Mouthpiece for Doubling on French Horn

[jamescab]

Hi everyone,

Due to university needs I will need to double on 4th horn.

Can anyone recommend a monthpiece?
I will be playing on a Yamaha 668D NS

Current gear if that matters is Miraphone 1291BBb 5v & blokepiece symphony cup w/ PROFUNDO Sellmansberger #2 33.2mm rim

Aloha,
James

[Tom]

I don't play horn, but initial thoughts:

Your tuba gear is irrelevant. The horn is so different that the make and model of your tuba and your tuba mouthpiece won't matter at all.

I think you should talk to the University's horn teacher and tell them, if they don't already know, that you will be on 4th horn and need a mouthpiece. Then go with what they recommend and be done with it. Hardly seems to me like it would need to be anything fancy.

Do you already know how to play horn or are you learning to play horn for this specific occasion?

[PMeuph]

I have played fourth horn on a euph with the fourth valve locked in place reading treble clef fingerings and thinking a 9th up. Works great!!!

That way you can find a Blokepiece Junior (™) and you'll be good to go!

[Mark Horne]

I've been a horn player for much longer than I've been a tuba player. In recent years I have found myself more comfortable on larger rim diameters (18.0mm as compared to about 17.0mm for "typical" horn mouthpieces), although I suspect that much of that is due to the aging process. I have found that Laskey offers me the best overall balance of rim size and geometry and tone color when compared to the other 30+ mouthpieces that I own. I mostly use a Laskey 80G for general playing but would go with their 85 series (18.5mm rim) if I were playing 4th (or even second) on an extended basis. I would say that the larger rim diameters will definitely help with the lower registers, but at the expense of endurance and some additional difficulty with hitting the highest notes.

The Yamaha 668 horns are very good and should be an excellent choice for 4th parts.

My tuba mouthpiece set up is similar to yours - I use a variety of Houser and Sellmansberger components with rim diameters around 33mm.

[Cdub]

As a horn player for the last 20+ years I found that for me a medium deep cup mouthpiece worked well. I tried a very deep cup and some wider rimmed, but I lacked a solid mid high range using them (too many chipped notes).

I suggest that you experiment a bit, and just like tuba, find what works for you.

[Ace]

Hard to find, but a Neil Sanders 17DD would be great on your French horn. It is so big you can stick your head in it. Terrific low-range mouthpiece, yet always sounds like a true French horn.
-Ace

[jamescab]

Thank you for all the responses everyone.

Mark, I think I'm gonna try a Lasky.
Bloke, I'm seriously not a troll (super cereal).

I've "dabbled" (and own) all the brass instruments but this will be the first time I've been asked to double on a non low brass instrument, unfortunate circumstance of our small music program.

The 668 is my girlfriends horn and although I pull it out a few times a year she sadly has not touched the thing since she graduated college 3 years ago.

[pjv]

I'm not sure if any advice will help you because no 2 embouchures are alike.

I double on a lot tenor bone (a lot larger than a horn but still smaller than a tuba), both small and large bore.
When I first started doing this I found a 'most often used standard mpc' was the best way to go. It wasn't until years later that I felt comfortable enough to make my own decisions. I am assuming you're still new at playing horn (correct?) so it will take some time before you find out how to efficiently blow the thing and whether or not your mpc/axe choices are complimenting your playing.
So;
ask a horn player.
practice
practice
practice
And congratulations; you've most probably just doubled the amount of time you'll be spending in the practice room!

[MEWienand]

I was a Horn Player and a Euph Player who is now Going between Eb Tuba and Horn regularly. I use a Giardinelli C1 that mouthpiece is huge. and My horn professor never understood how I could play 1st horn parts with it. I would recommend that or a Farkas DC or VDC. Good Luck have fun. Watch the embouchure, horn is a very high embouchure which unfortunately is how I have come to play tuba as well.
Hope this helps PM me if you have more questions about going between the two.
Mark

[Heliconer]

On the rare occasion when I need to play horn, I found the Giardnelli 10C works great for me. I settled on that after trying several pieces that were all a bit small for my slightly oversized lips.

[hbcrandy]

I have played both horn and tuba for 42 years. The horn mouthpiece that works for me is Holton Farkas deep cup and, oddly enough, I am a better high horn player than low horn player. Also, I play a different horn that you do. I play a Kruspe and a Conn 8D.