Posted by T. C. Bass on November 29, 2003 at 11:29:46:
Alright, an Eb alto horn (tenorhorn to you folks in the UK) question.
Our brass band alto horn section has a complaint regarding the playing characteristics of their instruments, which vary in manufacture all over the place--a Courtois, a Weril, a Pan American (the favorite, by the way), a Yamaha and a Boosey (they went on an alto buying spree).
Every single one of the players, all of whom play (French) horn in real life, complain that, no matter the make, the altos all play dreadfully flat below about middle C. Mouthpieces used vary from standard French horn mouthpieceswith adapter to regular alto mouthpieces to a custom rig. None of which ameliorates the situation.
Is this common behavior for alto horns, or is there something that the players (none of whom are slouches on the horn) need to be made aware of?
Thanks,
Chuck(G)