What is it about the Single B-flat Horn, and a Review of Introducing the Horn

Looking at the stats lately for this site one of the most active pages for weeks has been a page posted two months ago, A single B-flat horn FAQ. Why is that?

It could be a lack of other resources on the topic (as is certainly the case with all the mellophone searches that end up at this site) but I think there is more to it. I would like to believe that a newer generation of band directors and teachers have arrived that are more open to the instrument as an option for beginners.

In my own teaching the first time I saw a young student with a single B-flat was a private student I had in about 1989 who had been started on the horn by the late Louis Stout at Michigan. Prof. Stout was a big advocate of the single B-flat horn, and any player who has given one a serious try will know why; it is because the single B-flat is actually the easiest type of horn to play. And the single F is the hardest to play. In a back to back trial there is just no other conclusion that can be arrived at. The single B-flat is an excellent beginner instrument for the young, small horn student; it is light and responsive. As soon as possible I would however move the player to a double horn. If they are big enough to manage holding a double they should start on this instrument.

I give that as background as I do differ in my opinion on this topic with Phil Hooks, who reviewed my new publication Introducing the Horn in the October, 2008 issue of The Horn Call. While on the positive side Hooks wrote that the book is “well-illustrated and easy to read,” he later notes that

… John makes a strong case for the use of the single Bb horn for young beginners. I couldn’t advise our local school administration to begin purchasing single Bb horns for beginning students. I have never had a student show up with a single Bb horn, and other than some symphony players, I don’t know anyone who plays one. John also suggests starting students on the double horn from “Day One.” I could not recommend that schools purchase double horns for students at all levels.

A quick note on the context of his quote from the book is in order. If a student starts on trumpet or trombone they will stay on more or less the same instrument all the way to college. If possible it would be better to start horn players on the double horn so that they don’t need to switch to it later. The full sentence reads “Rather than making them learn a new type of horn with new fingerings, I would suggest starting students on the double horn from day one.”

Hooks would apparently start every beginner on the single F horn. That is a traditional approach, but I would encourage educators however to consider a more modern, practical approach. For me this was the bottom line as presented in the book:

Situations will vary from location to location; horn teachers and music educators should feel free to use their judgment as to what horn will work best in their own unique situation. However, in an ideal world, my recommendation would be that every student use some form of double horn, but if the student is too small to manage a double horn (i.e., a fourth grader), consider the use of the single Bb horn rather than the single F.

In terms of the reviewer and myself I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this point but I would especially welcome band directors that work with young hornists to read Introducing the Horn for yourselves, it is a publication geared to be a concise (22 page) handy resource on teaching and playing the horn, well illustrated and printed, available from Horn Notes Edition.