French horn -

1. Why is the French horn so hard to play?
2. Why do they call it a French horn?
3. What is so special about the French horn?
4. What is the French horn also called?

Why is the French horn so hard to play?

The French horn is widely considered to be the most difficult brass instrument to play. ... Because the partials (available notes in the harmonic series) are so close together in the third octave, the horn's most comfortable range, it is fairly easy to miss or “crack” a note.

Why do they call it a French horn?

British and French Hunting Horns are different sizes, and when it began being used as a musical instrument in Britain, the size reminded them of the larger French hunting horns. Colloquially they liked to call them “French Horns”, rather than German Horns, which they were.

What is so special about the French horn?

The horn is often called the most difficult instrument to play. Although it can hit such a wide range of notes, it's incredibly easy for a musician to crack notes or play flat, making it an even more impressive feat to truly master the French horn. When uncoiled, the horn is 12 to 13 feet long. That's a lot of tubing!

What is the French horn also called?

Horn, also called French horn, French cor d'harmonie, German Waldhorn, the orchestral and military brass instrument derived from the trompe (or cor) de chasse, a large circular hunting horn that appeared in France about 1650 and soon began to be used orchestrally.