Hello,

My name is Chris and I'm in South Carolina. I played the cornet in junior high and high school and the french horn in high school..many years ago. I'd like to play the horn again. I don't want to and I'm not able to drop a thousand dollars on a good horn so I'd like to ask for suggestions please. Any of you guys came back after a long time of not playing? Did it take you long to get back in the groove?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Chris

At that price range I would keep your eyes open for an older Conn 6D, or an older King. Many of the older Kings sound great (and are VERY similar to the older Conns).

Hopefully Pokey and Valerie will see your post. Both of them picked p the horn again after years off and both are having fun and doing well.

CHRIS!

Welcome back to brass! I didn't play for 33 years. I came back 5 years ago and I'm having the time of my life! I feel like a high school kid again! I get excited about learning new music, and every upcoming concert. You're going to be delighted with the changes that have occured in the horn world lately.

In addition to John's suggestions for finding a horn, I'd recommend you look for used Holtons, perhaps a H378, H178, or a used Yamaha 668. Sometimes you can get one of those for a reasonable price.

Here's an example of a horn player making GREAT music on a used Holton 378 "intermediate horn" he borrowed from a local middle school. Darn good sound, for any horn, but especially for horn that's considered a student instrument.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHt5m6-SdlE

Feel free to visit my blogs.

Valerie Wells
The Balanced Embouchure Method
http://bebabe.wordpress.com/

I used a very old Don Getzen compensating double in high school just over a decade ago. It was stolen in early 2004. I've been very strapped for cash for several years now but I really wanted to play at least some horn. Just for fun I started looking on Ebay (not recommended unless your budget is _extremely_ tight!) and found a Conn 4D single F horn for only $150. I was very hesitant at the thought of using a single F, but eventually I decided to go for it since that's about the only option where you stand a chance of getting a reasonably good horn for cheap (in the absolute sense). I knew that really high notes would be out of the question, but moderately high notes (as in up to nominal F or G at the top of the staff) are still very usable on the F.

It turned out to be a pretty nice one. A couple soldering issues and the bell had obviously been bent back into shape, but had a nice sound and played very well all the way from the very bottom, up to the G three octaves above. Low notes were nice and strong, actually a bit easier than on my old Getzen!

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Of course, if you are willing to pay up around $500 or so, you CAN get a decent full double like the ones mentioned in the comments above. Again, using Ebay is risky and I probably wouldn't have done it for anything more expensive. Musical instrument stores are the safest bet but the prices on used instruments are rather high most of the time. If you know a professional or semi-pro hornist who's willing to test it out, you could look on Craigslist too.

My decision to go with the single F was a personal one, and there are times when I wonder if a single Bb might have been a better choice. (Interestingly, it used to be that most beginners started on the single F and then moved up to double later on, but nowadays the single Bb seems to be widely accepted as a good starter horn - and even many instructors who continue to prefer the single F now consider the Bb as a viable option. Of course, the most popular choice is to go straight for a double if money and weight are not obstacles.)

But if I'd had a bit more $$$ at the time, a quality used double like the 6D would almost certainly have been what I went for. And it sounds like it is well within your stated budget.

I think you made a good choice with the conn 4D. I bought a sinble Bb, Reynolds. It's a very nice little instrument, centers the tones quite well and the high notes are a breeze, but.... I don't think it would be a good choice compared to a single F. The intonation is tricky in the mid & low range on a single Bb, especially the second line G. For any horn player, this is a very important note to play well, and it would be very difficult for a beginner to have to struggle with. Whereas the F horn has better intonation in the registers most horn players need most often... the mid range.

And.... there's just nothing quite like the tone of an F horn. It's sooooo nice and rich. I'll bet you'll really enjoy this horn.

Valerie Wells
The Balanced Embouchure Method
http://bebabe.wordpress.com/
http://www.beforhorn.blogspot.com/

"Nothing like the tone of an F horn..."

Why not just use a double horn and play on the F side more often? Up to second line G you'd be on the F side anyway, and you could always extend up to E without much difficulty.

Or do single Fs sound better than the F side of a double?

I see lots of misconceptions here allow me to correct some of them.

Single Bb horns-
If a student is going to be begining on a single horn I prefer they play a single Bb. They are easier to get many of the notes and help separate the higher note's partials which help with learning. Although the 1st line G can be rather flat, there is no reason for it to be all that bad. If it is and you have a stop valve you can play it stop valve and 2nd to resolve that issue. You can also have a special insert installed in the slide to help correct this problem. But there are many good single Bb horns out there. Dennis Brain played on a single Bb for much if not most of his career.

Double Horns -
Does a single F sound better than a double horn. In a technical world assuming both horns are of the same quality made by the same craftsman the answer is yes. The double horn is a compromised instrument. In a perfect instrument the lengths, bores, and tapers of the leadpipe, bell, and tail are specifically proportioned for that instrument. Technically on a double horn the leadpipe and bell, lengths and tapers are shorter then they really should be for the F horn and longer than we would like for the Bb horn. But this compromise give us countless more options and opportunities.

Fingerings -
I think most people think there is a RULE or LAW that you have to play certain notes with certain fingerings. I think the best overal compromise or best use of fongerings is the one Valerie has suggested. Where she suggests changing to the Bb side at G# and up and the lower F (2nd linie bass clef) when going down. But there are very good players and teachers who teach using the Bb wide whenever possible. As a base understanding I have used for years the fingering that Valerie uses (and you can get that fingering chart from her). But I also teach my students alternate fingerings. When I play with students of Verne Reynolds I use the standard fingerings that I and Valerie teach. When I play with students of John Barrows I play almost everything on the Bb side. IF the Barrows studetn plays a double horn I play a double horn. If the Barrows student plays a compensator horn then I will play my Bb single. This helps me blend better with the other horn player which should result in more jobs through that contractor.

Thanks for the input, very informative. I'm still seaeching. The only local horn I've found is a Conn single F and I'm still looking. I think I'll hit a music shop this weekend. My brother-in-law teaches music up at the University of South Carolina so I sent him an email as well.

Thanks,

Chris

Chris.

I am from SC and am getting back into the horn too. I am currently stationed at Ft. Stewart, so we may have a few things in common. Have you found a horn yet? Where in SC are you located?

Hey Craig,

Honestly haven't had the chance to look for one lately, I was at Ft Leonard Wood for some training the last couple month and another school before that so been real busy. I live up in Charleston. What do you do at Stewart? What's your MOS?
Chris