Archived under: General | Beginners, Single horns, Stories, Teachers
Size Matters; Big Horns, Little Hands
From the family archive.
A sister-in-law of mine once played French horn as a child. We like to swap stories now and then about her adventures in music.
This old photo of her illustrates the dichotomy between the size of most children and the size of a standard French horn. Fortunately for my sister-in-law, she had fairly long arms as a child and so holding the horn was not too much of an issue.
For most kids though, the horn is a cumbersome thing to hold. Many of them quit simply because they cannot hold onto it comfortably.
This is the time of year when the school year begins and when elementary school band begins. I have written two blog posts geared specifically beginners holding onto their horns.
- The Cradle and the Crutch
Two alternative hand positions - Get a Grip
Simple adjustments that can be made to make holding the horn easier.
Over at the Horn Notes Blog, John Ericson has issued a “Horn Dare” — beginners would do better to start on single B-flat horns, or on 3/4 sized horns.
I could not agree more.
Related to this article
- Review: A New 3/4 Size Double Horn for Young Hornists
At AMEA in January I saw a new double horn that should be a model that generates some interest out there, the Nirschl D-500 3/4 size double horn. This illustration is linked from their website. It is a compact double horn with an 11 inch bell... - Horns I’ve Played
Julia Rose has had the last three days an interesting series in her blog on her evolution in terms of equipment. I have played a lot of horns. I switched to the horn in high school and first played a school 6D and then an 8D.... - What Horn Best Suits Beginners?
The standard line for many teachers is single F horn is the best for beginners, traditional tone, etc. Is this pedagogical approach stuck in the 1950s? For some years I have said that a light double horn is best, if the player can manage to hold... - A Horn at Home, a Horn at School
For beginners and old pros alike, dragging around your horn may be a bit of a bother. I am very aware of the low numbers of horns in Arizona and this year I have a number of projects underway to try to impact this including directly... - Triple Horns are Taking Over
Every month I am sure triple horn history is being made in the USA; at the professional level triples are being used more and more. This week in January of 2007 marked a new milestone in triple horn use in Phoenix; four of the seven horns... - Playing it on the Right Horn, or, How Many Horns do you Really Need?
There are really two approaches to the question of how many horns you need, at least as an advanced horn player. One approach is that you have one horn and mouthpiece that you use for everything. I started out there. I think all horn players do.... - A Fingering Chart for Single F, Double, and Single B-flat Horns
I know from the blog stats that people are looking for fingering charts for the horn. Typically horn fingering charts are somewhat confusing as they combine fingerings for F and B-flat horns without presenting clearly a preferred set for the double horn. In response to this need...
Mini-Review: Brass Instruments from the MIM Collection
The Next Big Step for Horn Matters
Phoenix Symphony Waterloo
Random Monday: Winded, Shaken and Mahlered
Mellophone and Mellophonium Updates
