Clearly it does matter. Stopping even really low notes on my Alex 103 is a walk in the park compared to my 8D which is nearly impossible much below the staff. It is also much easier to move in and out of the bell a bit to adjust the pitch.
I would also like to take this time to thank all of you on the list for not taking this discussion in an unfortunate direction. c >>> Milton Kicklighter <[email protected]> 4/12/2011 2:03 PM >>> I to have a small hand and have a difficult time stopping some notes. And I DO THINK that the size of the hand makes a difference. Milton Milton Kicklighter 4th Horn Buffalo Philharmonic Retired ________________________________ From: valerie wells <[email protected]> To: horn list 2 memphis <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, April 12, 2011 1:48:27 PM Subject: [Hornlist] Stopped horn, bell throat & hand size I loved my Holton Merker 276, but didn't enjoy the screw bell hassle. A few years later, I found another Holton Merker (183) with a fixed bell and eventually decided I liked it better than my first Merker. So I sold my first beautiful rose bronze Merker. The newer Holton 183 is a medium bell throat, yellow brass horn. I've owned four horns previously, and this is the first on which I can successfully play stopped horn with my own small hand consistently transposing to E horn (on the F side). I find it a big relief that I don't have to use the brass stopper for quick change muted notes anymore. Several people told me years ago that hand size was not likely a factor in my inability to play stopped horn with my own hand. They insisted it was a matter of proper technique, etc. I strongly disagree. I can make the transition to and from stopped horn in a nano-second on this horn, but never could on my other horns. With the larger bell throat horns, I had to find an alternate fingering for most stopped notes to sound in tune. Preparing a passage for performance was time consuming, so when ever time permitted, I used a brass stop mute. When it comes to playing stopped horn naturally, I believe a proper match between hand and bell throat size is important. Valerie -- Valerie Wells The Balanced Embouchure Method http://bebabe.wordpress.com/ http://www.beforhorn.blogspot.com/ _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/kicklighgter%40yahoo.com _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/cwilhjelm%40pascack.k12.nj.us _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
