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Horns as Stage Props, III (The Blue French Horn)

Bruce Hembd
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Horns as Stage Props, III (The Blue French Horn)

On the American television romantic comedy How I Met Your Mother, a horn has been a regular prop for many seasons. The infamous ‘blue French horn’ (which is actually an old classic mellophone painted bright blue) has had a regular place in the background, resting on a mantel with other knick-knacks.

Beyond being a background prop though, the blue horn has taken center stage in several episodes. It has played out to represent one character’s love for the other.

This falls in line with ancient tradition actually – the color blue is part of a long-standing Victorian wedding tradition. It represents faithfulness, purity and loyalty.

In the very first episode of Season 1, the main character Ted steals the blue horn from a restaurant, which had it mounted on the wall as a decoration. He does this to impress Robin, his love interest.

Later, in the final episode of Season 2, the blue horn takes center stage again as Robin and Ted’s on-again/off-again relationship arrives at a pivotal moment. The lovers return to the restaurant, and Ted gets recognized by one of the waiters as the thief who stole the horn.

The entire scenario is difficult to encapsulate – these links provide more details.

As Robin and Ted drift apart, the blue horn makes another appearance in at least one other episode.

Barney and Ted get drunk, fight over Robin, go to her place and yell outside her window, and then get dressed down by her for their immaturity.

She says she’s got to withdraw from the group in order to take the next step with Don.  And a few days later, just when Ted thought she’d forgotten about it, he storms her room to confront her about another empty milk carton and finds it empty, save for a blue French horn.

The inspired blue horn fad

This whole blue horn scenario has become something of a fad with fans that follow the show.

At The Kevin Dolan, an entire scenario is documented of a girl who runs away to Boston and her boyfriend who travels 6 hours to bring her a blue horn as a gesture of his love.

  • The Time Kevin Did That Thing

At Darnivorous, author Dariane Nabor adds the blue horn to a list of “how to be a perfect boyfriend.”

  • How To Be a Perfect Boyfriend

A blue French horn was found stenciled on a sidewalk in San Francisco and this inspired the photographer to paint her own blue horn. In the comments section too, she offers some tips about how she found and made it.

Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe

While we could all quibble over the technicality of the show repeatedly calling the blue mellophone a French horn, I think that it is very cool that a show of such great popularity in America has used a horn so prominently as a central plot device!

*All images in this article are used without permission under the auspices of fair and limited use. These images remain the sole and absolute property of the CBS broadcasting network.

Quote from Winston Churchill on Life and Living

Bruce Hembd
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We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

In just about any relationship there is give and take and this quote from Winston Churchill is a good reminder of that.

While our work may bring home the bacon, it is the bigger picture – the shared human experience – that gives our lives meaning and perspective. By giving to others our time, patience, knowledge, money or labor, we not only elevate ourselves, we raise the bar on humanity and the greater good.

(This is one big reason, for example, why I enjoy playing music and working on this web site.)

In the music business it certainly helps to remind ourselves of the greater cause. It is generosity that gives our musical lives the value and worth to keep moving ahead – even in down times when things may look very dark and bleak.

At the Bassoon Blog, Betsy Sturdevant of the Columbus Symphony brings an interesting perspective to this discussion:

The ancient Greeks took it upon themselves to explain how music works.  They proclaimed that music was about relationships among invisible, internal, hidden parts of human hearts and souls.  Music moved those parts around until the positions were “right.”

…The first time I ever became consciously aware of the effect of live classical music was when I was 8 years old playing in my school’s marching tonette band.  (A tonette is a plastic recorder-like instrument for children.)  I recall the thrill of the experience- it was almost as if an electrical spine-tingling charge surged through my body- as we marched through the center aisle of my school’s auditorium during an assembly.

Visceral memories and feelings like these are a basic connection; this is what really matters, far and above the money or strife.

I would point out that if anyone knows about generosity in the face of great adversity, it would be a Columbus Symphony Orchestra musician.

Horns as Stage Props, II (Sgt. Pepper)

Bruce Hembd
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Recently I purchased an interesting photograph on eBay of a famous musician playing the French horn – John Lennon of Beatles fame. According to the description, this photograph was taken at the Abbey Road studios around the time that the Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club album was being produced.

This was the main reason this photograph caught my attention. It corresponds to Lennon’s picture on the cover on the Sgt. Pepper album itself where each band member is holding an instrument.

  • John – a French horn
  • Ringo – a trumpet
  • Paul – an English horn
  • George – a fife

I probably paid way too much for the photo, but it does look nice next to my TIME cover of Jussi Bjorling blowing Siegfried’s horn and Max Pottag in an old radio advertisement.

Incidentally, this album would have been in play at about the same time as Wizzard’s catchy tune.

Horns as Stage Props, I (Wizzard)

Bruce Hembd
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Last week a video came across the radar of English rock musician Roy Wood and his band Wizzard.

I must admit that while I had never directly heard of Roy Wood, I tangentially knew of his work through his early years in the Electric Light Orchestra.

