I'm trying to formulate my music goals for 2010. I'm toying with several ideas: (1) buy & learn trombone (one of my loves from high school days!) (2) buy and learn to play a natural horn or, (3) buy & learn to play a small bell five valve Bb horn. [A Courtois Bb had been recommended. I'm wondering if it has the bell size that would adapt to natural horn playing.]

hmmmm..... decisions, decisions...

If any of you have feedback, opinions, discussion on the above, I'm all ears.

Valerie Wells
http://www.beforhorn.blogspot.com/

I love trombones! I don't play it, although my brother did for a while. If you do decide to play trombone, let me know what it does to your embouchure. I always used to have a bit of an experiment with my brother's trombone - until I realised that it was ruining the tone I had when I played horn...

A natural horn would also be interesting, and I suppose it would improve your usual horn playing amazingly.
I'm interested to know what you decide!

I think the trombone one! I want to learn trombone sooo bad! I'm such a band geek It's one of my many qualities LOL. One of my friend's that has graduated played one and it looked like SOOO MUCH FUN!!!

They all sound pretty good. I personally would go with the trombone because it's a lot of fun and you can really blast it on a student Bb horn. Plus, you could probably find one for really cheap at a garage sale or on ebay, so you could do that and yet another one of your three listed possibilities.

That's a very large span of choices.

Initially I would suggest you go with the Bb Cortois. I think every horn player should know how to play a Bb single horn. But, then knowing you a little I thin you wouuld have a b last on the Trombone. You really would. And that being said, I see you throwing out that natural horn topic again and again.

Facts: The Bb cortois will NOT have a natural horn bell size. You need to get an old Cortois like mine, which does have the same size bell as the natural horns.

Advice:: How much of a challenge do you want? I think you should go for the trombone as your first pick. You'll porbably get tha tunder your belt in three months. Then have fun with it and if the natural horn is still haunting you I think you should do that next year. You will have fun doing the natural horn thing.

Regarding a 5 valve Bb horn - there are so many options on single Bb's. I don't care for the pinky valve and quite honestly there are so few notes you are missing that you would rarely need to use it. When you get your Bb, go for a good 1st/3rd horn, and then if you find yourself playing 2nd/4th use your Merker, not a Bb. (There's nothing wrong with using 2 horns, clarinet players, trumpet players do it all the time).

Speaking of a 5-valve horn maybe a Hans Hoyer
model 706 is something for you ? Here in
Europe this brand is very popular and not to expensive. A good used 706 ( at a musicstore !! )
comes about $ 750.

Beïng not so experienced on other brass instruments I'm wondering if playing the trombone is gonna hurt the embouchure for the
French Horn ?

Anyway; succes with your goals and all the best for 2010 !!

blewit - for me, just playing around (for ten minutes at a time!!) on my bro's trombone was enough to ruin my tone on the f horn.
This is just me though -- I'm curious if this has happened to anyone else?

I LOVE all the enthusiastic responses I've receieved. I read them while on vacation, but couldn't reply as I didn't have access to my 8 notes password.

I have a theory that switching between brass instruments successfully is a matter of conditioning and training, but my theory remains to be proven where low brass in concerned. I play trumpet from time to time w/o any adverse effects, but I don't know about trombone. James Morrison does it w/o problems (but, of course, I'm no James Morrison!)

A friend recommended I try a rental trombone for a month or two before making a purchase. Good advice.

What will probably make the decision for me will be what I find first. It's looking darn good for horn as I've located a very interesting natural horn for a good price. Hmm... hard to resist. I'll fill you all in when I make a decision.

Valerie Wells
http://bebabe.wordpress.com/

What

Val,
If you end up getting the natural horn then get this book to help with your studies.

F. Duvernoy. Method for Horn (Thompson Edition)


-John

John! You're one step ahead of me. That was my next question. I've decided to buy an inexpensive converted single F horn with crooks for the basic solo keys (valvectomy from Leonard Brown). Since I don't know if I'll enjoy studying natural horn, I thought it would be a good starting place. If I find I really enjoy it, then I'll consider buying one of his more up-scale models next year. He's working on a super-duper model that has the capacity to play ALL the keys w/o having tons of cumbersom coils building up around the lead pipe. His will be designed to have the crooks added to the middle of the horn. Imagine that? Anyway, thanks for the recommendation of the natural horn method book.

Valerie Wells
http://bebabe.wordpress.com/

Natural horn! I hope to try that later on in life, probably after I've completed my education. But for right now, at least for me, trombone isn't that amazing. Unfortunately, I might be playing trombone more than horn this semester, and I hate when that happens because I love the horn so much. Every second I spend on trombone is just another when I'm not playing horn. That's just me, though. I'm sure whichever you decide on will be an exciting new adventure!