Aesthetics from a Builders Perspective.
Aesthetics are important to consider when evaluating a horn. Since a player spends so much time with a horn, its important to have an instrument that excites you to take it out of the case. My aim is to build with simple, elegant aesthetic principals to maximize the natural beauty of the horn. I use clean lines and crisp bends to build a horn that projects confidence and professionalism.
An example of elegance and symmetry when bending parts can be seen here. The angles of the first branch and the long F branch going into opposite sides of the valves are similar; visually tying the two branches together. By using this technique throughout the horn, I can create a horn which is much more than the sum of parts
All of my braces are hand turned out of solid rod stock and brazed to the feet, creating solid, one-piece braces. They are structurally and artistically superior to braces made of a straight rod soldered to pre made feet. I make each brace individually to span a specific gap perfectly without introducing any unnecessary tension. They also look great when finished!
To design the main and F tuning loops with style requires a balance between using the available white space well, but accommodating the long lengths of tubing needed to bring the horn to pitch. I like to use 2/3 of the space inside the wrap for the long, graceful tuning slide loops to balance out the more technical, short lines in the valve cluster.
**A note about bending- Some claims have been made that "sharp" bends produce extra resistance. While fluid dynamics certainly can be used to suggest this, the horn does not operate acoustically in the same manner and this claim has been shown in multiple publications to be unsubstantiated. Since this style of bending requires a great deal of skill and time to accurately execute, many larger operations have passed these techniques by in favor of more expeditious ones.
-Jacob
December 14, 2016