Orchestras commonly use the French horn for its warm, mellow tone. The French horn has 16 feet of brass tubing, which is twisted and ends in a wide bell. When this instrument was first produced crooks created a change in tone by altering the length of the tube. Crooks are extentions of the tube. In 1754, Joseph Hampel invented stopping which is a method that the player would change the tone by placing his or her hand into the bell. In 1800’s, three or four pistons were added for a smoother change in pitch.
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I played the french horn on and off for eight years after starting with the trumpet. It is a difficult insturment to play due to the small mouthpiece and the fact that your sound is being projected behind you (unlike most instruments), but at the same time it can produce some of the most beautiful tones of all instruments. While I don’t believe I did the instrument any justice with my playing, I love hearing older pieces of music with a good horn section in the background, and try to pick out the french horns. If anyone is interested in giving the instrument a try in their local/school bands, I highly recommend it.