On the earlier point: I agree that the attempt to achieve blend through equipment is a relatively fruitless tactic, and some of the case studies I have been sent off list have convinced me; nevertheless that must be the thinking behind those sections who do this. You guys will have a better idea than me - is it not the case that the NY Phil section all played on 8Ds, then all switched to Schmids at one point (I read this somewhere in the archives)? If that is so, is it coincidence or policy? It is a separate question as to whether that policy was successful..!
On the second point: I did not make the strong claim that 'nickel silver horns are brighter than brass horns'. I made the weaker one, that the nickel silver alloy is inherently brighter than various brass alloys - that is, when all other aspects of the horn design are equal, the nickel silver horn will have a slightly brighter tone with more projection than the brass alloys will. This is certainly what manufacturers seem to think (compare the comments Holton make on the H179, H180, and H181 at their catalogue: http://www.holton-horns.com/frenchhorns/category.php?category=Farkas/Holton% 20Horns). I can vouch for this too, from my experience trying an 8DR (with a rose brass bell) for a month before switching to the standard nickel-silver 8D - in comparison, the 8DR is even darker, and is harder to project. Obviously, the metal alloy is just one factor in the brightness of the sound; bell throat size is likely more important. That's why a large-throated Kruspe style 8D or H179 will always sound darker than a brass Geyer-style horn with a smaller bell throat. The metal in effect works only to temper the effect of the bell throat (which is what I said in my earlier post), to avoid exaggerating those characteristics beyond reason. When your ears have been telling you that nickel-silver horns sound darker than brass ones, you have almost certainly been hearing the effects of the bell throat and design of those instruments, rather than the metal. To hear the impact of the metal, do a controlled blind test on horns that are otherwise identical (like 8D v 8DY v 8DR, or H179 v H180 v H181). Neeraj Mathur > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Robert Dickow > Sent: 24 February 2010 8:30 PM > To: 'The Horn List' > Subject: Re: [Hornlist] Is Colour Blind? > > I've heard that some conductors want the section players to use the > same > make of horn. How many players or principals would insist on this? > Personally, I think this is a silly, or at least fruitless, tactic. > I've > found that horns within the same model vary considerably. I tried 14 > Merkers > before I bought the one I have now, and each horn was different by a > surprising amount. I've tried a gazillion Conn 8ds, and they are all > distinct to some degree, in tone, playing characteristics, and > especially > intonation. Couple that with the variances between players, and the > brand > name distinctions become irrelevant. JMTCW. > > Wendell, remember way back when when you tried various horns on stage > in the > San Francisco opera house, and folks listened to the differences? I > just > remember that--though there were differences-- you ALWAYS sounded like > Wendell Rider. > > I was also interested to note the claim in this post that nickel silver > horns are brighter in tone than brass horns. I've gone through my whole > life > thinking the opposite, and hearing the opposite. I could still be > mistaken, > it's just a curious note. > > Bob Dickow > Lionel Hampton School of Music > > ----------------original message excerpt: ------------------ > <snip> ...tone, so this can be made more rich by using gold > brass or yellow brass; conversely, large bell throat horns have a > richer > tone, and so using a nickel-silver alloy will help them project better. > > You say that horn sections on TV have horns of the same colour. On > inspection, you will find that many horn sections in fact use the same > model > of horn. This is to ensure that the entire section has similar tone > qualities, and blend well to <snip> > > _______________________________________________ > post: [email protected] > unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi- > bin/mailman/options/horn/neeraj.mathur%40chch.oxon.org _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
