I feel very fortunate that I had 2 fine instruments at my disposal, because it has allowed me to be flexible with my horn choices.  I have owned and played on these 2 instruments, both of which I purchased used, for 13 years.  I’d learned the strengths and limitations of both of them, and honestly, I’d grown tired of the limitations of each one.  I’d been feeling limited in my choices also, because I assumed I couldn’t afford to experiment anymore as I had a family, and now there were more important things in my life to spend my hard-earned money on.  But a few weeks ago, I realized that nothing was stopping me from selling a horn and using that cash to experiment, and I had my family’s blessing on that.

My Rauch horn is a great horn, but it has its limits.  The bore is extremely large, at .476 inches (most horns are .468).  I’m a very average-sized woman, and I find myself running out of air at times as a result (I didn’t have that problem on my Berg).  Also, the horn is quite heavy compared to other instruments.  That is part of its charm- you can play really loud on it and the sound doesn’t break apart, and you can get a gorgeous, big sound on it.  But the negative with that is that it is SO much work to play, especially in extreme dynamics, high range, and crisp articulations.  So I’m ready for a change to a horn that has an enchanting, flexible sound like my Rauch, but also has a normal bore size and is much easier to play.

Besides, there is also nothing like playing a brand new instrument, built expressly for me!  Beautiful, shiny, pristine, dent-free.  I am ready for some excitement again in my personal music world, which I think a new instrument can provide.  But at this point in my career, I don’t want to spend 5 years on a horn builder’s waiting list to play an instrument that everyone else is playing.  I’d rather play an instrument that “speaks” to me personally.  There are so many talented horn makers out there now, and I firmly believe one can now get a terrific handmade instrument that is every bit as good as one made by Berg, Hill, or Rauch for a much lower price and/or a much shorter wait.

So, I have ordered a new horn for myself from someone whom I think is an extremely talented horn maker.  His name is Felix Cantesanu.  If you haven’t heard of him, you will.  I first tried a horn of his about 1 1/2 years ago and it really intrigued me at the time.  On his horn, I was able to get a big sound when I wanted to, yet also an effortless, transparent pianissimo.  Clean articulation was very easy.  It had a very light feel- it is built with a Knopf wrap like my old Berg- but also a unique design with no tubing sections soldered directly to each other.  My scientific side tells me that this would cause more of the high overtones of the horn to ring, which would be great for the acoustically dead hall that I usually play in, the Ohio Theater.  The fact that Felix has innovated rather than simply copied something someone else has already done also appeals to me.  When I tried his horn, not only did the sound and ease impress me, but the intonation was spot-on and there were no bad notes.  I’ve been thinking about it since, and I’ve kept on hearing more and more good things about Felix’s work.  When my Rauch had its leadpipe accident, he was happy to help and quickly sent one of his leadpipes as a replacement, which ended up being better than the original.  I have purchased his C mouthpiece also, and it’s very fine.  So I know his work, and I know he’ll build me a fantastic instrument.

It’s risky and there’s some mystery/fear of the unknown with a new instrument, but hopefully it’ll work out and a Cantesanu horn will become my main instrument.  I have a feeling it will.  But even if it doesn’t, it’s OK; I’ll still have my Rauch horn and at least I’ll have tried.  I’m very excited!

Mahler 6 is a literal marathon for the horns, at about 90 minutes of pretty much non-stop horn playing.  The 3rd horn probably gets the most rest time out of the 1st horn quartet (there are 8 horn parts!), and even with the 3rd horn playing the least out of the first 4 horns, my part was still 20 pages long.  The 1st horn part is 23 pages long!

So, why does the 3rd horn play so “little” (of course a relative term) compared to horns 1, 2, and 4 in this work?  I think that, like in many of his other symphonies, Mahler uses the 3rd horn as a sort of assistant to the 1st horn.  3rd horn plays with the 1st horn in all the big tuttis, but with practically no solo passages other than the occasional couple of notes here and there.  But it’s still plenty to keep me happy and satisfied.  All of the fun, none of the pressure!

As far as the horn sale, there were a few reasons why I thought the sale went successfully.  I put a lot of thought and research into how I would go about selling the horn.  Why did I decide to sell it on eBay?  Because I wanted to avoid paying a consignment fee to a music store to sell it for me, and I wanted to sell it relatively quickly, and not have to wait around (possibly months) for it to sell.  There are fees on eBay, but they are much less than if you sold a horn on consignment.  Also, a colleague of mine sold a custom instrument a few years ago for well over what he thought he would get for it, so I knew it could be a successful sale.

