H200: The Beginning

So, the Holton H200 arrived and it's real purdy.

Right out of the box I noticed that it's heavier than I expected, which is a good thing. It's not heavy compared to my H179, but heavier than a single Bb, which, as I said, was a good thing. If a horn is too light it will sound too light.

So I screwed on my Lawson Ambronze Brass bell and started to play.

Now, I've been working on playing exclusively on the Bb side of the horn to get used to it, and it's not easy. It's do-able, but since I've been playing a specific way for so many years, making the change has been a bit of a brain strain. It's not impossible, but it's a little awkward. Throw in the reverse thumb valve concept, and it's almost like learning to play all over again.

The first think I noticed is that the sound was good. It doesn't have the deep, deep darkness I get on the H179, but it gets a good, rich sound that I can definitely use to my advantage in Band.

The next think I noticed is that the horn takes a little more work than the H179. I'm prone to not really trust that for a couple of reasons. First, it wasn't a good day for my chops. Second, the hand spread is a little large and I don't have my palm stop, so holding it is a little tougher for me. Yes, this can impact the way the horn feels and sounds. Third, I don't have it quite in tune with itself yet. And finally, don't forget that it's a different horn.

Next I dipped my toe into the High F side. First thing I noticed is that it was a little brighter, but that is not a bad thing. I can use that. Second thing I noticed is that technical passages in the upper register were INFINITELY easier!

But then I faced the biggest issue: intonation. Some of the notes are a little hinkey, but nothing that I can't fix. But that top space G has me worried. It's flat. Really flat. The high F side has a very small independent tuning slide, and I have it pushed in all the way, and it's still flat. Only when I take my hand completely out of the bell does the G fall in tune.

I tried it in some flying passages and it works fine. In the mean time, I'm trying to figure out what to do. Is it the bell? Is it my mouthpiece? Is it just the Achilles Heel of the horn? I have an E-mail in to John Ericson asking for guidance on this one.

So Day 1 is done. Let's see what Day 2 brings. It's quite exciting and quite scary, but in a good way.