As an example of musical entrepreneurship, Wood sets a fine example of an active and creative musician who thrived in the business for many years after his initial successes. After a short stint with ELO, Wood went on to form several other bands including The Move and Wizzard. He remains active to this day.

Baby jive

This video features Wood as the front man for Wizzard, performing “See My Baby Jive.” There are multiple versions of this song on YouTube – dating from the late 1960’s to more recent concert versions.

In all the early versions, Woods holds a French horn – more-or-less as a stage prop. In this particular version he even manages to pull a few surprises out of the bell.

Although Wood does not play any notes, it is an interesting statement that the French horn is used in this way.  Sometime in the late ’60s to early ’70s there was a significant movement towards using more classical instruments and sounds in rock music.

To my eye, this particular use of the horn as a stage prop is perhaps a tip-of-the-hat to the overall progressive/symphonic rock movement that was gaining popularity in Great Britain at the time.

Hornmasters: Tuckwell and Bushhouse on Right Hand Position

John Ericson
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Our last post in this portion of the Hornmasters series on right hand position features quotes from two very different, classic horn texts that make a similar point not seen in the previous quotations, having to do with the depth of the hand in the bell.

Supporting the bell as an adult

Barry Tuckwell in Playing the Horn suggested thinking of the right hand as “one unit with the bell.” The thumb rests flush along the side of the hand with no space with the hand in a cupped position.

Care must be taken not to put the hand too far into the bell; it is best to think of the hand as being in a position to cover over the bell rather than being in the bell. The first and second joints of the fingers should be pressed lightly against the bell….

It is sometimes thought that it is more difficult to have a satisfactory right hand position when the hand also supports the horn. This need not be a problem, however. Bearing in mind that every hand is different and that some compromise may be necessary, I have found that it is possible to use the hand for both support and hand stopping with no extra difficulty.

Tuckwell was writing this in a time when off the leg playing was less common than it is today.

Supporting the horn as a young student

David Bushouse in Practical Hints on Playing the French Horn notes that there is a difference between the hand positions a young student would use compared to an adult.

For a normal adult-sized hand, the width of the hand will allow it to go in just far enough. A young player’s hand will tend to slide in too far.

A quick story about Tuckwell and Bushhouse

These two sources were published five years apart (1978/83) and they tie together for me personally for an unexpected reason. Back about 1981 I heard Tuckwell play live for the first time at a horn day event at the University of Kansas where Bushhouse was at that time the horn professor. I was very familiar with Tuckwell from his recordings but was honestly surprised that his sound when heard live in a room was much more covered than I thought it to be. That thought speaks to several points, but the big one being how important it is to work with a live teacher as you work on hand position. Descriptions in a book are useful but there are elements that you can’t gauge from a description or from recordings.

Continue reading in Hornmasters Series

 

The Mellophone Retirement Ceremony

John Ericson
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One section that was cut from a draft of my mellophone book was a section on the mellophone toss. While I don’t recommend it or endorse the practice, I understand that actually there have been mellophone toss sessions held at horn events. In reference to that I tried to write up a bit of humor for the book. Humor is not easy to write and in the end I thought the space better used for actual information rather than entertainment. What I wrote was a parody of the flag retirement ceremony used to properly retire a flag that is torn and old; often these are held right around Flag Day by groups such veterans organizations and scout troops. With Flag Day tomorrow it seems like a good day to finally post this item in the spirit of entertainment but, again, I don’t really recommend tossing around mellophones, especially if they don’t belong to you.

Much as for example a tattered flag should be disposed of in a dignified manner, so also should a battered mellophone. To quote the Intergalactic Mellophone Code, “The mellophone, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for musical competition, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by tossing.”

Thus, the proper method of disposal of a mellophone is the “mellophone toss.” According to regulations approved by the Intergalactic Mellophone Society (IMS) band uniforms should be worn by those officiating at the occasion. While amendments to IMS regulations allow for slight regional variations, the standard ceremony is as follows.

CEREMONY LEADER

“We are gathered here to destroy this mellophone that has been deemed no longer serviceable. It is proclaimed that this mellophone has served well.

This mellophone has inspired those who desired the taste of the middle register. This mellophone has welcomed any and all in the name of music.

Know ye that this mellophone has served well and honorably. Its valves have been loosed to the winds and have basked in the light of musical competition.”

CALL ATTENTION/ALL RISE (Those that Can)

“Please join me in a moment of silence.” (PAUSE) “You may be seated.”

STAND AT EASE

Read, “The Intergalactic Mellophone Code states,” (PAUSE) “The mellophone, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for musical competition, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by tossing.”

(OPTIONAL) Dedicate this ceremony to an individual who loved the mellophone. (Read previously obtained information about the honoree).

CALL ATTENTION/ALL RISE

Staff member tosses mellophone. The worn out mellophone may either be tossed down a football field or may be tossed into a large body of water for burial at sea.

Sing or recite the first stanza of “God Bless the Mellophone.”

