The Natural Horn had a limited range of notes. Horn players in the 1800s found ways of overcoming these limitations. By moving one hand in the bell they could get extra notes between the basic tones, or harmonics. Different lengths of crooks inserted into the horn put the horn into different keys.
Family |
Brasses |
Pitch range |
Up to four octaves. |
Material |
Brass. |
Size |
About 24 in (60 cm), from mouthpiece to bell. |
Origins |
Around 1750, the Bohemian virtuoso, Anton Hampel discovered that putting his hand in the bell allowed him to play extra notes in the middle range. Before this development, players could only play at the top of the range, where natural notes are close together. |
Classification |
Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
And also... |
Before the hand horn was invented, the horn was played with the bell up in the air. |