What a difference (WARNING: horn nerd post)

Hey there. I'm having a ball practicing these days, for many reasons; but the biggest and best is that I have a new horn!

A bit of history: I had bought a Yamaha triple horn in 2004 to blend better with the MSO section (the first brass double horn I'd bought, a Conn 11DRS, was too dark for the section and didn't blend well).

To understand what a triple horn is, you need to know what a descant horn is. A descant horn has much shorter tubing so it's easier to get high notes. A triple horn is basically a regular (double) horn with a descant horn built in; it has three layers of tubing rather than just two, hence the name. The extra third layer of tubing is very small (like a descant's), making it easier to play in the extreme high range with ease and grace. Typically, triple horns are mainly used by high horn players (those in Principal and 3rd horn positions).

To make a long story short, over these past several years of playing the triple - as amazing as it is for some things - I came to realize that I just wasn't comfortable on it for most of what I have to do at work. Don't get me wrong; it's a great horn, and I'll keep it for pieces that require more gossamer flexibility and agility, but for my position as 3rd horn (which requires more brute strength and high range endurance than grace and delicacy), I just don't need it. In fact, the triple was leading me down the scary road to lip fatigue and damage; it was so resistant, the air would back up and cause impact stress to my lip - which was especially painful when I needed to play loudly. That combined with how hard it is for me to get a really big sound on it would, in the long run, be a recipe for disaster and would endanger my playing longevity.

I have to pause for a second here and say that there are more adventurous horn players out there who are enthusiastic about trying new equipment (horns, mouthpieces, mutes, lead pipes, etc.) and who probably would have figured this out sooner. We in the brass world affectionately call them Equipment Nerds. They are your best friends when you're looking for something new, as they enjoy doing the research and probably know what you need. Alas, I am not an Equipment Nerd, and unfortunately lean toward the opposite extreme; I tend to stick to the same horn and mouthpiece for pretty much everything.

So how did I find this new magical horn? I had a student come in with a brand new Yamaha 667D. It's just Yamaha's professional brass double horn - simple, but extremely well made, affordable (since it's from the factory rather than built by hand), beautifully consistent in pitch, and not in the least resistant. Best of all, it has the wonderfully brilliant, bright, and more translucent sound that the MSO horn section is famous for. Anyway, this student wanted me to try out the horn to make sure it was a good one, to give her my blessing as to whether she should buy it or not.

Wow. I almost went through the roof. I told her that if she didn't want to buy it, that I did. (After that endorsement, she bought it. :D)

It's the same old story: you don't realize how you're suffering until you aren't anymore. I hadn't realized how confined I had felt by the resistance and notchiness of the triple until I started singing, really and truly singing, through this more open horn which could take everything I had to give it. I was so ecstatic I called the regional Yamaha dealer and had him order two for me to try so I could buy the "pick of the litter". I bought one at the end of March, and had Wes Hatch put his lead pipe on it for pitch and air flow. Many horn players like to strip the lacquer (protective metal coating) from factory made horns, and I have done it to other horns I've had, but I decided for acoustic reasons to leave it on this particular one. This will also preserve the shininess.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much less stressful work has been since I got this horn (and again, I didn't even really realize it had gotten that way until I made the switch). I have literally had so much fun every time I've performed on it. My endurance has shot through the roof again now that my face isn't pummeled by the air backlash of the resistant triple, and my accuracy has improved immensely since the notes on this horn have larger "shelves" to place them in rather than the smaller notches of the notes on the triple. What a difference!

And on a purely cosmetic note, this horn is absolutely stunningly gorgeous. This isn't really essential but is a nice extra. ;)