About the Pieces of a French Horn

The French horn is a fascinating instrument in the world of classical brass. While other instruments in the brass family tend to bear more resemblance to one another in how they are constructed, the French horn is unique in its construction. Here's a basic description of its component parts and how they work to produce sound.

Features

The mouthpiece is where the horn's sound begins. This piece is funnel-shaped and made of thicker metal, usually nickel silver, but sometimes plated with gold or plastic. The player buzzes his lips through the large end of the mouthpiece and this sound resonates through the rest of the horn. A good mouthpiece is very important to optimal playing, nearly as important as the horn itself.

Function

The sound that's produced by the mouthpiece and the buzz is developed and given pitch by the tubing. The longer the tubing, the lower the sound; the shorter the tubing, the higher the sound. A French horn is made up of several different lengths of tubing, so in essence, it's several horns in one. Tubing is usually made of nickel silver or brass. It may also be made of rose brass, which is brass with some copper mixed in. Because the horn has more tubing than other brass instruments that use small mouthpieces, the horn is able to play in a wider pitch range.

Identification

The valves control whether air or sound can get into the different lengths of tubing. These mechanisms are operated by the player through the finger keys and operate by compressing spring-loaded metal cylinders, cylinders which are almost solid, but have holes in select places which allow air to move into tubing once they are compressed.

Effects

The final element in the basic production of the French horn sound is the bell. The bell is the large conical metal piece on the end of the instrument, and it acts as a sort of acoustic megaphone for the sound made by the rest of the instrument. It is sometimes known as the "skirt" and it may be detachable. As with the rest of the horn, quality metal is important for quality sound. The exact resonance of different metals is hotly disputed among horn players, but it is agreed that different metals have remarkably different timbres.

Types

There are three types of valved French horns: the single horn, the double horn and the triple. The difference in construction is a matter of extra valves and sets of tubing. The single horn is the most basic instrument, while the double horn has an added set of F tubing. The triple horn is a double horn, plus a set of descant tubing, making the experience of high playing easier for the player.