On Vienna horns and the important topic of wires
Something you might have noticed is that in Horn Matters (and elsewhere) I have rarely written about the Vienna horn. A perennially popular topic in our horn world, I have instead focused my own single...
View ArticleKruspe Dreaming, part I: A Concert on a Kruspe
In several posts I have talked about how just before the pandemic I was able to obtain a low milage 1948 Kruspe horn. This is not just a Kruspe-style horn, it is an actual Kruspe made by the firm that...
View ArticleKruspe Dreaming II: The Tuckwell Kruspe
Years ago, I remember one of my teachers saying that Tuckwell sounded better on his Kruspe. By the time I heard him play live he was on his modified Holton 180, which was I believe the main horn you...
View ArticleKruspe Dreaming, III: A Very Big (and Early) Kruspe
In this series I’ve focused on my ca. 1948 Kruspe, but I have also been able to spend some time with another, older Kruspe Horner model. This example is from I would guess around WWI. One of the most...
View ArticleGeyer Dreaming IV: The Custom Horn Maker, and a Closer Look at Geyer 223
One question I have heard in relation to custom horn makers is this; are they just assembling parts? What makes them better than just buying a factory horn? Horn assembler, or horn maker? Typically,...
View ArticleMusings on Oiling Rotary Valves, and Brief Review: JM Lubricants
A new lubricant line for horn players to consider is the line of products by JM Lubricants. Manufactured by J. Meinlschmidt GmbH, a company that has produced rotary valves since 1866, the line has a...
View ArticleA Word on “Brushed Finish” Horns
A type of finish that has been showing up on some of the used horn postings you see is what they call a “brushed finish.” A potential “hot button” topic that I don’t believe has been much commented...
View Article“Each instrument has a different personality,” or, different horns are in...
There is a big amorphous topic that is rarely discussed related to horns and repertoire. Over the years it has become more and more clear to me that different music feels better and worse on different...
View ArticleGeyer Update: Engravings, Serial Numbers, and More
I could also have titled this article “Things I got wrong” in the Geyer Dreaming series (which starts here), or the related article published in the February 2024 issue of The Horn Call. An Email from...
View ArticleFundamentals 7. Slurring: various intervals, various dynamics, register changes
Slurring can be a problem, even a major problem. The question you should be asking is this — is the problem you, or is it your horn? Slurring fact: The issue may be your equipment I do realize that to...
View ArticleFundamentals 16. Muted horn: tonal control, responses, projection, noiseless...
Mutes?!? It is very interesting to me that Douglas Hill included in his list of fundamentals (found in his Collected Thoughts book) a special place for muted horn. Is it hard? Did it used to be? I tend...
View ArticleDoes your horn spark joy?
Very recently I went through a round of testing various horns in a nice space. One had come in that I was testing for a former student, and I was pondering also the topic of possibly selling a horn or...
View ArticleThe Little Descants
This article was originally posted (in a somewhat hidden location) in Horn Articles Online, as bonus content to my 2007 high horn book. While Horn Articles Online is now gone, it’s still an interesting...
View ArticleReverse tuning slides and the horn
I had a vague idea that there was such a thing as a “reverse leadpipe” on the trumpet, but had never really given it much thought. But a student made a comment about a horn having a reverse leadpipe,...
View ArticleBig News from 1897: The Invention of the Double Horn, the “Horn of the Future”
For generations of horn players now the double horn has always been there, has always been the standard instrument we play. It’s interesting, however, to think about that time before the double horn,...
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