I had a vague idea that there was such a thing as a “reverse leadpipe” on the trumpet, but had never really given it much thought. But a student made a comment about a horn having a reverse leadpipe, and I realized this is a topic that needs brought up in the horn world.
[Oh, and on the trumpet the leadpipe is not actually reversed; it is the way that the tuning slide is made that is reversed.]
I’d call it a reverse tuning slide
If you have looked at a few horns you will have noticed that the main slide can be made one of two ways.
Before looking at the two types, there is the question of why and what does it do? When a slide is pulled out there is a length of tube (inside the end of the slide) that is of a larger bore than the bore of the instrument. With the reversed slide, it puts that “wide” spot at a different place, and it potentially can influence a lot of things.
The standard slide
On the standard slide the tubes go in the same direction, or, out from the slide in the same manner. This horn is my Patterson Geyer, and I’ve never seen a Geyer style horn with anything other than a standard tuning slide.
Reverse slide
And now we have my Kruspe. See how the tubes of the main slide are reversed? One in each direction. And also note the reverse slide on the F horn as well, which is different than Conn did on the 8D.
What does it mean?
Horn makers work out designs through craftsmanship and trial and error.
While you could make a Kruspe with a standard slide or a Geyer with a reverse slide, for whatever reasons these two designs are better made as they are.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not something you could experiment with further. As already mentioned, a reverse tuning slide will certainly change something about how your horn plays, as it moves a “wide” spot of the bore to a different spot — a wide spot that is critical, being so close to the leadpipe. It’s a topic worth considering if you are into horn modifications and horn making.