Also, eBay is a darn entertaining way to sell something!  I found myself checking my auction 5 times a day as the price went up like a bullet, especially in the final minutes, and over 100 people were watching the auction.  When a really fine custom made instrument gets put on eBay, it seems word travels REALLY fast.

I decided on a 10 day auction, rather than the usual 7 day auction, in order to allow interested bidders more time to get their finances in order before bidding.  I decided to time the ending of the auction on a Sunday night because as that is leisure time for most people, it offered the most visibility and bidding opportunity at that time.

I started the bidding at $999.99, well under what you’d pay for an excellent instrument, but I wanted to build some excitement about the horn.  I set a reserve price that was not as much as a new instrument, but the minimum that I was willing to part with it.  A reserve price is a minimum dollar amount you set for the item that the bidding must reach in order for it to sell.  It ended up meeting my reserve price quickly and ended up going well over it.

I knew it was very important in an auction for a valuable item such as a musical instrument to have good photos, and lots of them from all different angles.   So on a day off at about noon, when the natural light was the best in the brightest room in my house (the kitchen) I took pictures of my horn using a tripod and my digital camera.  Though I’m no expert photographer by any means, the photos turned out quite well, and I was very happy with them.

I hope the winning bidder is very happy with the horn.  I have taken the pictures down from my website in order to prevent them from being used by potential eBay scammers.  I’ve kept one up as the new banner for my website, because the photo was better than the one I was using previously.  I think if I ever have any spare time (ha!), I might take some new and better horn photos for my banner.  Next time, I will post about the new horn that I ordered.

I picked up my Rauch horn to play on a pops concert last weekend, and I was just like a little kid picking up her favorite blankie!  I love the sound of that horn.  So I’ve decided to keep that one and sell the Berg.  I have decided to begin the auction on eBay on Thursday evening, February 2.  It will be a 10 day auction ending on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 10 pm EST.  I will be posting the link to the auction here once it begins.

For anyone who might be interested, I have included some photos of my Berg here if you’d like to take a look.  If you have any questions about the instrument, please feel free to e-mail me at juliashornpage@gmail.com.  Thanks, and good luck to all future bidders!

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2/2/2012- The auction has begun, and can be seen at:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190635207163?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_2975wt_1415

Your well-being should be top priority

Looking for an additional goal for the new year? If so, consider your psychological well-being.

If you don’t already do so, begin to practice unconditional self- acceptance. Don’t look for those around you to define your self-worth based solely on your performance, accomplishments and achievements, as this can leave you open to chronic insecurity.

Don’t be afraid to take risks. Nothing ventured, nothing gained — especially when the risks are taken in a thoughtful manner. Learn to accept uncertainty as a fact in an ever-changing world. Don’t give up order and self-discipline, but don’t be bound by the need for control and predictability in everything you do.

Find something in life in which you can become fervently engaged. Doing so will help you avoid being bored, lonely and stagnant. For example, for people who are involved in a career, having a strong commitment to their work and embracing the challenges of the job provide a healthy framework for a large portion of their daily existence. This same joy of life hopefully carries over into hobbies, social interests and other activities.

Strive to avoid rigidity and inflexibility by embracing openness, diversity and change. Lifestyles that are governed by tight boundaries, stereotyped roles and too many rules create a brittle, static existence.

Resolve to quit living only in the past and/or predominantly for the future. Instead, try to increase your ability to learn from the past, be excited and look forward to the future, but enjoy every experience of the present.

Some people begin to enjoy life one day at a time only after a tragedy has almost taken their lives. Vow to start valuing the really important things in life now rather than later.

Make your mental health a high priority this year.

Hap LeCrone, a Cox News Service columnist, is a clinical psychologist. Write him at 4555 Lake Shore Dr., Waco, TX 76710; or send email.

hlecrone@aol.com

I have several personal projects (music- and non-music related) in the works, and so it’ll be nice to have some more time to myself in the upcoming year.  Honestly, with all I have planned I will not have much spare time to devote to this blog.  Perhaps this would be a good new year’s resolution- more time for me, less time for the less important things.  I still plan on keeping the site up and making the occasional update (especially monthly to the audition ad section).  I will also post on occasion, when and if the spirit moves me.  But for now, adios!