Interview with Darin Sorley: The Making of a Horn Maker

The medal winners at the local Solo/Ensemble contest. Darin - top row, far right. Bruce top row, far left

Darin Sorley and I go way back to junior high school and I have embedded a few newspaper clippings in this article from that time as evidence that dates us both from the late 1970′s.

In another life, I would most likely have chosen from wish list of alternative careers, including: a travel journalist, high-fashion photographer, an international rock star or … a horn-maker. Seriously, whenever visiting a repair shop, a horn shop, a mouthpiece lathe, or (gasp!) a blacksmith exhibition I stand absolutely transfixed at the hands-on earthiness of it, and … I am curious and envious.

Fast forward to today and the topic-at-hand, and Darin is a well-known horn maker in the American Mid-west. I asked him some brief questions about horn-making, and here are his answers.

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When my old friend from South Wayne Junior High School, Bruce Hembd, asked me to write an article about horn building I was of course happy to do so.

The process of making a horn is too long and involved to put into the content of an article, so instead I decided to focus on some of the main questions I get from horn players about my trade and regarding the purchase of a custom horn.

How did you get involved in horn building?

This is probably the most asked question I receive. The simple answer is, by apprenticing with a known horn builder and learning the trade through a “hands-on” approach. Although that is the direction I took later in life, my actual curiosity for instrument building and repair began much earlier.

Bruce and I were lucky to attend a school together where we not only had great band directors, but also a repair room that was open to us. Under the guidance of my band director, Craig Reasoner, I learned how to take out a valve, find a leak on a flute and search out what had been stuffed into a tuba for the week. This, along with my passion for playing the horn helped lead me towards all of the things I do today.

Who are your inspirations and influences?

Bruce - far left, back row. Darin - middle right, back row.

Although I never met the man, Carl Geyer and his instruments have inspired me along the way. I have had the privilege of owning two Geyer horns during my lifetime. The first was made for David Krehbiel around 1959.

I later sold this horn back to Mr. Krehbiel 40 years after it was made for him for a “circle of life moment” for the horn. The second horn which I still own and was the basis for my horn design. This horn was made for my former teacher Philip Farkas in 1933 and is accompanied in my workshop by several pictures of Mr. Farkas with the horn. One of these pictures is a signed photo of Carl Geyer to Mr. Farkas.

A more direct influence, though, would have to be the natural horn builder Richard Seraphinoff. While working on my doctoral degree at Indiana University, I studied natural horn playing with Mr. Seraphinoff. It was a few years later that I approached him about learning some of the basics to horn building and he agreed to put up with me for a summer. Rick always has made himself available for my many questions throughout the years and I am truly grateful for the experience.

I remember speaking to horn builders well before I got into the business about their horns and how they could guarantee that the horn they were making for me would be as good as the one I had tried. This is also a question I get a lot as a horn builder and I have tried to explain it in different ways over the years, but just recently settled on something which I hope will seem clear.

So … do you play on your own Model GS1 horn?

I play on the very first horn that I made! I use it for every gig and it is a very good horn for me. Although the horn plays very well, I would not use it as a “show horn” because of the changes I have made to the newer horns.

Now, does #18 play as well as #1 even with all of the changes made? Yes! I think if you played any of my horns you would see certain similarities within them. I’m sure this is also true for other horn makers.

I think that horns made by the same person are like brothers and sisters in that although each one has its own personality they are still related.

What makes for a great horn?

There are many fine custom horn builders with each making an instrument that expresses the qualities they see as important to a great horn. If you are seeking out a new custom horn, I invite you to talk to various horn makers and the players performing on their instruments.

Find out the likes and dislikes from these players, but keep in mind that just because someone doesn’t like a particular instrument doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be good for you. You need to make the decision for “you” and only use your research as a guide to finding the right horn.

I remember my former teacher at Indiana University, Michael Hatfield, telling a story about his first Geyer horn. He said that he sold the horn after a few years because of a “bad note”. Well, many years later he came across that horn and decided to play some notes on it. The “bad note” was gone, but nothing had been changed on the horn!

Well, the moral of this story is that as horn players we sometimes get a mental block with regard to certain horns based upon a one time experience or by being influenced by others. So, make up your mind for yourself and put your trust in the horn maker to build an instrument that will let your talent shine through!

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In addition to horn building and repairing, Darin Sorley is an active horn player in and around the Indianapolis, Indiana area. He has performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

He is currently principal horn of the Richmond (IN) Symphony Orchestra and is the Conductor of the Indianapolis Chamber Winds (www.indyband.org). Darin has degrees from Butler University (BME), The Cleveland Institute of Music (MM in horn performance) and has completed coursework for the DM in Brass Pedagogy from Indiana University.

His teachers include: Philip Farkas, Michael Hatfield, Richard Seraphinoff (natural horn), Richard Solis and Jerry Montgomery.