Hi my name's Brae Grimes and I'm the band and orchestral product and repair
specialist for Yamaha Music Australia and today we're going to be talking
about French horn handling and maintenance
although French ones look like a robust instrument they are actually quite
delicate a lot of this tubing is quite thin walled which means it's quite
flexible and there's a lot of leaver points on here so when we take it out of
the case it's important that we do it properly as with all of our brass and
woodwind instrument cases the top has a Yamaha logo make sure the top is facing
upward when you open the case for fixed Bell horns I use my hand in the Bell as
if I was playing it and I grab just above the rotor casing making sure that
I don't have any of my fingers in the loops of the valve slides for detachable
bells the same applies just when I'm threading the Bell I ensure that the
horn is secure either in my lap or on a flat surface threading the Bell on is
sometimes a precarious endeavor so what I like to do is have my fingers
over the thread like this find the thread by running it backwards first and
then running it the thread clockwise to make sure that it goes on to the stem of
the horn once I feel it grab I'm twisting it with my thumb all the way
around until it's just tight enough a little twist ensures that it's in place
a common misconception with the French Horn is that we oil the rotors a lot
but actually we want to make sure that we oil the bearings the most to oil the
bearings we remove the cap I like to keep my index finger on the centre of
the cap so that when I unscrew the cap it doesn't fall off and damage my horn a
couple of drops of bearing oil in the centre of the bearing each day keeps
your bearings nice and lubricated I repeat the process on the backside of
the horn using a dropper bottle to get in between the stop arm and bearing
plate here if my rotors need oiling and they will need oiling from
- time a quick way of doing it is by removing these slides and dropping a
couple of drops while moving the valve on French horn slides we use main tuning
slide grease this can be applicated with a cotton tip if you don't want to get
your hands very greasy there are a lot of slides there on a double horn there's
usually around eight slides a main tuning slide a b-flat tuning slide and
two new slides for each rotor remember to depress the lever as you remove and
insert the slide use a cotton tip or cloth to remove any excess grease as
with any brass instrument if it's stuck or seized don't force it you can
actually do permanent damage to an instrument this way this is especially
important when we're talking about slides to keep the instrument as clean
as possible I use a lead-pipe swab to remove excess moisture after playing
remove the main tuning slide and run the nylon guide through the lead pipe
pulling gently while supporting the horn
to take the bell off a French one a simple twist counterclockwise to unlock
it keeping your thumb on the outside of the rim and your fingers inside the Bell
of the horn as you go counterclockwise to take the Bell all the way off it's
important if you have a detachable Bellhorn to clean the thread regularly
you can do this with a toothbrush and a little bit of soap or a little bit of
detergent or soapy water and then drying it very well afterwards
avoid using lubricants on the thread in this area for smoother Bell threading or
better transfer of energy I sometimes use a graphite pencil around the thread
just to ensure that the bell goes on a bit smoother this also prevents it from
getting stuck over time you can also use graphite powder for more information on
brass and woodwind maintenance please check out our website which is
greatstart.yamahabackstage.com.au thanks again
and we'll see you next time