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RE: alternative instrument for a horn player

To: "'brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: alternative instrument for a horn player
From: "Reilly, Nick" <nick.reilly@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 09:49:26 +0100
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Adrian Drover wrote:
> > 
> > On 16 Apr, "Reilly, Nick" <nick.reilly@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > 
> > > In many bands in North America and other parts of the world, a
french
> > > horn is considered an acceptable substitute for the Eb Tenor Horn.
> > 
> > Acceptable? The only advantage the tenor horn has over the french
horn is
> > agility 
-snip-
> > I seriously think it's time that British bands went over
> > to using french horns instead of tenors and baritones. Just think of
the
> > added colour and excitement that would create
> 
> Not sure if I agree with this or not. It would be different but would
it
> be better?? 

Oh dear, I've really stirred it up this time! :-)

I've played with Michelmersh Silver in the UK, who use Eb Tenor Horns,
and Woods Manufacturing in Canada who used French Horns and then started
migrating over to Eb Tenor Horns whilst I was there.

At Woods, the problem with the French Horns was trying to get them to
blend and balance, particularly in the louder passages where the sound
from them tends to get swamped. When the players swapped to Eb tenor
horns, everybody there agreed that it "warmed up" the tone from the
middle of the band.

I have nothing against French Horn players in Orchestral or other band
scenarios, but if you are going for a traditional British Brass Band
sound, they don't have the same timbre as an Eb Tenor Horn, and the
middle of the band sounds "thin" compared to a traditional
instrumentation. The same is true for the difference between Cornet and
Trumpet which has been voiced as a spin-off of this thread. Also, in
both Trumpet/Cornet and French/Tenor horn timbres, the mouthpiece
selection is important to the timbre of the instrument, playing a
trumpet mouthpiece on a cornet or a french horn mouthpiece on a tenor
horn gets you part way to the true timbre of the instrument, but you
will never sound like Black Dyke, Sun Life (as was), Grimethorpe etc.
without biting the bullet and going the whole hog.

These are just my opinions, which will probably get me flamed!

Nick.

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