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French Horn

The horn has a velvety, round tone color that projects well across other instruments without overpowering them. It is sometimes called the French horn. Its long tube is wound in a circle, and flares out into a big bell. The valves and their extra tubing are in the center of the circle. When you unwind a horn, the tubing can be as long as twelve feet!

The tone of the horn can vary from bold and brassy to soft and round. The horn sounds rich and mellow in solo passages. This tone is due in part to its conical tubing -- the tube becomes gradually wider through the whole length of the instrument, finally flaring out as it approaches the bell. Early horns were used for hunting. The horn has been a regular member of the orchestra for more than 200 years. At first, it was used especially to remind listeners of hunting. Then when valves were invented in the 1800s, the horn became more versatile.

Horn players insert their right hands into the wide flaring bell in order to adjust tone, and also to support the hefty instrument. The modern horn is really two horns in one. The player's left thumb works a valve that allows two sets of tubing to be used. One set of tubes is shorter and used for playing high notes. The longer set is used for the lower notes. It is difficult for a player to master both the extreme high and the extreme low notes, so players often specialize in one range or the other. Most orchestras have four French horns working in two pairs -- first and third taking the higher part, and second and fourth the lower part.

The pitch of the horn can be made to go higher or lower by two means. The first is by how the player controls the air through lip shape, and the second is by the use of valves on the instrument. Fine pitch adjustments may also be made by moving the right hand in the bell.

Look at this picture of the horn to learn about its main parts.

The horn mouthpiece is slender and cone-shaped and fits into the upper end of the tube. Players choose a wider and deeper mouthpiece if they play mostly lower parts, and a narrower and shallower one if they usually play first horn, which often requires high notes.

Three valve levers are controlled by the middle fingers of the player's left hand. When a lever is pressed it moves rods which cause the valve to turn. This allows air into an extra length of tubing and lowers the pitch of the note. The French horn also has a fourth valve, the thumb valve, which is used to cut off a third of the tubing to change the basic pitch of the horn by several degrees. This helps in playing the higher notes.

When a valve lever is pushed down, air is directed into a valve tube, lowering the pitch.

The finger rest helps the player support the instrument. The little finger of the left hand slips under the rest. This leaves the other three fingers free to operate the valve levers.

The horn bell has an extremely wide flare. You play the French horn with your right hand inside the bell. By changing the position of your hand, you can vary the tone color and make slight adjustments to the tuning and volume. You can use your hand like a mute to give a thin, rasping sound. Sometimes modern horns have detachable bells.