Adrift Amidst a Sea of 8D's

As we all know, each part of the country has their horn sound.  When I was in the South, it was all about the Holton.  Here in New York, it's all about the Conn 8D.

Back when I played with the Queensborough Symphonic Band, the principal tried my horn and felt it was as close to an 8D as you can get -- being that it was a Holton H179 with a Lawson lead pipe, which opened it up considerably.

That Holton got me through a LOT of good music.  It got me through Tchaikovsky's 6th, Hanson's 2nd, Bruckner's 4th, Dvorak's 8th, and practically all of Beethoven's symphonies.  Yes, it's not quite an 8D, but I could go toe-to-toe with one and come out fine.

And now I'm with the Paxman.  It's a nimble horn.  It's much easier to control than the Holton and, as Mark Taylor puts it, it's quite "smooth."  But the difference is actually noticeable.  The Pax is a little thin compared the the thickness of the 8D.  But I can fill it up fairly well and, with the right mouthpiece (which I'm inches away from firming up), I can still lead the section.  Yes, the rest of the section is made up of 8D's and one Holton, so they can carry much of the heavy work while I do the high, nimble stuff.

But that whole 8D thing still haunts me.  There are a couple of realities going on.  First, I can't afford to buy a new horn.  Second, now that I'm used to playing a Bb horn, I kind of like it!

I pulled out the Holton again, just to see if I could still make it sing.  I stayed exclusively on the Bb side.  It turns out it's a little rough, but I can work with it.  I remember Chris Nalls saying once that playing a Holton H179 feels like Home, and he's right.  There's something familiar and even organic when I play the Holton.  And though it's bigger than the Paxman, if feels smaller.  Downsides: the high notes are harder, and they are very important.  No high F side, and there's that pesky low F side to contend with.  Upsides: it's a thicker sound than the Paxman.

So, what's the plan?  I've got 3 more mouthpieces to try.  It sounds wacky, but I'm trying out the Denis Wick/Paxman mouthpieces, and they work quite well on the Paxman!  I need to find the right cup size that fits me, but that may open up my tone enough to make me stop worrying.  Or I can just go back to the Holton.

This horn playing thing is becoming much like owning a house: it's never finished.