Horn Matters | A French Horn and Brass Site and Resource | John Ericson and Bruce Hembd

Stopped horn is a big topic with many angles.

Where the hand is in the bell

William R. Brophy in his Technical Studies for Solving Special Problems on the Horn notes that “the place at which the bell is closed” and complete closure of the bell are critical to stopped horn intonation.

Generally speaking this requires inserting the hand a bit farther into the bell than for normal “open” playing, though the size and shape of the hand and the size of the throat of the bell make generalizations difficult….

If we could remove the bones from the hand it would probably be easier to get the complete closure that is necessary. Since this is not possible the best that can be done is to try to make the hand as “un-boney” as possible, being sure that there are no knuckles protruding to keep from getting a complete closure.

The acoustical question

Hand-stopping the horn is discussed from a more theoretical angle by Richard Merewether in The horn, the horn…. The acoustical question of what exactly is happening to the pitch of the horn when stopping the bell is an interesting one. From a practical standpoint, as the bell is closed slowly the pitch goes down but when it is closed very tightly the pitch will at least seem to rise; the impression as a player is that this is due to acoustically cutting off the end of the horn with the hand and shortening the instrument by a half step. Merewether takes the stand that this is only what appears to happen; to play a note is fully stopped one is actually lowering the next higher overtone to a half step above the previous pitch.

Watch the thumb in particular

Barry Tuckwell in Playing the Horn notes on hand stopping that

It is the section around the thumb that causes most problems. This is made much worse if the thumb is made angular or the hand is put into rather than over the bell. Always remember that the hand should not be jammed tightly into the bell.

On the use of a brass stopping mute

Very commonly the brass stopping mute is considered to be a substitute for hand stopping. Tuckwell also observes that,

The sound is not unlike hand stopping, but it is more direct and piercing. It can be used in certain circumstances as a substitute for the hand, particularly in the lower register, but care must be taken to camouflage the altogether more strident quality. This can be done by cupping the palm or putting some cloth or a handkerchief over the end. It is also possible to produce a more muffled sound by inserting the mute loosely and stopping up the end completely with the hand.

He feels that hand stopping and brass stopping mutes should not be used in combination unless there are specific low range issues, as “only an exceptionally proficient player can manage them with the hand.”

Daily practice of stopped horn is beneficial

According to Frøydis Ree Wekre in Thoughts on Playing the Horn Well, daily practice (“several minutes”) of stopped horn is beneficial for these reasons.

Firstly, the quality of your stopped horn playing will improve, regarding intonation, steadiness and sound. Secondly, it is efficient training for EXHALING. Big quantities of air at high speed are necessary, especially in the lower range. Prior to that, of course, a huge INHALING is necessary. Since GOOD INTONATION is a MUST, the lips and other facial muscles will get an effective workout. Loud stopped horn playing is physically somewhat different from normal playing. It demands more effort. Thus practising it can give more strength in a shorter amount of time.

Have you practiced stopped horn yet today? On to the conclusion of the series on stopped horn.

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Stopped horn is an important topic that has to be considered from multiple angles

Stopped horn and half-stopped horn

In Horn Technique Gunther Schuller wisely expands the discussion to include stopped horn and the related technique of half-stopped horn.

Beginners are often baffled by hand muting because of the transposition involved. In hand muting the hand closes the bell, preventing the air almost (but not quite) from coming out the bell. Because of the size of the throat of an average French horn bell, the point at which the average human hand almost blocks the air column is fairly far in the bell. This causes—in theory and in practice—a shorting of the tubing…. This in turn causes the raising of the pitch by approximately a half step, and the player must therefore transpose down a half tone to compensate for this. To be more exact, he must finger a not a half tone lower than the one desired.

Considerable confusion arises from the fact that another distantly related form of stopping the horn, called ‘half’ or ‘three-quarter muting’, is achieved by a somewhat similar hand manipulation, and results in the lowering of the pitch. I will return to this form of muting shortly.

I have seen this more frequently as half stopping or echo horn, such as is requested in the Dukas Villanelle, and in reality it is also what Brahms had in mind in his stopped passages, such as this one from his first symphony. Schuller continues to explain how it is critical in hand stopping to close the bell as completely as possible and that in general you must play stopped notes on the F horn for intonation. He continues,

As for half muting, it is a special effect, coming more and more into use with contemporary composers…. As the term implies, it is a means of half closing the bell, resulting in a half muted sound, with an unforced misty tone quality. It is a very unusual effect, giving the impression of a sound coming from a distance, a sort of echo effect. It can also be used for extreme pianissimo passages in very live acoustics.

Why students initially get confused

After a long discussion of the acoustics behind hand stopping Schuller also notes the following which is undoubtedly true. “I would like to suggest that the confusion among beginners regarding the two approaches to hand stopping arises from the simple fact that many of them experiment on their own and by chance find the ‘half muting’ method.”

A practical suggestion to improve intonation

As to hand stopping, Harry Berv in A Creative Approach to the French Horn has a very practical suggestion as to improving intonation.

When playing stopped-horn, the intonation tends to become sharp and, unless you know how to compensate for this by pulling the slides (which lengthens the tubing and lowers the pitch), you will not be able to play stopped-horn in tune.

