Professional French Horn
Players to Check Out
Dale Clevenger
Former principal horn of the Chicago Symphony, Dale Clevenger is the iconic horn sound for many students, teachers, and professionals. Listen for the power in his sound at times, but also his range of dynamic expression he is able to demonstrate on the horn. Enjoy!
Stefan Dohr
Principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic, Stefan Dohr's horn playing is filled with musical taste and emotion. Pay attention to how he shapes both individual notes and multiple notes in a fast passage. Also, he is able to play with a lot of energy, but play gently as well.
Sarah Willis
Sarah Willis is the 4th horn of the Berlin Philharmonic. She provides great power and balance in the horn section by playing a lot of low notes on the note, while also providing a beautiful sound for the rest of the horn players. Be sure to check out her Youtube Channel: Sarah Willis or Sarah's Horn Hangouts!
Instrument Step Up Links
Mouthpieces
An easy an fairly inexpensive way to sound instantly better on french horn is to upgrade your mouthpiece. Most students start on a 30C4, but after the first year, the students have quickly grown out of that mouthpiece and need an upgrade.
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Yamaha, Holton, Schilke, and Marcinkiewicz are more common french horn mouthpiece makers.
Students should look into upgrading to either:
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Yamaha 32C4/34C4(Intermediate) or
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Holton Farkas MDC/Marcinkiewicz 5 (more Advanced)
Step-up French Horns
When upgrading horns to the next level, it is best to look for a nice used professional instrument. Although, there are a few intermediate horns that are your traditional step-up instrument.
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When looking at brands, Yamaha (567, 668), Conn (6D, 8D), Holton (379, 179) french horns are the standard around the world. Other brands of french horns are great as well, but they do not have quite the reputation that Yamaha, Conn, and Holton have.
Be sure to play test!
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Before purchasing an instrument/mouthpiece, always consult with your music teacher or private instrument instructor!!!
