The extra weight is not very noticeable and the pipe is much more rugged for hiking or roller skating or cage fighting while having it in your pants pocket. I think it’s a good move.

In other news, new pictures of the single Bb horn are on the way, per request of Mark Taylor!

I thought I would share a few tips to keep your horn playing consistently from day to day and some possible tweaks you can do to change the sound in certain situations.

1. If you have a screw bell, make sure that you twist it on ALL THE WAY, all the time. Many times a bell has an extra 1/8 in farther to go once it stops on its own but you do need to turn it all the way. It may help to make a mark where bell and tail ought to line up so you can hit it each time you put the horn together. If the bell is not making solid contact with the horn, the horn will sound brighter and feel less stable than it actually it.
2. Same thing with the mouthpiece, make sure that you are putting it in the same way each time. Try not to put an excessive twist to crank the mouthpiece in. It may help to make a mark on the mouthpiece to make sure that the depth and the orientation is the same. One problem with horn construction is that over time the mouthpiece tends to rub inside the mouthpiece receiver and work its way deeper into the leadpipe. This will cause the horn to take on a “fluffy” quality (thats the only way I can think to describe it). If this is happening to you, put a very small piece of masking tape around the mouthpiece and see what happens.
3. Make sure that all the valve caps are tightened. A loose valve cap can change the quality of the sound and make things brighter. This can be used to your advantage if you are playing loud and want a brighter sound or if you need to play a high Bb at triple forte and feel like the horn is too tight to allow all the air to go through. Try experimenting with loosening a valve cap slightly and see what new sounds or techniques open up for you!

These are all very subtle things, but when you add them all together, they make a difference. While I’m sure there is a good scientific theory, I am more concerned with empirical testing to find out the real world effects and applications. Give these a try and let me know what you come up with!

The horn is in amazing condition and I took some very good measurements of the leadpipe that I hope to discover some things about. Its a magnificent specimen and a very nice playing old horn.

Hi Jacob,

Just stumbled on your website and enjoy reading your philosophies and about your horns. I’m curious about the Yamaha horn… What prompted you to open the venturi? I always thought Yamaha horns had already just about the largest venturis around. And the solder joints. Do they increase the perceived blow resistance of the instrument?

Like a lot of horn players, I’m curious about horn design, having tried many leadpipes/horns/mouthpieces, but haven’t been able to make sense of it all yet!

Greetings from NYC,
Aleks

Hi Aleks,

Since the answer is book length, I’ll just share with you what I think about horns in regard to those parts (long solders, leadpipe)!

I’ve played many horns that have uneven registers. By this I mean that as you go higher in the range, the horn “tightens up” and loses the ring in the sound. This causes squirrelly high notes and makes the upper range very hard to play (high Bb anyone?). I believe that the reason this happens in Geyer style horns is that the leadpipe venturi is too small. But, opening up the leadpipe sometimes turns the horn into a dump truck to play (very hard to be agile and direct with the sound). Many horn makers err on the side of a too small venturi and leave it up to the player to get around the problems in the upper range.

The second part of the equation is the long solder joints. The more that the horn is soldered together, the more energy it takes to vibrate the instrument. This gives the feeling of resistance without the unfortunate “backing up” of air that accompanies trying to fit a large amount of air through a small hole.

So! What we have are two sets of generalizations;

Large venturi= pro-More even horn, easier high range, con-not enough resistance to push against and loss of endurance/ focus in sound
Small venturi= pro- focused sound, quick response, con- very tight in the high range, slurs and too close together (intonation issues),

Braces= quick response, lots of ring in sound, no focus, pops in slurs
Soldered= slower response, more resistance, extra focus in sound, liquid creamy slurs

I pair a large venturi with long solder joints to get the best of every world. Nice easy high range with good intonation but still resistant and focused enough to push against and not get tired (or to play really loud).

CAVEAT! Everything must be BALANCED! Longer solder joints are not always better. It is the right venturi paired with the right solder lengths that make the horn sing. So don’t go at your horn with a torch and some solder and yell at me later…

Some hornplayers have asked recently about pinky hooks, hand straps and my recommendation. Normally, I stay out of these kinds of endorsements, but in this case I have a very passionate opinion.

At issue are methods of holding the horn up with the left hand. There are 4 methods of doing this. (5 if you count Pip Eastop’s Pip Stick, which is a brilliant contraption but does not involve the left hand directly.)

1. Pinky hook
2. Pinky hook and velcro loop strap
3. Flipper
4. Strap soldered to the horn (removing pinky hook)

A soldered strap is the easiest and most ergonomical way to hold the horn!

Read a scientific explaination of how flexor muscles in the middle, ring, and pinky fingers work. Basically, the last three fingers of your hand share a flexor muscle. If you restrict the movement of the pinky finger by putting it under a hook and using it to support all 5+ pounds of horn, you also restrict the motion of the ring and middle fingers as well.

A soldered strap allows the middle and ring fingers to work the valves at a faster speed!

Using a strap soldered to the horn and removing the pinky hook allows the last three fingers to move together with more freedom. Imagine playing Weber’s Concertino, with all of its speedy T2- T12- T23 fingering combinations. Having the ring finger move even 5% quicker can make a huge difference in playing that piece!

A good strap needs to (in my opinion):

• Be fully leather instead of leather/ nylon so that sweat and moisture will not pentrate the surface, mildew, and stink.
• Be adjustable so that you have options about where to solder.
• Have a FULL WRAP-AROUND handguard that protects the horn and does not twist as your hand position changes.
• Be made of high quality leather that will not stretch over time.

I’ve had many different kinds of straps on my horns over the years and the Clebsch strap is the best strap I’ve found. It is made with very high quality leather that will not rip or streach (I’ve moved my current strap to 3 different horns and its still going strong).

I passionately believe that a soldered stap is the best way to hold the horn with the left hand. It gives unparalleled advantages in fingering speed and overall comfort. The Clebsch strap is the best strap I’ve used and I’m happy to offer this option on all of my horns at no extra cost!

This has had to be a side project because I am readying a new double horn to sell at the IHS workshop. It still needs its descending tuning slide and an F extension. As you can see, the sideways tuning slide allows for the full length mouthpipe and the descending tuning slide will go from the mouthpipe to the topmost outer slide. I hope to have it done in the next few weeks!

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. 

The Mid-South Horn Workshop in Memphis is next for me, I am going to update a few features on the prototype and present it again in two weeks. Also, I plan to sample Tennessee barbecue and have a nice vacation. Please email me if you consider yourself a snob when it comes to BBQ and suggest a place to eat! Hope to see you there!

I now have the first professional endorser of my horns! Andrew McAfee, the recently retired principal horn of the North Carolina Symphony has some wonderful things to say about the horn, which I’ll post later. If you are interested in hearing from him, email him! amcafeerr AT nc.rr.com

It’s a tricky thing, making a short horn and still having a tuning slide, but I think that having a horn with an ascending 4th valve would really be a fun thing to play. No decision yet as to whether or not it should be reversable into a traditional Bb too.

Of course I have to say that it’s for sale and you can play it at the Southeast horn workshop and buy it, but the artistry of the thing is what I’m enjoying right now. I’ll post a picture of the drawing when its done and maybe some updates along the way.