How to pick out the best horn

[Tomnormann]

What do you pay most attention to when trying out a horn?

Chicago Symphony trombonist Jay Friedman has an interesting perspective. The quote below is from an article Jay Friedman published on his site back in August 2004.According to Michael Mulcahy, Jay is exceptionally good at picking out horns, so it should be worth a listen.

“I want to talk about what I look for in a trombone when I am trying instruments. Since I have picked out many horns for friends and colleagues over the years I have definite features I look for in choosing an instrument. First and foremost is response. I want the sound to speak immediately and have a lively quality to it. I always play something simple like a Bb middle register arpeggio because that first impression of immediacy of sound gives me the clearest picture of the characteristics of that horn. I’m not impressed with a “dark” sound because I’ve already chosen that model horn according to the size of the sound I want, therefore I am only concerned with how quickly that sound of the model I’ve chosen emerges from the instrument. I want an instrument with the clearest example of the sound of that model.”

Since the type of sound is already given by (the specifications of) the model he has chosen, he is most concerned with how quickly (and easily) that sound comes out of the instrument. I will remember that!

Feel free to share your experience!

[Mamaposaune]

My college professor would test a horn by playing sustained tones in each partial, starting in first position and going down chromatically. He said most horns responded well in 1st and 2nd positions, but a "dud" would change for the worse as you got to the outer positions.