misty.sj

Cleaning isn't too bad, you just have twice the number of valve slides to deal with (on a double horn). Stringing the rotary valves and getting proper valve button height is a pain in the rear.

They are large and delicate. Often the bells are really thin because they need to ring freely.

Because of the way that the horn is held up by the right hand, inside the bell, you can get RSI issues with your wrist. I'm sure there are similar weight issues with euphonium and tuba too, though I never played them.

French horns have a tiny mouthpiece for the size of the instrument. You need a lot of flexibility in your chops. And they don't slot as reliably as trumpets so it's a lot easier to hit a stinker of a note.

You have to learn more alternate fingerings than on trumpet, because some notes, especially toward the top of the range, are either out of tune or have bad characteristics when played with the standard brass fingerings.

You have to know how to transpose from anything to anything, including bass and alto clefs. You have to have a really good ear, because it's really easy to bend pitches. I think that has something to do with the conical bore -- am I wrong?

Also you get tired of lugging the damn thing around. I'm really loving being back to trumpet. It's so small!

__________________
--Misty
Hit it hard, and wish it well. -- Claude Gordon

1925(?) Conn Cavalier Bb (s/n 14142)
2007 Barrington Bb student trumpet