If money is no object, this is how I would prioritize horn selection: 1. Sound 2. Accuracy 3. Flexibility 4. Ease of Maintenence/Condition 5. Re-sale value
I'm young but I have a decent job, and so I've thankfully been able to try out perhaps a dozen horns in the last two years. Of those one was a Schmid double). 1. I have found that for me, the sound I want to have (and what you might want to have) is usually very personal. Some people sound completely different on the same horn, so find a horn that not only sounds good to you, but sounds good to others. 2. I know on some horns some notes are easier to miss than others. Accuracy is important. As my old orchestration teacher used to say, those that don't miss are the money players. But, you've got to have the sound they want first, then don't miss. 3. Is the horn flexible? Does it provide a good low register as well as a good high register? Is it flexible enough so that you won't have to swap horns as much? Does it have more bells and whistles such as a stopping valve or F extension to make life easier? Can you use other bells to modify your sound? Does it have a standard enough leadpipe taper to accept many types of mouthpieces? 4. If a horn has a good sound, is accurate, and is flexible, it probably is in good condition. However, some older horns have a lot of 'character', and still are amazing horns. Also, make sure you won't have to spend an arm and a leg fixing it once you buy it. It ought to be playable at purchase, unless you want to flip it or have the funds/time to get it repaired. 5. Can the horn be sold at a later time? I know you may think that the horn you want more than life itself will be what you'll keep until you die, but sometimes situations change, sections change, and tastes change. You don't want to be stuck with a very expensive horn that's hard to get rid of. As far as looks go, I couldn't care less about how the horn looks to the outside world. We're the ones who have to be stuck with it, and some funny looking horns can get the job done. Now, as far as triples versus doubles. I've never owned a triple, but I have owned many great doubles and many great descants. The high F (or Eb) side of a triple, I'm fairly sure, will not be used that often. Unless you're principal, you really won't need it that much. As far as the low range, again, that's very personal from player to player, but there are several doubles that are notoriously great on the low range, including Conn 8Ds and Paxman 25s. And, there are even some triples that are notoriously great in the low range - but they are fewer in number. My opinion is your accuracy should already be great in the high range, and the high F or Eb side should only help the accuracy by a few percentage points instead of becoming a magic pill to fix high notes. If you can't cleanly play high notes with a good sound, a descant won't help you. In fact, I have it on good authority someone won a very good 4th horn position in the last few years on a Triple, then sold it after they won the audition and switched back to their Double. To sum up, as Mark Twain said in an episode of Star Trek entitled "Time's Arrow;", 'No one is more entitled to write your own story than you are'. At least with Schmid's, if you're not happy, you'll be able to sell it quickly, or order another Schmid almost exactly like it. -William -----Original Message----- From: John Stacy <[email protected]> To: horn <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, Aug 11, 2011 10:55 pm Subject: [Hornlist] Triple horns Due to a recent change in fortune, I have the ability to finally purchase my own horn. I have essentially two choices. I haven't been able to extensively test either, but enough to know that both are worth having. Now it is a choice of options. Both horns are made by E. Schmid, both used. One is a double with a stop valve, and the other is a full triple in high Eb. The question I am asking is if I should go for the triple over the double. I figure asking a bunch of seasoned horn players is a good idea for this. I didn't notice particular stuffiness on the low f side. I actually was able to get a free and open tone all the way down to the F horn pedals, and below. Or it may just be characteristic to Schmid, which I think is something he prides about his triples. Is my logic in thinking the Eb horn is useful because of the fact it is yet another key in the horn, useful for transpositions in some cases, sound? Or is it unfounded? This in addition to being a descant and all the benefits of having one? Essentially in a similar manner of the transpositions of the stop valve. Both horns produced a rich and dark sound, which is contrasting my naturally bright sound. The double had similarly superb characteristics, and I noticed I could actually do large slurs(greater than an octave and a half) easier on it than the triple. The double also has the stop valve, which I have mentioned for transposition work. So given my choice is purely between options now, which would be a better choice? I am partly asking to get an idea of long term thoughts, and to get an idea of factors I may have missed. Thanks in advance! ~JStacy _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/valkhorn%40aol.com _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