STAND AT EASE

STAFF MEMBER OR CEREMONY LEADER “Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the ceremony. God bless the mellophone.”

While some prefer to carefully preserve retired mellophones for future study (or for recycle into modern art or lamps), there are strong advocates of the above described traditional, somber, and dignified mellophone toss in the mellophone community.

As with playing the mellophone, technique is everything. The mellophone toss is not a competition; the mellophone should be tossed with grace, elegance, and respect. The staff member who actually tosses the mellophone should be certified by the IMS in mellophone tossing or, as an emergency substitute if no certified mellophone tosser is available, have received training in throwing the discus. Contact your local IMS chapter for assistance in locating an individual certified to toss mellophones.

Also please note that the IMS only sanctions the tossing of mellophones that are approved to be tossed by their rightful owners. DO NOT “borrow” one for tossing from a school or other ensemble without clear permission to do so.

So there it is. I am not giving up my day job to become a comedy writer. As to the Intergalactic Mellophone Society, it does not yet exist but perhaps with this publication of the mello code there will be a need for a sanctioning body for the mellophone, who knows? 

Geyer Horn, First Valve Slide, B-flat Horn

John Ericson
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Different brands of different horns have their quirks. One quirk on some Geyer style horns is that they may have a squirrelly high B-flat. Usually this is attributed to an acoustical factor related to the first valve slide of the B-flat horn. While you don’t want to develop a complex about it, this is certainly a note to test if you are looking to buy a horn of this type.

As a background note on this, one of my former teachers had a Geyer horn as a young professional. He had some questions about the horn over time and had two different, very well known players try the horn to test it. One said the high B-flat was fine and the other felt it was unusable. The truth was probably somewhere between the two but his confidence in the note was not strong and soon after he sold the horn. The right decision? Maybe–as he had developed at the least a complex about the note, his confidence was down.

Makers have tried to compensate for this note various ways. One of the more visible is to have a rounded slide as are seen for example on Yamaha horns. Slide inserts can also help stabilize the issue. The problem relates to a nodal point in that critical area is influenced by something in the design of the horn so that the stability of that specific note is impacted negatively. The fix is somewhat variable in terms of success but is one that must be addressed if it is an issue on your horn.

If you are unsure about your high B-flat and play a horn of this type, have another player or teacher test it and get an opinion. It could result in your developing a full-blown complex but it also may put your mind at ease. Hopefully it won’t end up being a confidence shaker, and the road will be opened to you to have more confidence in a critical note.

UPDATE: Or, as I state it in my longer article on testing new and used horns:

If a horn does not have a high Bb, you may be able to help it if you love everything else or it is a great deal or whatever, but on the whole you are probably better to just walk away.

World Cup Horn: The Vuvuzela

Bruce Hembd
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Now that the FIFA World Cup is in full gear, the vuvuzela  – pronounced voo-voo-ZAY-lah – is fair game for a Horn Matters article.

This horn is basically a noise-maker that enthusiastic fans toot in the hundreds, if not thousands during games. Like the typical Western brass instrument, it requires the player to buzz their lips to make a sound.

The sound is raw and raucous – somewhat similar to a French horn or trombone with its main tuning slide taken out.

While hundreds enjoy and participate in joyful tooting, others might call it a nuisance – even a danger. If a crowd of them gets going it can in fact get dangerously loud.

PHOTO CREDIT: Associated Press

The video below registers a single blast at close range at around 140 decibels.

Compare that to these measurements:

  • 20 dB = soft whisper
  • 70 dB = vacuum cleaner
  • 90 dB = screaming child
  • 100 dB = jackhammer, chainsaw
  • 120 dB = car horn at 3 feet
  • 140dB = gunshot

These issues aside, I could easily imagine how blowing on one of these during a game would be fun. I would love it – wearing ear plugs.

Photograph: Study in contrast, I

Bruce Hembd
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Click the image for a larger view.

A photograph, re-found in an office search recently, of the number 35 Lewis horn I used to own.

The photo was used for a music conservatory advertisement years ago, appearing in The Horn Call and other trade journals. In a dark room, the photographer held his camera in one hand and an unshaded lamp in the other.

Part II.

Best Invention Ever: Pencil Clips

John Ericson
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One of my younger students was fascinated by my pencil clip. This is really a must have item for the horn player. It is a plastic clip that attaches to the horn and will hold a pencil.

My understanding is these were initially actually clips originally made for connecting together audio cables. They work great for horn pencils, as in the photo.

One thing you will find when you use these is that pencils vary in size a bit, so when you find one that fits your pencil clip well hang on to it!

As to where to buy these, I am sure that there are a few sources out there. The photo above is from the listing in the Osmun website. It is something certainly every horn teacher should have a few of for their students to make sure they have a pencil handy at all times. It is a part of taking a professional approach to horn playing.

Noting the pencil in the photo, one random story. In a lesson a Verne Reynolds asked me, out of the blue, “did you ever wonder why pencils are yellow?” A question to ponder.

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