with a Kruspe horn. Exactly how true is that? I’m just wondering when would be the best time to go shopping/trying out for Geyer horns. Thanks in advance!

I’ve recently had some embouchure issues and pain and mg band director and I decided it’s because I’m playing opposite to how I should.

I can only get a sound out with 1/3 upper lip and 2/3 lower. I’m playing in the red and also using the inside of my lip by rotating in the mouthpiece. It is damaging my face to play this way.

I will continue to work with my teacher of course, but I wanted to see if anyone had suggestions as to get my sound out with e better mouthpiece placement.

Using the correct 2/3 upper and 1/3 lower. I have a very difficult time getting a response. When I can, it’s low range only with a very airy pinched tone.

I’d love to hear any MP placement suggestions anyone has. Just to try to see what works and what dosent

I’m currently playing on a Hilton-farkus model MDC and I’m curios on what mouth Pieces I should look into!

Off-the-leg Horn player here (I guess most are from the other posts I've read). I suffer from De Quervain's tenosynovitis in my right bell-holding hand. I've already had one steroid shot this year, which did help greatly for about 6 months but the pain is back.

I'm wondering if installing a duck's foot would help redistribute the weight to give my right hand some relief?

If nothing else, does it help your playing or look cool in front of your friends? Any regrets if you got one?

Hello good evening...

I want to clean my instrument, but I don't know how... And there aren't any tutorial videos about it.

There are no luthiers in my town, so I was thinking of removing the rotors myself and cleaning it... But I don't know how to do it

My 15 year old sophomore has been playing French Horn since elementary school. He is currently playing a vintage King Horn that was likely purchased in the early 1960's. It was bought for my aunt who played through college, passed to my uncle who played through high school, I played it throughout my school years, and my son is now playing it. It has been maintained and serviced periodically since my ownership of the instrument began in the early 90's. It sat for about 20 years after my uncle stopped playing before I picked it up, and it sat again for about 23 years before my son picked it up. It has the usual dents and dings from youth use.

I would guess that he will not be making music a career but playing will likely remain a hobby. I do not anticipate that he will major in music in college as he's interested in electrical engineering and competes at a National level in a sport. His music teacher has never recommended that he upgrade, but my son has always expressed an interest in a newer horn. Is it worth pursuing an upgrade? I am in the Seattle area and don't know of anywhere to buy a horn short of Ted Brown. I would likely keep the existing horn as a family piece rather than trading it in.

My Daughter has been in band for 3 years now and we are looking to buy her own for an Intermediate(or proffesionnal) Alto Sax that is reasonable. We will buy a used certified. I did some research but I'm not a music person so looking for some feedback. I know most people will say Yamaha but we have have not tried them yet beside the YAS26 she has from school. We are opened to other brand. Range in the $3k CAN but right now I'm looking at used Lebravo that are around $2K so I'm thinking that is all she need for couple years, although we would spend more for a better horn.

She tried the Jupiter JAS1150, Selmer SAS180RVGL and the P. Mauriat Le Bravo. She really like the Le Bravo, she mentioned how the keys felt easy to press.

The one I think we are considering from my research; Yamaha YAS280/480 or 62 if we can find a good used one(hard to find). Lebravo, Jupiter 1150 lineup or Selmer SAS180RM.....etc

Edit: She wont be using it for Marching band or school as she has a rental, this one will stay at home

Hello! I’m a sophomore in high-school and I have honor band audition season coming up soon, and I genuinely think Morceu de Concert is gonna be the death of me. 😢Specifically part two mvt 3 with the low C up to F. I can play all the notes individually fine, but to play the C I have to set my jaw/face in general so low that I can‘t “reach” the notes past an octave up. This part ruins the entire rest of mvt 3 so I just need to be able to get it right. It’s genuinely terrible no matter how much I practice and I have one week left before my recording audition. I have some time before my live audition though and I think in my brain I’ve just registered it as impossible. Please help!

So im looking into buying my own horn finally and my college horn instructor reccomended i look for a lettered Con 8D from before the 2000's where might i be able to find some?