To Benno Heinemann: A horn teacher, persuading a student to adopt the Bb-horn after conquering a C-major scale on the F-Horn, is not a responsible teacher for horn. As you said, the F-Horn is a great help to develop a good tone quality & to develop a fine brass player technique (like in sports: training with handicap, swimming with weights on, etc.)
It is out of question, that co-sounding extra maxima (overtones) enrich the tone much better, which even projects better when played in pianissimo dynamic. The forte does not "cry" so much & remains round, but also metallic, heroic & powerful. Regarding the American colleagues & their use of the F-Horn or the F-side, I cannot accept your view. I know from my many visits there, that they rarely play the F-side (speaking of high horns), and if they do, they do it until a certain breaking point only. Here in Germany, they play the often ugly alto trombone like Bb-horn nearly exclusively (we had another audition yesterday with 19 candidates, but without result). They tune their horn with concert Bb, a pitch not perfect in tune on the Bb-horn (written f1, first space from below). The whole horn will be flat then. The high f2 (concert b, first line on top) is also not suited for tuning, as it is flat on most Bb-horns, so to make the whole horn sharp. Tuning the horn with a piano a1 using 2nd valve on the Bb-horn , is impossible. The horn will be sharp again. I noticed several times, that young players (and elder also) tuned their horn to the given a by correcting the written horn e2 with the right hand. They do not understand obviously, that the horn cannot be tuned that way. There is just one way: get the a from the piano & regulate concert f1 (our written c2) on the Bb-horn & on the F-horn accordingly. Our written c2 is fine in tune on both sides of the double horn. And, dear Benno Heinemann, did you ever know, that I perform the main part of my duty in the orchestra as solo horn of the State Orchestra still on the F-side & often on the single F. But I have passed 46 years as Solo horn. And I have still no difficulties reaching up to the high c#3 & d3 & the high c3 at the end of Arabella - thanks to the F-horn use (and training), where I can use it in full responsibility, where it sounds better & where it eases the technique a lot. Prof.Hans Pizka, Pf.1136 D-85541 Kirchheim - Germany Fax: 49 89 903-9414 Phone: 903-9548 home: www.pizka.de email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] set your options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
