 Specific Ranges
(Note: All the scores on the following pages are written
in concert
pitch.)
The French horn's
overall range can be subdivided into distinctive low, middle and high
ranges.
The Low Range
The low range is perhaps the French
horn's most fragile range and, to some degree, its weakest. But
the unique color of this range is worth exploring. The low range has a
tonal quality similar to the mid-high range of a tuba.
It has a haunting, mysterious quality to it:
The lowest note of this range varies depending on the
player, but it falls somewhere within the octave that starts approximately
two octaves below Middle C. (Some music guides list the note as even lower).
The top note of this low range is approximately the F below Middle C.
Adding either a bassoon
or a tuba to play in unison with
the horns in this lower range
will give the sound more power and less fragility, thereby tempering its
natural haunting quality. This is the least used range for the horns
so this sound is less familiar to most ears.
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