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Thread: Removing water from horn

  1. Removing water from horn

    Don't know if I'll ever get the opportunity to be out front of the band as a soloist, but I thought if I ever did, that I'd have a stool out on stage with a cloth folded on it (I use a cut up baby blanket to rest my horn on when sitting; I'd probably use that).

    The idea would be to have the stool slightly behind you and to turn away from the audience and empty the condensation onto the the cloth folded on the stool. That way it wouldn't fall with a splat on the floor--something that always causes me to either wince or smile when I'm an audience member and see a soloist just empty all that water onto his/her shoes or the floor.

    Maybe that's being too careful of people's sensibilities; I don't know. I don't think I've ever seen a soloist do it, though.


  2. Removing water from horn

    So I gather that I'm not doing something wrong that causes water to collect in the large pipe, to be drained only by upending the horn and letting the water run out of the bell (an unpleasant and unattractive thing to do, also requiring wiping the bell)?

  3. Removing water from horn

    JD Byrd, are you talking about the "large pipe" -- the very last bend at the bottom of the horn - that leads to the bell? If you've got water collecting in that area, then something may be wrong with your horn. I've never seen someone take a euphonium and turn it upside down to let the water run out the bell unless they had just washed it out and some collected down there in the process. Or they were playing in the shower!! Or outdoors while it was raining.

    Back to the initial post here about no pfft necessary; I have found it totally annoys the trumpet players in my band if I do it. Sometimes I do it and am not even aware of it.

  4. Removing water from horn

    Keith,

    I LOOVE pfffft-ing trumpet players. Sometimes I will even pfffft the french horn players too just to annoy them! ;-)

    Doug
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
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    Removing water from horn

    Not sure but maybe 'Jdbyrd' plays tuba? I know there are some tubas that need to be spun at times to empty water from their horn.

    But, I have on occasion myself found some moisture in the bottom bow... but not enough to cause any gurgling. I always check for any moisture in the bottom bow by turning my horn upside down at the end of rehearsal. If any comes out, it's just enough to have to wipe the bell dry afterwards. I'm sure that it's condensation from the warm horn and airconditioned room I play in. Living in S. Florida, there surely is no shortage of heat / humidity.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  6. Removing water from horn

    For a while, I used to have to empty the spit in collected in my valves (horn would start gurgling) by rotating the horn and then letting the water drain out of the lead pipe.

    Everyone gave me weird looks during band class like they had never seen that... Even my private lesson teacher. But it has stopped doing that which I am very glad.


  7. Removing water from horn

    Hmmm...this is quite an interesting topic of discussion. This is something that I have talked about quite a bit with my professors at school. My general feeling was that it would be rather gross for an audience member to be watching me empty the spit out of my horn on stage. So I have tried to minimize the times when I'm emtpying my slides during a solo. Of course, if you are playing a rather long piece, like a multi-movement concerto, there is nothing that you can do, you are going to have to empty your slides. In some of my recent solo recitals, a few of my professors noted that when I would empty my slides, I would sort of half turn away from the audience so that they couldn't see the moisture/spit dripping out... I didn't really realize that I was turning away from the audience when I emptied out my slides. However, my professors noted that it isn't necessary to conceal the fact that you're emptying out your slides. The audience realizes what you're doing, and understands that it is necessary to do so when you play an instrument. The other thing that my professors mentioned was that you want to be as prepared as possible for your next entrance. So if you do have to empty out your slides during a multi-measure rest, you don't want to do anything that will cause you to take longer than necessary... you shouldn't feel rushed to empty the slides and then gather yourself for your next entrance in the music. So, imho, the audience will understand if you have to empty out the moisture/spit from your slides... it's just part of being a musician. And if you end up having to empty them out, don't make any motions or efforts that will draw out the process any longer than it has to be. Just empty the slides, and get set for you next musical entrance.
    Gregory E. Lopes
    Euphonium player
    US Navy Band Great Lakes
    US Navy Music Program, 2009-Present

    Besson Prestige 2052

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