Equipment Talk: Discussions, News, Views, Information About the Horn as an Instrument
Instruments & Equipment discussion in the IHS Forum section of the web site of the International Horn Society. This is a great place to read or discuss any aspect of equipment. Recent threads have been about leadpipes, mouthpieces, lacquer, valves, triple horns, intermediate level instruments, specific horn makes and models (e.g. Paxman 25A, Hoyer 5802CK).
Yahoo Hornlist
You are not alone. A horn list is a great way to have direct online contact with a lot of fans of the horn around the world. The Yahoo Hornlist has well over a thousand members (founded April 8, 1999). You may post messages, chat, and have access to Files, Photos, Database, and Links. If there’s anything you want information or an opinion on, this is a good place to go looking. You can also elect to receive daily e-mail summaries of the previous day’s posts. If you have a question about almost anything having to do with the horn, you can find an answer here.
The Horn List (Memphis)
“The purpose of the Horn Discussion Group is to provide a forum for electronic conversation about all things relating to the horn's playing technique, repertoire, ensembles, personalities, and so on. Sending a message to the list causes it to be distributed automatically to a subscribing membership of about 900 people worldwide. So questions get lots of answers, and issues get lots of responses. Like hornists themselves, the list is usually full of friendly banter and helpfulness with the occasional curmudgeon. All are welcome.”
Guide to Buying Your First French Horn - link to a discussion on an Australian music store web site of single vs double, compensating horns, wraps, bell flare, bell material, accessories.
Converting a Fixed Bell to a Detachable Bell - Osmun.com article on screw bell conversion - why, how, where, what kind, how much.
Choosing an All-Around Instrument - Frøydis Ree Wekre answers a question on the IHS Ask a Pro Forum
What Horn Best Suits Beginners? - article by John Ericson. See also his “New 3/4 Size Double Horn for Young Hornists”
Horn: Playing, Teaching and Manufacturing (pdf file) - clinic given at the 2007 Texas Bandmasters Association convention; includes a section on basic equipment issues.
Shopping for a Horn - Bob Ward, ditto
This Day in Tech: Blown Away by Horn With Valves - article in Wired magazine about the invention of the brass instrument valve.
Why was the Valve Invented? - article by John Ericson
Carved Wooden Horn - someone (“58scallop”) has carved a horn from curly maple and walnut wood. This is a YouTube video of the progress. Amazing!
Anderson Silver [& gold] Plating; GoldChops.com plating
The Little Descants - article by John Ericson on the two approaches to descant horn design
Descant and Triple Horns: Important Tools for High Horn Playing - article by John Ericson
Why Phil Meyers Plays a Schmid
Metal and Bell Sizes - article by Eldon Matlick (see under Editorials menu)
Hornplayer.net - Robin Moffatt’s extensive site has discussions about all kinds of things (see the Index), including equipment, and has a special feature on the Veneklasen horn.
Thomas "Thü" Hürlimann has come up with a Horn Beauty Contest, where, as a professional graphic designer, he discusses the factors that make a horn most esthetically pleasing and then picks the winners of this contest.
Dick Martz – Horn Collection - Dick Martz collects historical horns, and displays beautiful photos of his remarkable collection plus a lot of information on all kinds of horns, Stoeltzel valves, Vienna horns, many varieties of old piston valve horns, and many more, plus a great bibliography.
Horn-u-copia - Interesting site that aims to amass information about out-of-production brass instruments of all types, such as model names, serial numbers, historical characteristics. Contains a wealth of information and some marvelous photos, such as this one of an Alexander 5 valve horn:
Open forum format brings in a great deal of valuable commentary by experts. Example: article by musicologist Edmund Bowles on "The Impact of Technology on Musical Instruments." Good set of links, table of trade names, serial number list, instrument reviews, mouthpieces, workshop discussions, and huge catalog of horn makes and models with photos, such as:
