I've never met a member of the brass section who wasn't a cocky douchebag. Then again, I've never met a percussionist who wasn't at odds with the brass, so maybe I'm biased.
It's because the brass section are the only ones that compete on the same level of cacophony.
It's true. Trumpet is the most technically demanding instrument. I'd like to think that my (supposed from a friend) kissing skills come from 9 years of trumpet playing. For most of those years I wasn't even playing properly and tonguing, I controlled everything with embouchure and it killed me. Probably gave me great lip stamina (if that's a thing).
French Horn is more technically demanding than the trumpet. The notches are much closer together in regular playing range, and it's like playing a balloon in the upper registers. Further, there is great pitch latitude at each notch, requiring further tuning with the right hand.
I was a trumpet player first and foremost, but I did play flugelhorn, mellophone, and French horn on a regular basis.
My lips, at the peak of my semi-professional play, were like an iron vise.
I'll say this much... the few times I tried playing a trumpet with its teeny-tiny mouthpiece, I had quite a difficult time with it when compared to the larger mouthpiece on my trombone. Then again, I also had trouble with the giant-ass tuba mouthpiece. Guess it all came down to what size mouthpiece I was used to.
Of course, all you French horn, trumpet, etc., players had those convenient little valves to help you out. :P We trombonists actually needed much more precise movements to make sure our slides were at just the right length to get the necessary pitch. Oh, and just try to play something that requires the slide in 7th position while marching. :P
Actually, I don't want to seriously get into a pissing match over which instrument is more difficult than what. They all had their quirks. Plus, I probably had a bit of trumpet playing in my trombone technique if only because our band director was a trumpeter and he pretty much insisted we play everything like a trumpet, at least as much as could be expected with a given instrument (the assistant directors, however, tended to play multiple instruments and knew that trumpet technique wasn't always appropriate for everything -- so it balanced out in the end).
French Horn is more technically demanding than the trumpet. The notches are much closer together in regular playing range, and it's like playing a balloon in the upper registers. Further, there is great pitch latitude at each notch, requiring further tuning with the right hand.
I was a trumpet player first and foremost, but I did play flugelhorn, mellophone, and French horn on a regular basis.
My lips, at the peak of my semi-professional play, were like an iron vise.
^ What Rym said about French Horns being the hardest You may hear unfortunate sounds from the horn section and think they all just suck. Most of them probably don't though and could be good musicians, its just super hard. (Was a person who thought horn players sucked until starting playing horn herself) ^-^;
Not to mention that today's French Horn is actually two horns in one. Your thumb valve switches between a horn in F and one in Bb. You switch depending upon how high or low you are playing and depending upon the key itself. Furthermore your hand, which is placed in the bell, can be used to modify the pitch of the note significantly (if you are good, you can change by almost a full note). The mouthpiece also has the smallest diameter, making it extremely sensitive to embouchure changes, more than any other brass instrument.
Man, I always try and stay above this drama. Literally, since the Orchestra pit is below the stage. I keep outta that place, man, they're like wild animals.
Comments
Also clarinets are awesome. 1st chair represent!
Physics forces us to use valves or slides in the lower registers: it's all guts after that.
I was a trumpet player first and foremost, but I did play flugelhorn, mellophone, and French horn on a regular basis.
My lips, at the peak of my semi-professional play, were like an iron vise.
Of course, all you French horn, trumpet, etc., players had those convenient little valves to help you out. :P We trombonists actually needed much more precise movements to make sure our slides were at just the right length to get the necessary pitch. Oh, and just try to play something that requires the slide in 7th position while marching. :P
Actually, I don't want to seriously get into a pissing match over which instrument is more difficult than what. They all had their quirks. Plus, I probably had a bit of trumpet playing in my trombone technique if only because our band director was a trumpeter and he pretty much insisted we play everything like a trumpet, at least as much as could be expected with a given instrument (the assistant directors, however, tended to play multiple instruments and knew that trumpet technique wasn't always appropriate for everything -- so it balanced out in the end).
You may hear unfortunate sounds from the horn section and think they all just suck. Most of them probably don't though and could be good musicians, its just super hard. (Was a person who thought horn players sucked until starting playing horn herself) ^-^;