Way back in the 70s we were on trombone/brass choir tour to churches and stuff. For one song we played a quartet with 4 of these so called E flat alto horns. We just looked at the music [a hymn] and fingerd it like we would for a B flat baritone. We called it " Tim's Tiny Tubas". Lots of fun. Thanks Trent. I currently have somthing like this. A King with detachable bell for storage in F or E flat, Just pull the slides out to the mark.
Absolutely. This would be fun in a brass quintet setting. I could picture a group getting into Victorian period dress and playing Victorian Christmas carols with this, some cornets, a baritone, and a tuba.
I am going to guess that a french horn mouthpiece, being developed for an instrument twice as long as an altonium, would not work as well as a alto horn with a specifically design mouthpiece. If I look at a hymn book and think of trumpet fingerings an octave higher it works.
@@timscofield8929 I've saw horns with swappable slides to change keys but not any you can just pull out, that's a very nice idea to have basically 2 horns in 1
@@euphinism1 Do you mean cylindrical instead of spherical? Unless you’re talking about one of these: ninestones.com/burntearth/articles/globarticle/index.html :)
@@xenontesla122 Interesting article...I have a bass ocarina nominally pitched in C, while it's real key is Eb+/- I have had this thing since 1961. Peter Schickele was in our town for a concert, and offered to buy it. It is still not for sale! ;-)
Impossible to do on a 2 axis chart because there are multiple geometries to consider. Just using this abomination for example, it has a smaller leadpipe "bore" than standard and long, but not ridiculously so. The cylindrical bore size is relatively large at .468" and of a normal length of maybe 25% or so of the horn. The conical section is then also a typical length, but much smaller than normal (Saxotromba-ish). And then just to troll you, it has a big whopping 8.5" bell flare.
Alto horns used to be fairly common things in the US. As other commenters have noted, they were mostly used in marching bands. About four years ago I found two (in playing condition) in a junk/antique store and bought em both for $100. They were older than the one in the vid, and pitched in Eb. They actually sounded miserable and hard to play in tune - I’m sure I had a lot to do with that! Anyway, I flipped em on eBay - I hope they have happy homes now! I love your vids Trent, keep up the good work!
What an interesting instrument. I've never heard of it before. It looks like a baby baritone. I felt the best part of the video was your mastery of descriptive phrases. I was smiling the whole time. It's a bit after 0530 when I watched this and I'm starting my day in a great mood. Thanks for the video.
I have very fond memories of playing the altonium in our high school marching band. It was meant to be a " marching French horn," so that we horn players didn’t have to march with our double valve horns. It wasn’t intended to be a concert instrument. They were so cute and fun to play!
I was always told by my directors growing up that these were mainly designed for schools that had too many trumpets who needed horns, and was easier to switch students to it, since uses the same fingerings as trumpet and doesn't have any of the challenges of starting horn playing. Now that I'm a music teacher myself I frequently use the altonium while leading rehearsal. Unlike with horn, I can manage to play it one handed which leaves my other hand free to conduct and cue.
Correct if I’m wrong, but weren’t instruments like this and the trombonium were intended for use with marching bands. In the trombonium’s case, I believe it was considered easier to march with.
Absolutely correct. Trombones were thought to be unwieldy because of the slide and French horns “pointed in the wrong direction.” The King Trombonium was used by the University of Southern California Marching Band.
I think the altonium and frumpet were both intended entirely to give french horn players something to do in marching band that didn't involve changing mouthpieces. Those b flat or f marching french horns you can get today are so much superior, mostly because they have the inner contour of a french horn rather than the half euphonium altonium or the half trumpet frumpet.
@@staritone3883 i wish Bb marching horns still saw common use. The Mellophone can't get that same sound since it's in high F, whereas the Bb horns were basically the same concept of a F Horn (both being the lengths of a Baritone and F tuba respectively using small bore for a higher range) giving you some of the richness that IMO is a bit lost with the Mellophone
Yes, I remember those half-assed half-horn monstrosities from my youth. French horn players are already such intonation snobs that I remember the bands that I was in that gave them the choice of playing mellophones/altos or twirl a flag, they always took the flag. HAH!😂
It really is. I've had the opportunity to sit and play with one of these, and the very first thing that came to mind was "This plays pretty much exactly like a mello." The blowing characteristics and how the valves move and everything just felt really similar.
@R Bodisch he said they come in Eb and F. My Alto Horn is in Eb. It takes an Alto Horn mouthpiece but you can use a trumpet mouthpiece. I have a Conn and it’s a little bit beefier than this instrument.
When I was growing up, far as I knew, the brass family was trumpet, trombone, French horn ( I know, I know, it's not really French but what the hey) and tuba. You've really expanded my knowledge and I thank you.
Nice sounding instrument. The sound of the alto is at least as different from that of the French horn as those of the baritone and euphonium are from that of the trombone.
