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Re: French Horn Hand Stopping

To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: French Horn Hand Stopping
From: Ed Forner <FORNER@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 18:01:22 -0600 (CST)
In-reply-to: "Your message dated Fri, 21 Feb 1997 14:55:44 +0000 (GMT)" <9702211455.AA05896@cambridge.simoco.com>
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

> >   I love the effect of French Horns being "Hand Stopped"
> >   
> >   The question is - When a French Horn is hand stopped, does the player
> >   transpose up a semitone or down a semitone?  Can they do either?  Does
> >   each get a different sound?  
> >   
> 
> When playing Hand Over Bell, the note is flattened, so the obvious answer is to 
> transpose up a semitone to compensate.  However, quite an experienced French 
> Horn player once told me that it should be transposed down, and swore by it.  
> So, I'm confused too!
> 
> Darren

Hand Over Bell is not stopping. Cover the bell and the pitch lowers, through
muffling, about a semitone. It also deadens and darkens the sound...muffles it.

Stopping is inserting the hand *into* the bell as far as you can, forming a
complete seal around the throat of the instrument. This *stops* the bell from
resonating past the point at which you form the seal. It is the same as
cutting that much of the bell off the instrument, and making the resonating
tube shorter. Shorter tube, higher fundamental. Ergo, the player transposes
*dowm* a semitone. If the original part were written in D horn, it would have
to be played in D-flat horn. 

You can test this effect by playing a stable tone and gradually inserting your
hand into the bell. As you play, the pitch will first lower, then it will
"click over" and go higher by the semitone. Almost as if someone had turned a
switch.

Happy Horning!



========================================================================
	Ed Forner			Macalester College
	Music Department		St. Paul, Minnesota 55105
				  ***
	e-mail: forner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx	voice/v-mail: 612 696 6189
			   Fax 612 696 6785
========================================================================


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References:
- Re: French Horn Hand Stopping
  - From: Dashman

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