In most instances, the pulling of valve slides for short, detached stopped tones is not required (the main tuning slide will take care of these notes). It is usually required, however, for prolonged passages. In this case, you will pull the slides approximately ½”, depending on the intonation of the horn and your natural tendency to play either sharp or flat. I say “approximately ½”” because it is impossible to generalize about the exact distance the slide should be pulled. The instrumentalist must find through his own practice and experimentation how far the slide should be pulled in order to achieve the correct intonation.

Those slides do move! He also notes that

It is generally easier to play in tune with a transposing mute than with hand-stopping, particularly in the lower register, because the airtightness required for stopped-horn playing is achieved immediately, and the mute is in the same position every time….

The metal transposing mute is excellent in place of the hand for muting in the low register. The sound is clearer and intonation much more respectable.

The transposing mute is a great tool for the toolbox

Speaking of transposing mutes, such as the one seen in the photo on the left, I recently had a conversation with someone who had tried one and did not feel it did much for them. I suspect however that they had either tried one that was not particularly good or one that did not fit their horn. For sure though as Berv says, “It is generally easier to play in tune with a transposing mute than with hand-stopping, particularly in the lower register.”

We will have yet more on stopping next week.

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With stopped horn we get to another interesting and important topic, and also one that is not without some controversy.

Confusion is rampant

As an example, at one point, years ago, someone read my article on stopped horn in Horn Articles Online a bit too quickly and wrote me that what I said was wrong and dangerous. Then, about fifteen minutes later, another E-mail came from the same person that essentially said “nevermind.”

In that article, Understanding Stopped and Muted Horn and Right Hand Position, I try to lay out briefly and practically the conventional wisdom. The central part that is confusing is the following.

The burning question many hornists will struggle with is the question of why we think of stopping the horn the way we do on modern horn and why it works at all. The question of what exactly is happening to the pitch of the horn when stopping the bell with the hand has been the subject much study. As noted above, as the bell is closed slowly the pitch goes down but when it is closed very tightly the pitch will rise; some sources say this effect is due to acoustically cutting off the end of the horn with the hand which raises the pitch, while other sources state this is only what appears to happen, as one is actually lowering the next higher overtone to a half step above the previous pitch. The latter approach is correct but in either case, the practical reality is that stopped horn technique as it is taught today for the modern horn relies on this phenomenon, closing the bell tightly and fingering a half step below the desired pitch on the F horn, but this approach to stopped horn technique does not appear to have seen any use before the twentieth century; the hand was always used on the natural horn to lower the pitch of the instrument when closed.

For stopped horn the problem is that the theoretical bumps up against practical reality. In the readings that follow this will be seen to certain degrees.

Consider non-standard fingerings for better intonation

One initial note I would add as well is over the years I have more and more relied on the use of non-standard fingerings for purposes of intonation, both with students and in my performance. On a large bell horn I feel that I can play well in tune with standard fingerings, but on a smaller bell I feel that I play somewhat sharp when stopped. By the same token, players with smaller hands seem to as a group have more trouble than me keeping stopped pitch down on any horn.

I have found that it helps to develop familiarity or at least the ability to find fingerings that are flat, as these will help bring pitch down. I discuss this further in this article but to quote briefly, “for any note in the treble clef or above there are flat alternate fingerings that work great as stopped horn fingerings for students with small hands.” Many of those are on the Bb horn and are also extremely useful to have available for accuracy.

The conventional wisdom

With that we turn to The Art of French Horn Playing. Avoiding acoustical controversy, Farkas wisely presents a very practical explanation of the topic.

Hand-stopping is rather difficult to learn, but when the player finally gets the “knack,” it is easily and quickly brought into use. When correctly done, stopping causes the horn to sound a half-step higher. Most beginners feel sure that the theory of the pitch going up a half-step when the horn is stopped is all wrong. They are sure that the tone goes down a half-step and will prove it by demonstrating fingerings that bear out their theory…. This mistaken belief that the pitch goes down a half-step results from almost, but not quite, stopping the horn completely. As the hand gradually closes the bell of the horn, the pitch goes flatter and flatter, until it is almost a half-step flat. It is at this point that the inexpert player quits…. If he would go a little farther and jam the hand quite tightly into the bell, he would prevent the bell from vibrating beyond the point of contact, effectively shortening the tubing (and the bell is part of the tubing) by approximately a half-step. But at this point, the notes must be lipped-up in order to jump this half-step upward. The pitch will not jump up of its own accord but must have aid from the lips. When correctly done, the “open” arpeggio on the F horn will sound perfectly in the key of F sharp, proving that the pitch of the horn has jumped upward a half-step. This peculiarity requires the horn player, therefore, to always transpose down a half step when playing stopped notes.

Ideally you should be able to swing the hand shut from your normal open position, “exactly as though one were swinging a door closed.” Farkas also notes

One important warning: stopping can be done only on the F horn. Stopping the B flat horn results in a pitch rise of almost three-quarters of a tone, and of course there is no way to compensate for this with transposition. Some single B flat horns have a special valve which not only corrects the pitch but also automatically transposes down a half step. But, generally speaking, one cannot stop the regular B flat horn and play in tune.

The stopping valve is a great tool

Speaking of stopping valves, they work great. If you are unfamiliar with what they are, check this article for more information. Mostly seen on descant horns and single Bb horns today, these are “the best invention ever.”

There is much more to say on this topic and we have more next week, stay tuned.

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