For awhile, people kept experimenting with using french horn mouthpieces in places they didn't belong. The Getzen frumpet is a torture device rather than an instrument (it's an F alto trumpet that uses a french horn mouthpiece), as is the g/d "french horn bugle" used by drum and bugle corps prior to having two valves. The french horn bugle is more like a french horn than the altonium or the frumpet are, but for some reason it has a very small bell. Basically, all these instruments have the difficult accuracy of the french horn mouthpiece but do not possess the veiled sound of the french horn. Combine that with the bad intonation of an unrefined, new instrument design and all you have is a bad time.
I own a KING verison of this instrument but it is not as small. It also has a additional pipe to change its key ( from Eb to F) It takes my trumpet mouthpiece. I do agree. The tone is very "adventurous". Do you have any information on this type of brass instrument?
These and other similar instruments (bell front brass) were created to have the instruments of the American marching bands (high school and college) project in the same direction, or, as in the case of the trombonium, reduce some of the perceived unwieldiness. I also suspect it was easier to teach one of the 100 trumpet players these instruments than their original counterparts. Some caught on (bell front baritone for one) and some didn’t (the altonium). The questionable intonation on many of these instruments likely has more to do with somewhat specific mouthpieces being designed for them (like the Conn 16E Mellophonium). Unfortunately, just like today, the first thing lost is usually the mouthpiece and once the instruments went out of production, the mouthpieces were no longer made and whatever “fit” went into the horn. I’d love to see comparisons with the original mouthpiece vs modern replacements (if that isn’t the original you’re playing on).
I've tried the Altonium with a Descant Horn mouthpiece and it's better than with a regular mouthpiece, but still not great. I think it's possible to produce a mouthpiece that would work better, but it's hard to do it for a reasonable price with how small the selection is on the market. With the Mellophonium, for sure. It plays fine with the original mouthpiece if you know how to blow to pitch. Anything deviating from that design is disaster waiting to happen.
I just left a comment on this video. I have one that is like the one in the video however it's not as small. Made by KING. I believe it's in the key of Eb and has a lead pipe changer to make it F. Do you know anything about these horns?
@@everydayshowday5151 So I own a couple and definitely have the Eb version of the Altonium. I know about as much as what's available on the internet. My Tromboniums are in poor condition (awaiting me to set aside the funds to get them into working condition) but my Altonium plays nicely. I've tried experimenting with mouthpieces and even cobbled together something that works for me (if you don't need a high register). I personally like them but I just like all brass instruments (trombone player by trade).
@@bonemack - thank you for the responce. I'm looking for genres of music to use this horn with. I feel it will add a great value to what I want to do as a performer.
@@everydayshowday5151 JJ Johnson and Kai Winding have a recording called Two Tromboniums. I’m a trombone player (slide) but grew up playing valves instruments also. I’ve used valves trombone sounding things in place of the real deal where physical space was a premium and slides just weren’t welcome or when I need a somewhat crisper articulation than my skills allow. As for genre, it’ll fit well in jazz, brass ensemble, etc but you are giving up the trombone slide effects for, dare I say, velocity in changing pitches chromatically.
My local music store has a new old stock specimen of one of these, sitting in their display case since the 70s. I picked it up and gave it a blow yesterday, fun little horn!
I have one that changes from E flat to F and the bell can be rotated. I played it in marching band back in 1971-74. I enjoy playing it but my community band director does not like its sound so I play my French Horn with them.
No doubt you've had a few things to say about the valve trombone, but I've missed them. If you have a minute I'd appreciate a word or two about that instrument. Thanks.
I have an F.E. Olds & Son Ambassador in the key of F Altonium I read a Bach mouthpiece made for a mellophone works well. But, my band director infatically told me not to bring it back to band. I play the Altohorn Eb. I really like my Altonium It can be converted to Eb by changing the Big Main tuning slide. The horn was made in 1957 and the slides are a bit on the loose side. Do you think silver plating the male part of the slide will tighten them , seal the slight air leak? The valves are in nice shape.
except no French Horn player would or could play it since it is played with the right hand not the left. Also most French Horns have a thumb valve to switch between the F Horn and B flat horn and again French horn players would struggle to play without this fourth valve.
I learned to play on one of those. Our band director called them "F-Horns". I played it for about a year before my loneliness (I was the only person playing it) caused me to take up the Trombone.
I have a King horn in F very similar to yours, Trent, but its intonation is very quirky. The mouthpiece receiver is made for an alto horn. I've tried playing it with a French horn mpc using an adapter and it actually sounds a little better, though intonation is still bad. I also have an Eb horn (probably a tenor horn?) by Antione Courtois that plays amazingly well, even though it is full of dents and needs a lot of work.
I'm surprised to see this instrument on here! My high school actually has one (for some reason) and I've had to opportunity to mess around with it occasionally. It's a really funky instrument, but I quite like it.
Someone gave me an E-flat altonium recently, which is a bit of an inconvenience as I'm a woodwind player. One of these days I'll experiment with fitting sax and clarinet mouthpieces on it.
It’s likely because you play so well, but this horn sounds really quite nice, much better than I expected, a lovely bright, and a little buttery, tone.
