My Equipment

Horn

I play a Ricco Kuhn 293 that I purchased in 2008.  This is a handmade horn built in a small workshop in Oederan, Germany.  This is a modern improvement on the Reissmann-Borner Geyer-style horn.  Every since I started playing this horn, I have been impressed with it's craftsmanship.  I believe I am able to produce a very focused sound on this horn that can cut through the orchestra, but I can still play light, delicate passages in woodwind quintet or a solo piece.  


Mouthpiece

I played a wide variety of mouthpieces before I finally settled on my Yamaha 31-GP.  With a 17.28 mm cup diameter, it is on the narrow side for horn mouthpieces.  It is a double cup design, meaning that the cup is bored on two planes.  The upper section is slightly cup shaped, with the lower bore creating what appears to be a very deep cup.  It has a standard, gold plated rim.  Since no two players have the same facial structure, there is not one correct mouthpiece for each style of instrument.  I believe I have found a mouthpiece that works well with my horn for me.  

Mute

This is a Ion Balu tunable straight mute.  Ion Balu is a horn player, horn builder, and mute maker based in Memphis, Tennessee.  Born in Romania, Ion Balu's mutes have become very popular over the past 10 years.  Today, Ion is no longer making mutes, and is now working on a new, custom made horn with Boston horn repair guru and dealer, Ken Pope.  I love using this mute for loud orchestral playing.  It produces a vibrant, orchestral forte.

Mute

This mute is my most recent purchase.  It is made by Don Maslet, a British mute maker.  This is a carbon fiber tunable mute with a wood bottom.  I purchased this mute because it makes a very focused sound in all ranges of the horn at softer dynamic levels.  I plan to use this mute for French orchestral music, solo work, and woodwind quintet.

Stop Mute

I use this TrumCor stop mute for very low stopped playing, and in contemporary pieces that require a stop mute.  It comes with three different sized stems to aid in playing a wide range of dynamics.