Advice for the beginning French Horn Player;
The French Horn is a transposing instrument, usually described as "Horn in F". This explained means that when you play Middle C on the French Horn, the sound that comes out is actually the F below Middle C.
There is more than one type of French horn, the two principal ones being the single horn and the double horn.
The single French horn is suitable for beginners, but it won't be too long before you'll want to change to a double
The doubleFrench horn will make it easier to play in different keys. Your horn teacher will advise you about this. You hold the horn on your right hand side with the mouthpiece to your lips and the bell pointing backwards . Your left hand operates the valves, while the right supports the bell of the instrument. Before long you will be taught to insert your right hand into the bell of the instrument and use it to modify the sound .
The horn is not an easy instrument to start on. The amount of puff required is considerable, and it is rare for players to begin before they are 11 or 12 years old. Many pupils start on the trumpet or Cornet and transfer to the horn later. Another problem is that the "open" notes are numerous and close together, which makes the horn more difficult than the trumpet or trombone where the open notes are spaced further apart so it's easier to control movement from one to another.
The French horn is used in orchestras,wind bands military bands. once you are a good enough player you will find little difficulty getting into local Bands or youth orchestras.
There is little to go wrong with a horn as it has few moving parts. It is easily dented, of course, and this can be expensive to repair The few moving parts on a French Horn are in the valves, and these do give trouble from time to time. Repairs are not difficult or expensive, but they can be annoying as even the smallest fault can make the instrument completely unplayable. There is little maintenance to do on a horn, but the tuning slides need to be moved and greased from time to time.
Recommended brands Eastman- Paxman - Hans Hoyer - Yamaha - Conn -Holton
Many parents of children learning for the first time, are understandably unsure of buying until they are more confident that the child will cope with learnin g the instrument, Don Mack's Rental Scheme can provide the ideal introducton to the instrument for a comparatively small outlay. Some advantages of our Rental Scheme are as follows;
* Rent is paid every three months
* No minimum or maximum periods
* If there is a fault with the instrument, it is fixed for FREE.
* If you decide to buy the instrument, you get one rental charge off the price
Vat Free Purchase
Your school or Music Service can obtain instruments VAT-free and often at a substantial dealer's discount too. They are able to do so because "curriculum tools" (i.e. things you use for your work in the school's "offered curriculum") are not liable to VAT. As your school has decided to "offer" instrumental tuition as part of its curriculum (the fact that it is not available to every single pupil in the school is irrelevant; not every pupil takes A-level Maths, but it's still part of the school's curriculum) then provided you are young enough that you will be using the instrument for some years to come, the school does not have to charge you VAT.
