learning Eb tenor horn

[coolguy684]

I was considering, just for fun, getting myself i good imperial tenor horn and teaching myself tenor horn. would this hurt my euphonium sound the same way my band director said trying trumpet would? i just thought tenor horn would be fun for church hymns and such...itd certainly be easiar to carry than a full sized euph.

[MichaelSchott]

I've heard for years that doubling on an instrument with a smaller mouthpiece can be detrimental but I don't know if it's true or not. The only instrument I double on is a trombine. But if it is something to worry about, I believe an Eb tenor horn mouthpiece is about the same diameter as a trumpet mouthpiece.


I know that whenever I play around on a trumpet, I have a hard time playing it with any focus or range. Combine that with a tenor horn being in a different key and it will take some time to become proficient on the horn.

[fmanola]

Originally posted by: coolguy684

I was considering, just for fun, getting myself i good imperial tenor horn and teaching myself tenor horn. Â*would this hurt my euphonium sound the same way my band director said trying trumpet would? Â*i just thought tenor horn would be fun for church hymns and such...itd certainly be easiar to carry than a full sized euph. Â*

If you Google various doublings, you'll get all sorts of opinions. One I would give a lot of weight to is Doug Yeo's (bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony); in short, be careful. I have a tenor horn myself and play on it sometimes, but the horn I really double on is tuba. One of the things that's important is that you have enough experience on your "main" horn that you can "remember" what playing that horn requires, and can go back to it easily (and also that you do go back to it frequently). I know when I play tuba solidly for a while it takes a some time to get the euphonium chops working right (IMO) again, and vice-versa when taking up the tuba again. Another factor is how proficient you're trying to be on the tenor horn and how frequently you're going to be playing it. If you have private instruction, your teacher can keep an eye out for any bad habits you may be developing. Finally, my tenor horn came with what was essentially a trumpet-sized mouthpiece. You might want to consider getting one of the larger-sized tenor horn mouthpieces (I got a Wick 2 myself) to help reduce the difference. Just my 2 cents.

Frank

[coolguy684]

i was thinking about a Wick 2, that seemed to be common. anyone know what mouthpiece owen farr or other tenor horn pro's use? i know theyre wicks, but size?