This covers most things. I make adjustments according to what I hear and how it feels. I also play whatever I happen to be working on (or whatever happens to be on the stand) to make sure that it is overall an easy and enjoyable horn to play.

I’ve heard ascending Bb horns called the “poor man’s descant” but the fact of the matter is, if you look at what each horn does well, single Bb horns with ascending valves are lighter than descants and can play things like Beethoven and Mozart with a lightness and depth of sound that just isn’t readily available on the high f side. Of course, you can’t beat a descant when it comes to Bach Cantatas!

Basically, an ascending valve is one that remains open during normal horn operation, adding its length of tubing to the overall length of the Bb horn. When the valve is turned, it shuts off air flow to that section of tubing, shortening the horn and effectively raising the pitch one whole step. Here is a diagram of the air flow in my 4 valve Bb that I made with some incredible Adobe skills…

Short list of benefits of a Bb ascending horn

• Easy high range. The addition of the ascending valve (taking the horn to C alto) allows you to play high Ab, A, Bb, and B on a shorter horn than is possible on a standard double. Using shorter horns gives a more stable and quicker responding note making it feel effortless.
• More in tune. From about A below middle C, no note is played farther away than one whole step from an open partial on the Bb horn. This means a more even sound and better tuning because you aren’t using many 12 or 23 fingerings.
• Full length leadpipe. With most descants, the high f side must have a very short leadpipe giving a sound that is more bugle than horn like. My single Bb horn gives all the lightness and ease of the descant but has the full 20 inch leadpipe. This ensures that the acoustics are sound and that not only does the high range feel good, it sounds good and is in tune.
• Much cheaper than a descant. Alex descant: $8800. Schmid descant: $9000 Lawson USED descant (from HP.net): $11000. Medlin single Bb with ascending 4th valve (interchangeable with low f and stopping valves of course): $5000. 

I had these at the Southeast Horn Workshop and will now offer them for sale on my website. These pipes simulate your leadpipe, minus the rest of the horn (just the pipe!) to give your chops the resistance that they need to form a correct embouchure.

As many teachers will tell you, free buzzing or buzzing on the mouthpiece alone does not give you the same embouchure as playing on the horn (one teacher I read said only about 60% the same). To get a similar experience to the horn, you need to add a bit of resistance which is why many teachers suggest a BERP. My just-a-pipe uses acoustic reflections to provide resistance instead of simple air resistance like the BERP’s use. Reflection is what occurs inside the  horn so my pipe gives you the correct amount of resistance, but also the same type!

Visit the Just-A-Pipe! page to order!

If you want to skip ahead to the horn music, here is the link to bookmark- http://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_Compositions_Featuring_the_Horn. Make sure to grab the Kopprasch high horn etudes (op.5) while you’re there, they can be difficult to find otherwise.

The short version is that I got my decaf and caffeinated coffee bags in the freezer mixed up and treated myself to a heavily caffeinated mocha that evening. Being an avid mind-body enthusiast, I was trying to meditate my way to sleep and having a very difficult time. A meditation that I use on sleepless nights is a very simple one I picked up a few years ago, the steps are:

• Pick a body part (ankle, right calf, etc)
• Inhale into that part (figuratively of course)
• Exhale all traces of tension in that part
• Pick a new part and repeat

All was normal until I reached a part just above my chest, under the clavicle bone (usually, I would be asleep by this time). On the exhale of tension, my breathing became effortless! Upon waking the next morning, I ran to find my horn and played the most beautiful note I’ve ever played. After a few weeks of experimenting, I have decided the following:

1. “Throat” tension may not come from the throat at all, but perhaps from the upper chest area.
2. Combating upper chest tension naturally causes deeper (lower in the abdomen) breathing.
3. This is not the same as choking notes using the glottis however it is very difficult to use the glottis when consciously relaxing the upper chest.

This is a very exciting realization for me. For many years I have heard “open your throat!”, only to lose all focus of sound and clarity in the high range when attempting to force open (where I thought was) my throat. Possibly, the big focused wonderful horn sound comes not from a deliberate openness in the throat (relaxed, yes) , but a conscious effort to relax the upper chest. I’m sure doctors and Yogi gurus would have much more convincing explanations…

Next time you hear “keep that throat open!” try “keep that chest open!”