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RE: F Horn in brass bands or the "F" word

To: "'brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: F Horn in brass bands or the "F" word
From: "G. Young" <gyoung@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 20:53:19 -0400
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-----Original Message-----
From:	brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [SMTP:brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent:	May 17, 1998 4:36 AM
To:	brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject:	RE: F Horn in brass bands or the "F" word

Another factor that I haven't heard discussed regarding the F-Horn in a
brassband is the technical difficulty of the horn parts vs. the
abilities of each kind of horn.  Remember that the F-Horn is playing,
essentially, an octave higher than the Eb with regards to the harmonics
of the horn and blowing an air column nearly twice as long.  The first
factor puts the harmonics so much closer together that it's really
really (REALLY) hard to hit them accurately and reliably.  The second
factor simply makes it hard to get around a lot of notes quickly because
of the increased inertial mass of that longer column of air.

The only bands I have heard using French Horns 
suck canal water big time.

One was an American professional band that 
Sounded like a symphonic brass ensemble. That's a good thing
 If that is what you want but the balance was terrible.
The bells of the horn face the wrong way and the blend of 
Flugel to Tenor horn to baritone to Ephonium was absent.

In  a  word brutal.

The other was an amateur band with blatty sounding cornets
Doing a real poor imitation of a trumpet. The band played loud and coarse
And you couldn't hear the horns at all which was probably a good thing.

If you want to have a symphonic brass choir then use what ever you want
But if you want a Brass Band then it has a format that works well.
You do not use electric guitar in a string quartet and you do not 
Use a trumpet or a French horn in a Brass Band. It's bad enough that
They have to be used in orchestras. 

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