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Hi all,

It is good to see several of the players on the " Give it one" album using descant horns. What terrific playing there is on that disc, well done to all. Although none of my professional peers have commented on my use of a Paxman Model 40, I was told by someone that another hornplayer had said, it's alright for S he uses a descant horn!! When is the myth that "real" players only play on double horns going to stop. As I get older I really am not bothered by such comments, but surely if it was so much easier to play high on a descant, everybody would use one unless it is some sort of machismo thing!!

Comments please and take care everyone.

I think most people's experience of descants is having a blow on one on a trade stand or borrowing one for a one of high date. As has been discussed in other posts that is not enough time to adjust to it and sort out the blend in sounds between the two sides. The player then forms a negative opininon of them.

Descants don't make playing higher easier in that you still have to form a small lip aperture to achieve the notes. The help comes from the adjacent harmonics being further apart and the response being more imediate due to the shorter length of tubing. This means that rather than having to hit the bullseye you have to hit the dart board !! Slight exaggeration but you know what I mean.

Personally, I think that playing a high part for a living in this day and age is incredibly stressful and so I don't begrudge anyone using an alto to help out with those horrid piano entries. Sadly, accuracy is key these days and splits in the exposed pasages is simply not tolerated any more. If it is your regular horn then you can overcome any of the aforementioned sound discrepancies with perhaps the exception of the low register.

Anyone scoffing at a player 'cheating' because they're on an alto should try coming in ppp on top G# in a packed hall with @#!£ on the stand during a radio broadcast !!

I concur with Jeremy. The horn world has for too long tried to keep themselves to just one horn. And the truth is there is no magic horn that can do it all perfectly. The literature wasn't written for just one horn and to try and do it with one horn is compromising in a way. I think in the past you could get away with one horn, you vould also get away with cracked note here and there. You can still get away with one horn, but given the options and repertoire we need to tackle having different tools can be very helpful.

I know we sometimes say the descant horn doesn't make it easier to play the note, but it might. A well made descant compared to a mediocre made regular double horn can be a big difference. But yes, you still havet o be able to hear and play the note no matter what horn you are playing.

In regards to cheating - where do you draw the line? Should we all play on the Bach 15 mouthpiece that came in the case of our first horn? I don't think so. If you can use a tool to make playing the music easier and still retain a quality sound and blend with your musical comrades you would be silly not to. Of course buying toys can get expensive - but it doesn't have to.

My arsenal consists of two standard doubles (an 8D - orchestra and a 6D -WWQ, small string groups), a Paxman 40M Descant, and a Bb (with full ascending C) large bore single.

They are different instruments. When I loan out my descant I sit with the borrower for a good 1 or 2 hours talking about how it works and how to use it. How it is different from the standard double. I loan them my Erickson book on playing descant horn and I loan the horn out at least a month before their concert need of it.

I love having a passion for these instruments and I'm not afraid to show them off.

Can any of our American friends tell us whether or not the "Give it One" CD is available in the USA and if it is have they heard it?

It is available in the USA.
However, every place I found it listed has it backordered since early Febuary.

I have not heard it yet.

Yes it is now available in the US (through Ken Pope's shop) and it is fantastic! It has set a new benchmark for both the high quality playing and terrific sound engineering. I hope I don't wear out the grooves on the CD from overplaying it.

The inventive music is super and ranks with the best of big band charts. But the variety of horn color is what I enjoyed most. The mix of descants, regular doubles, singles, and tuben just melds into a sound that rivals any brass ensemble for musicianship. Some stratospheric notes were beyond beyond my hearing but the low playing was Awesome! Thank you Mr. Halstead for yet another great solo to talk about. AND Extra credit goes to the person who assembled the liner notes which answer nearly every possible geeky horn question.

It happens I was playing a gig this weekend with Also Sprach which made an interesting comparison while listening to this album on the commute. If Strauss took horn playing from the Earth to the Moon then this album takes it beyond Neptune!