This sections takes the point of departure in the acknowledgment of instrument’s importance.
- often “beginner” books start with a simple discussion of the instrument. Either the makes, the holding, the simple physical characteristic (like the overtone series). It’s often the bare minimum to get started.
- I want to say that instruments importance is more than just getting out of the way.
- It is a complex tale of how the instrument is thematised in practice.
- On the one hand it needs to get out of the way “for music”
- on the other, it is the central consideration for what kind of music can be produced.
- it has
The relationship of a horn player with the equipment is complicated.
On the one hand the equipment is the defining characteristic of horn playing. If there is no horn, there is no horn playing. On the other hand the equipment often goes into the background. It is a tool for the art.
Equipment is also the first concern when starting out. How do you operate the horn? Which instrument and mouthpiece do you choose? Tutors and methods start out addressing these issues. It is also a subject of an infinitely nuanced search for better tools for a professional. Yet stages of extreme focus on equipment are taken over by stages of focus on other matters.