HBS - Comparison of slurs played with Vienna- and Double horns

Sound examples for the article "The Vienna Horn: Its Acoustics and Playing Technique," published in: Historic Brass Society Journal (HBSJ), vol. 28, 2016, pp. 163–178. DOI 10.2153/0120160011010.

The examples show differences in the microstructure of slurs depending on the position of the valve section along the instrument's tube. To avoid misunderstandings: The crucial factor as to whether a smooth or a clear/abrupt slur is supported by the instrument is not the distance from the mouthpiece —it is– whether the valve is located incidentally at a node or antinode of the standing wave for the starting note of the respective slur!

It should be noted that the individual preferences of the player can strengthen or lessen the characteristic "Gestalt" of a slur offered by the instrument. Sound example 31 shows how Barry Tuckwell masks the instrument's natural tendency: to get a smooth octave slur f3-f4 he doesn't use the thumb valve, but applies a special strategy, described in the HBS Journal 2017 and in my article at ResearchGate.

Gregor Widholm