French
horns are typically made of brass or other
metal, usually silver-plated or lacquered. Besides orchestras, they
are played in bands, woodwind quintets, and brass ensembles.
The
French horn rests on the right knee of the player. The player puts the
right hand into the bell of the instrument. The hand acts as a mute
for the instrument and can adjust the pitch. The French horn is fingered
with the left hand.
On a French horn, the sound is made by buzzing the player's lips.
The mouthpiece helps the sound become clearer. The rest of the French
horn makes the sound louder. The French horn is a difficult instrument
to play. You need to have an excellent ear for music to know if you
are playing the right note.
History
The horn comes
from a long tradition of instruments first used in ancient China (2000
BC), Egypt (1500 BC) and Scandinavia (1000 BC). These instruments were
used for signaling and ceremony. However, because they had no valves,
only a few notes could be played. By Roman times, and for centuries
thereafter, valveless natural horns were common at military and
civilian events.
In the 1600's the natural horn was used in the royal mounted hunt. The
instrument was coiled and fit over the arm of the player who rode with
the hunt, playing fanfares and horn calls.
The horn became a regular member of the orchestra during the 1700's.
Early in the century, a horn pitched in F was made in Vienna. This instrument
had five detachable pieces of tubing called crooks. Crooks lengthened
or shortened the horn so it could be played in the best key for the
music. By employing crooks and using the right hand in the bell to stop
certain notes, a skilled musician could play any noted of the scale.
The invention of valves in 1815 made the awkward crooks obsolete. Two
type of valves were developed: rotary (revolving cylinder) valves, and
piston (up and down) valves. The French made smaller bored horns with
piston valves, while the Germans created larger bored horns with rotary
valves. It is the German version that is referred to in North
America as a French horn.
In 1898, a German named Fritz Kruspe introduced the double horn. The
double horn combines the single F and single Bb horns into one instrument.
It is widely accepted and played by virtually all professional players
today.
Maintenance
Before you play
There is
very little to assemble on a French horn. All you have to do is place
the mouthpiece into the lead pipe. Do this with a gently twisting motion.
Do not hit or pop the mouthpiece into place. Oil the valves every couple
of days you play your French Horn. Remove the rotary valve covers one
at a time and apply three or four drops of oil. Alternately, remove each
valve slide, apply oil inside the valve tubing, replace slide, and wiggle
the valve.
Tuning
& Playing
To lower the pitch of the French horn, lengthen the instrument by pulling
the main tuning slide out. To raise the pitch, push the main tuning slide
in.
If your mouthpiece
gets stuck while playing, do not attempt to remove it yourself or have
anyone yank it out for you. Forcibly removing it can break the braces
on the French horn. Your teacher will have a special tool to safely remove
the mouthpiece.
Cleaning
Once a
week clean the mouthpiece with warm water and a mouthpiece brush. Once
a month, give your French horn a bath. Remove all the valves and slides
and run snake brushes and valve brushes through the instrument with warm
soapy water (hot water may damage the finish). Put the French horn back
together. Oil the valves and grease the slides.
Note: This information is meant as a guide and provides only a short summary of the steps required to keep your instrument in good shape. Please ask your teacher for more information.