How Do You Buy A French Horn?
The glorious sound of the French horn is legendary. Choose one that will match the fantasies of your musical imagination. Step 1 Determine the amount of money you want to invest in a French horn. Use the maturity and experience of the student as a guideline. Step 2 Add in the cost of a strong case of wood or metal with plenty of internal protective padding. Step 3 Compare and evaluate the tone of a variety of instruments using your own mouthpiece. Use different lead pipes to reveal tonal variance. Step 4 Evaluate the ease of producing a pedal tone. This will reveal tonal resonance. Step 5 Determine the comfort and placement of the left hand relative to the four valve levers. Step 6 Produce a “rip” (see glossary) at various speeds from slow to fast. This will reveal the quality of the changes between “overtones.” Listen for clarity. Step 7 Have a qualified listener help you evaluate tone quality. Step 8 Realize that bell construction and the nature of the bell or “flare” (how quickly an
