--- Kent Spielmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I have been reading the posts on Denis Brain's horn. I > seems hard to imagine he made that beautiful sound on > a Bb. I thought they were just for converted trumpet > players.
Thats the way it has been used in the German military bands through less peaceful times. Even with right handed single Bbs. > Any way an opportunity came my way to by a Bb single > horn two days ago for not too much so I jumped at the > chance. > The horn is not much to look at, most of the lacquer > has come off and the bell looks like it was badly > crumpled before being straightened out. > > Still, I was surprised how well it blew. It does not > have any major dents and the valves seem to be in good > shape. > > The 4th (thumb) valve seems odd as it is exactly the > same length as the 1st valve. so it lowers the pitch > by a full step. Perhaps it has a large bell and deeds > to be longer to properly compensate for stopping? > > The bell says: > King > Made by > H.N White Co > Cleveland, Ohio > > In the second valve case there is the serial number: > SN 349871-HN. Lars Kirmsers page http://www.musictrader.com/king.html would place this instrument as made in 1955. The closest King catalogue scan I can come up with is this one as quoted from the index of my brass galleries project: Thumbnails of a 1940 King horn catalogue pages 1 through 6 (the first page presented in 2 different scan types for optimal viewing results). Btw: the high resolution .jpgs are huge: http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yorkmasterpublicphotos32/lst?&.dir=/1940+King+horn+catalogue+pages+1+-+6 Thumbnails of a 1940 King horn catalogue pages 7 through 12. Btw: the high resolution .jpgs are huge: http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yorkmasterpublicphotos33/lst?.dir=/1940+King+horn+catalogue+pages+7+-+12 You will have to join these two gallery groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YorkMasterPublicPhotos32/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YorkMasterPublicPhotos33/ The model coming closest to your description is at http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yorkmasterpublicphotos32/vwp?.dir=/1940+King+horn+catalogue+pages+1+-+6&.dnm=kcpg05.jpg This is a 4RV single Bb horn, where the stopping valve as opposed to the equivalent 5 RV single Bb Hoyer of mine (with an F extension also) cannot be converted into an A valve be the removal of an H-insert. I call my stopping valve "a 3/4 step" valve and I mostly use to improve the intonation in the lowest range by using "odd" fingerings. My guess is, that the whole step of your thumb valve comes from the fact that an instrument like the one illustrated in my gallery has been augmented with an H-insert from either an earlier or later King model or from a horn of another make with the same bore. > Can any one tell me about this make of horn? What its > reputation is and if it is worth putting much money > into it to clean it up? The amount worth investing depends on this specific sample and cannot be evaluated without a thorough testing. > > Second, when would one want to use a single Bb horn? I was "forced" into using my very good Hoyer single Bb by my teacher, who was the best one available then. Parts of Europe are single Bb reservations, even if there may sit a full F side on the instruments used. Only the F side is never used unless certain parts of the low range demand so. > Is it really an instrument I should hold on to? I have > been playing a Conn 8D (N series)my father bought me > new in the early 70's. It seem to me the Bb horn may > be pretty difficult to play in tune. Even if most of my horns are doubles or single Fs plus single descants in G and Bb, nobody will make me sell my single Hoyer. It is a small horn, but it is wonderfully even and in tune all over the range. I even have played a 2nd horn Bb-basso part on it. At least one of the major service bands in DC uses single Bbs for parade purposes no matter how prestigious horns they use in the concert halls. The same goes for the Royal Lifeguard of my country. > > Finally, is there a way to make the lower notes on the > horn (below concert middle c)sound better. They sound > as tubby on this horn as on the Bb side of the 8D. This is a matter of technique and of adapting to the higher resistance of a small horn. You never will make a single Bb sound like a huge full double, but each sound may have musically very relevant applications. If I took my Conn 28D sound into a WW quintet it would be pure murder. Then rather the more discrete Hoyer, or in your case, King. Sorry for the repeated disclaimer: my eyesight is very bad currently, I do my best not to offend your language, and to be true to my intended message. You are welcome to disagree with me, but please dont nit-pick about the lowered standard of my English. I have a test appointment Tuesday deciding over surgery or not. And yes, my nerves are on edge about the matter. My download homepage has a link for the index of all my uploaded music files. You can download them for free, when I have received your reply to my "Welcome"-mail. Players already approved for the group in question of course have direct access. Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre of Denmark Retired teacher Index over 45MB+ of free music files in .pdf format to be found in the Files area of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YorkMasterBBb/ (Approved membership required) Index over 2.3GB of brass instruments galleries and catalogue scans to be found in the Files area of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YorkMasterPublicPhotosIII/ (Membership is open for all) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
