Alphorn

[tubeast]

Dad was a professional woodturner (one of the VERY few), and one day a pro frenchhornist brought a Bb alphorn and had Dad make an insert piece to change to F.
Those are the very fun projects that are more interesting than furniture feet by the dozens.
The hornist even came to try and fine tune the taper.

Somewhere I read the alphorns were also used as a means of communication among alps and even down to the valley. I have no idea whether or not this is true, but it makes sense to me.

In Brand, the highest village in our valley (Brandnertal, for those of you that go skiing) the community band features a group of alphorn players.

[LoyalTubist]

I believe that was Larry Minnick. But he is no longer with us.

[LoyalTubist]

I was referring to the thing that Roger Bobo had made. (Do I dare call it an Alpine horn?)

[iiipopes]

So, tell me, which pipemaker's tubes sounded the best, or had the best taper?

BTW - if you're montre8, who are the other three fonds du orgue - bourdon, flute harmonique & gambe?

[Kevin Hendrick]

I live in Valparaiso!, and although not/never a student there, have played in the community band, trombone choir, and pepband (and I'm only 24, so it's not like I am a retired citizen of Valpo or some such thing. I sorta didn't feel right wearing a VU shirt during thegame.
I gotta ask the low brass professor about the alphorn, he's been holding out on me!

What was the concert?

It was the Community Band Festival on April 29th. The groups involved were the Valpo Community/University Concert Band, Clinton Prairie HS Band, Duneland Early Music Consort, and the Ein Prosit German Band from Kalamazoo, MI (the group I play in). Three of our members have alphorns, but one had a schedule conflict for that date, so he sent his alphorn to Valpo with one of the other members for me to play. The concert was in the chapel ... what a great place to play (especially the alphorns)! It's huge (roughly 4 second ring time). The faster pieces, of course, were a bit muddy, but the slow stuff -- WOW!

[imperialbari]

It appears, that some posters have a first hand experiences with playing Alphorns. Which I sadly haven’t, for now at least.

My question will be about mouthpieces. Even if I play a lot of different instruments, I tend to use as few mouthpieces as at all possible. Everything in the eup/bassbone range is done on the Yeo Signature from Yamaha. Or on an old Besson mouthpiece coming with one of my bassbones in G. Fairly large cup, but tenor shank.

I once negotiated with an Alphorn maker about a buy of a specimen in F. I wanted the receiver dimensioned for the Yeo, but the maker insisted on a wooden mouthpiece. He rather would make a wooden copy of the Yeo.

This wasn’t the splitting point of the negotiations. I knew the right price of the instrument, he didn’t. And I am not cheapish.

Yet my main point is about the wooden mouthpiece. Is the mouthpiece material really important in Alphorn playing?

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[tubeast]

Is the mouthpiece material really important in Alphorn playing?

Well, it´s the kind of stuff that was around when alphorns were invented. Then comes traditionalism...

[windshieldbug]

Then comes traditionalism...

I always favored cubism

[Rick Denney]

Yet my main point is about the wooden mouthpiece. Is the mouthpiece material really important in Alphorn playing?

My one experience with alphorns found me trying to make a tuba mouthpiece work, but it was too fuzzy and uncentered. (Ray will remember this.)

The wooden mouthpiece that the owners had (but did not use) was more like a tenor trombone size with a deeper cup. But the players used euphonium mouthpieces. One player was a tuba player, and one other had some experience playing euphonium.

They performed a long way away from the Alps, so I expect they cared less for tradition than for intonation and playability--and the appearance of tradition.

Rick "who was embarassed by the sounds he made on the alphorn" Denney

[Sylvano]

I have my special order Eb (yes Eb!) Stocker Swiss Alphorn for sale at Baltimore Brass Company. It comes with a great custom gig bag and a large size wooden mouthpiece. It's a beauty. I'm asking $2800 for it if anyone's interested.

The horn paid for itself very quickly with convention gigs, oktoberfest and busking. It's a great horn.

Contact the me or the guys at David's shop.

[LOTP]

Which has the darker sound.....a laquered wooden mouthpiece or a plated wooden mouthpiece?

[windshieldbug]

The rotary, by far!