> -----Original Message----- > From: Jennie Ficks [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 3:14 PM > To: The Horn List > Subject: RE: [Hornlist] Fingering > > > Steve F. writes: > > I am currently playing a Bb single horn with a C valve, and > even without> having a double horn, there are still a myriad > of fingering choices> available. As my teacher (and, no > doubt, countless others) once observed,> the French Horn is > one of the few instruments on which you can play the> right > notes with the wrong fingerings and also play the wrong notes > with the> right fingerings. Bringing some order to the > potential chaos is a good> thing. > Steve, > I was sharing your comments with the Boise State University > Horn Professor, Dr. David Saunders. We enjoyed the second to > last sentence very much! Dr. Saunders would like to know > more about your horn with the C valve. Does it have a thumb > ascending valve? Who made it? > Thank you for sharing! > Jennie
I believe my horn was custom made at the time but a similar horn is now available from Alexander. I was told it was made for Charles Kavalovski and can be heard of a few of his recordings from several decades ago. I am about the fourth or fifth owner. Yes, it has two thumb valves, one for stopping, and other for C. As I understand it, the horn is actually a horn that stands in C, and the C valve is just an extra section of tubing, about the length of the first valve slide, except that the horn stands the other way so that it plays as a Bb horn without any valves held down. The C valve is very useful, e.g., the note written G, concert middle C, is "normally" played on a Bb horn with the first valve held down, however because it is the major third in the overtone series, it is flat sounding in many contexts. I generally play this note by holding the C valve down by itself, and often take the D's both above and below the same way. I've also found written first space F# sounds equally good taken 1-2 on the Bb horn or just 2 on the C horn, and will use whichever fingering is handiest, e.g., G-F-E can be played a T, T2, 2 - pretty cool, if you ask me! I've also found that the C horn sounds perfectly fine on the low G that's two octaves lower - it's about the lowest note I can currently play, and I'm happy to get it by blowing through as little tubing as possible. I hope that answers your questions. I play this horn simply because it sounds _so_ good, even when played by a poor amateur like me, that I find it difficult to take another horn out of the case when this one is available. -S- _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
