Fudleysmith

Hi Trumpetnick,

I do this every day. I play in four organized groups, two on trumpet and two on horn. 1st horn in a community orchestra, 3rd horn in a community band, lead trumpet in a big band, and salsa-style trumpet at our Hispanic Baptist church. Each group has at least one rehearsal per week, and usually among them all there are two or so performances per week.

The biggest issue for me is "setting" my ear for each instrument. when you see a written note, you want to hear it internally before you play it. That was my biggest hurdle to overcome. Initially, I would devote alternating days to each instrument, but I found that I have to play each instrument every day to keep my visual-to-aural linkage correct.

I take horn lessons weekly with a local pro, and take monthly lessons from a commercial trumpet player. The horn lessons are invaluable! Don't be fooled - as a trumpet player you will be able to pick up a horn and play higher and louder than many horn players, but it will likely NOT be a characteristic horn sound. My self-taught horn playing sounded much more like an alto horn or a baritone horn in the high register than a horn (cor).

Fingering was never a problem, left-handed for the horn and right-handed for the trumpet. The embouchure was tricky at first, until I internalized the feel of the correct horn mouthpiece placement. My teacher was indispensable for giving me feedback on connecting the proper mp placement and embouchure to the proper horn sound/timbre.

I used a thick-rimmed horn mouthpiece to start (Denis Wick #5) to keep the same feel as the trumpet mouthpiece. I'm unsure if that was a good idea. It allowed me to play the horn immediately, but I had to give it up to "divorce" my horn embouchure from the trumpet set. I now use a Lawson horn mp that is much more convential and forces a proper horn embouchure.

The two instruments can be complimentary, you absolutely cannot force or muscle a horn like a trumpet will allow you to (even though you shouldn't) and the trumpet literature will keep the high register from being scary on the horn, but it is a daunting schedule to keep facility in two demanding mistresses vice one.

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Fudleysmith

Conn V1 Rose brass bell
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GR 65FD

Conn 8DRS
Lawson S670/P10G 705

highbrass

I'm in consensus with Fudley in many areas of his post. I double on trumpet and horn as a freelancer, though not both on the same gig (yet). It is really important to realize the many differences in tone production, air, etc. in executing the playing for both instruments -- they are two different animals. For example, increasing the air speed does different things on the horn as opposed to trumpet. While I have never taken lessons on horn, I am a former band teacher and have learned enough about brass pedagogy to get through basic horn playing. I also keep myself educated by auditing masterclasses for both horn and trumpet. You do learn a lot when you are not worried about how you will sound or what kind of comments you will get when your turn comes up.

I've used various horn mouthpieces (Holton Farkas MDC, Moosewood, Schilke 31) and have recently decided to try the Laskey (since I liked the trumpet mouthpieces, I thought "why not horn?" ha ha) -- using the 75G. I always had a preference for flat/semi-flat and sharper rims on both trumpet and horn mouthpieces.

Some of the things that horn players deal with that trumpet players don't are things like the use of the right hand (for stopped horn, tone and intonation shading, etc.), bass-clef and other key transpositions in orchestral literature (commonly horn in C, D, E, Eb, etc.). There's also the issue of being a high-horn (horn 1 or 3) or low-horn player (horn 2 or 4). I usually end up on every part except 1st of course, since I'd be sightreading w/o rehearsal (and the group I sub with, like most groups, will move the fulltimers up one part). Although no matter which part you are on, there is always the need to be able to play in the lower register and make it part of your usable range. Oh yes, and then there's always the double horn thing (sometimes triple for some ambitious folks...I have no need for one) where you switch from F to Bb horn (Bb horn being the one with similar fingerings as trumpet). I'm told by countless horn players that if you need to work on the fundamental sound for horn, play a lot on the F horn side, because that's the characteristic sound. You'll never be bored -- there's so much to work on, but the horn has lots of gorgeous parts in band and orchestral literature!

And in regards to the last sentence in David's post about mellophones, many horn players do not like mellos. I've played one in college and it's horribly out of tune. There are many expressions of dislike (or outright vehement hatred as well as humorous) for the mellophone in horn discussion groups that I subscribe to (such as hornlist).

Overall, I feel that there is a symbiotic relation that can be had between the trumpet and horn. One just has to remember to keep on top of each instrument technically and musically. I just enjoy playing both because there's more opportunity to experience music that way.


Liz

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"I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it."

~from "The Shawshank Redemption"

Albert Castillo

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Albert A. Castillo

trumpetnick

Folks,

Thanks for all your suggestion. Can anybody tell me where to find a comparison (measurement) chart for Giardinelli and Holton french horn mouthpieces?

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Spada Bach B flat 72, leadpipe 2L/DWMM1.5C
Spada Bach C 256, leadpipe 2LQ/DWMM1.5C
1956 Olds Ambassador Cornet
Spada Custom Piccolo

If you don't know where you are going, you 'll end up someplace else

highbrass

Found this on Toru Ikeno's website:

http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~t_ikeno/mpc_chart.html

Hope this helps.


Liz

__________________
"I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it."

~from "The Shawshank Redemption"

Brekelefuw

Since 3rd year college, I have taken up sousaphone as my double. Because of it, I think I have a much better control of my air when I need to play long passages. It is also a nice chop massager because it vibrates my whole face.

rowuk

Nick
Try it next summer when the orchestra is on break. Give yourself a couple of weeks. If the switch back and forth works, you have perhaps more opportunities. Just don't ask here at TM what horn is best (I can hear the jokes coming....)

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

trumpetnick

Rowuk,

Switching for trumpet to french horn or opposite does not seems to be a problem (unless I have to play some mahler, bruckner or r. strauss pieces which are great chalenge anyway and my orchestra plays those almost never) Probably I should change the fr. horn mouthpiece as the rim seems to be too small for me. Concerning the horn I know very well what to choose but a new french horn is comming last in my purchase list....1st is the piccolo than a rotary and then eventually eflat trumpet and fr. horn....

__________________
Spada Bach B flat 72, leadpipe 2L/DWMM1.5C
Spada Bach C 256, leadpipe 2LQ/DWMM1.5C
1956 Olds Ambassador Cornet
Spada Custom Piccolo

If you don't know where you are going, you 'll end up someplace else

Albert Castillo

__________________
Albert A. Castillo