Hornmasters: Berv on Horns

March 7, 2010 by John Ericson 73691 Commenthttp://hornmatters.com/2010/03/hornmasters-berv-on-horns/Hornmasters%3A+Berv+on+Horns2010-03-07+14%3A32%3A06John+Ericson

For Harry Berv in A Creative Approach to the French Horn the double horn was the horn of choice.

In school systems, single F and Bb horns are available for students who do not intend to pursue performance on the horn as a career. But the student who intends to major in horn should start on a good instrument.

I strongly recomment [sic] the serious student purchase a double horn in F and Bb. If you purchase a single F or Bb horn, when the time comes to switch to the double horn, you will have to spend more money and learn a new fingering on the double horn. Purchasing a double horn at the outset gives a giant stride in your immediate general progress and future overall performance.

Berv has suggestions as to what to test on a horn, with tone, intonation, and resistance being major factors. About the latter he notes

When you blow through the horn, there should not be too much resistance. All registers—high, middle, and low—should be about equally resistant, so that you do not have to exert undue pressure on the embouchure, especially in the high register of the horn. If too much exertion is demanded in the upper register, it can cause the embouchure muscles to become strained and stiff, and they will not be able to respond quickly enough for the instant reflex changes required to cope with the horn’s range.

He is also concerned with finding a horn that is balanced well, fits the left hand, and puts the mouthpiece out at a comfortable angle. Berv concludes,

In my many years of playing, I have always tried to find a better horn, but many times I have had to make do with the horns available. In the final analysis, the problems on the horn can be overcome with patience, hard practice, a search for compensation, and sensitivity. The chosen horn must fit the individual’s taste in the end result. No matter how good a new horn or mouthpiece feels at first, it takes time to feel completely secure and at home on it. The horn is an extension of the player’s physical body and must be treated and played as such.