@Mark A -- Not surprising, since King was located in Cleveland. Many years ago, I had a King Baritone much like the one shown in this video -- it was a fine instrument.
@@AndrewAMartin I took private lessons from James Anastacia, who was one of the designers with King. I was even allowed to "test drive" a pre-production model of a King Eroica horn. That was sweet!
I marched with one of these in high school. I didn't sound as good as you, though. And we all played it thumb-out, except when we were playing one-handed.
I was hoping it would match the timbre of the euphonium. I want there to be a tuba family instrument an octave higher than a bass tuba that I can score for.
I used to have a King Baritone Horn, 30+ years ago. A few years ago, my parents donated it to a local school (it was technically theirs, I guess). That was a fine horn...
There's been one of these for sale on our local craigslist for a couple months. I've been debating getting it, and with how small and awkward it is, i think you've decided it for me.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodthereitis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS A REAL THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My music teacher in high school showed up with one of these one day. I was one of only two only French horn players in the school at the time, and enjoyed fiddling around with other instruments, especially the less popular ones. I can’t find another like it, nobody seems to have any idea what I’m talking about, and it drives me CRAZY! It was so playable! I could read horn parts, play it like a trumpet and blast out over the band way easier than with a horn... a benefit when one is greatly outnumbered. I want one.
Since I share your particular generosity of proportions let us feel fortunate indeed that the Altonium seems to have been largely made of the metal unobtanium and is therefore scarcer to find than an honest politician.
Hello Trent, have you ever tried a deep temperature treatment on any of your instruments? A guy over here makes a lot of publicity about it. He chills the instruments at minus 220 centigrade and claims the instruments improve because the material structure stabilizes.
Love the info and horn { I am american}. Hey Trent. A completly different topic. Do you have problems with stuck valves on instruments that are not played often? If you do not, why?
I’m in marching band and I play trumpet. With the colder weather coming do you have a good recommendation for a plastic mouthpiece? I typically play with a Yamaha 14b so something like a 3c or 5c would be nice to have.
I like these vids in which you show off different instruments. However, it would benefit me, someone not really familiar with brass instruments, if you could show them more carefully. I really couldn't see the comparison you were making as it was too quick, not side by side, and you were moving them around. Maybe you could hang them from a wall and get a good shot? Keep up the good work. It's really enjoyable.
There are a lot of instruments called "Alto Horn". This horn specifically features a French Horn mouthpiece receiver and a smaller overall profile. This was one of the first attempts to produce a practical "Marching French Horn". It's remembered fondly by a lot of older players for its cute sound, but it's not a very good design. There's a reason why Descant Horns are so expensive. Trying to design an instrument in 6'F for a French Horn mouthpiece is typically a really bad idea.
I assume that it is an American style intrument THEY MAKE VERY UNUSUAL INSTRUMENTS I play the European style baritone, drums, flugelhorn, trumpet, tenor horn, piano, marimba, vibraphone, xylophone.... i dont know what else.. but im a good player though
In marching bands in my part of the United States, standard brass instrumentation was trumpet, Eb alto horn Bb baritone, trombone and sousaphone. For some reason, they made a small bore alto horn, which would make it in my mind an alto trumpet. And then they put a horn mouthpiece in it? Seems foolish to me. As for size, they were typically played by school-age children, so it was a reasonable fit for them. And as to intonation, once you get outside and start marching around, intonation is going to go to hell anyway. As a voice between Bb trumpet and Bb baritone, they made sense for filling in chords where the low end of the trumpet would get flabby in the hands of kids.
Hi Trent, would you be interested in a Blessing student cornet. My daughter learned to play on it and I have used it occasionally to help out playing Christmas carols and stuff. It’s quite old but it hasn’t been used very often. I would love to donate it to the wall of many things, subject to the cost of shipping (l live in the UK). Anyway, have a think. Steve Edwards. -iii
Assuming you can counteract the intonation adventures this sounds pretty good. I fail to see, however, why anyone would consider wrapping it into a baritone/euphonium shape!! At that diminutive size a trumpet/cornet type shape would be ever so much more convenient to hold. The only reason the larger instrument is wrapped that way is because a marching style baritone is unwieldy when entirely out in front of your face with nothing to support it. lap style tuba wrap is easier to hold when sitting. But this little monster has no reason to be wrapped this way. I find it offensive.
Recent research suggest that horns like this were used in the early 6os in American marching bands before being replaced by the mellophone. The "altonium" is rather easy to carry being close to the body as opposed to the trumpet position with arms held up.
My whole family thinks this instrument is pretty terrible. I agree, generally, saying "It has, basically, NO tone color." It genuinely makes me think of the sound of a blank sheet of paper. Thanks for showing.
"in my continual strivance for minimalism"
love this guy's sarcasm
He really does do some of the best deadpan sarcasm on all of RUclips
It's so dry it you can hear the wind howl through
I think these would be cool like in a quartet around christmas time.
Way back in the 70s we were on trombone/brass choir tour to churches and stuff. For one song we played a quartet with 4 of these so called E flat alto horns. We just looked at the music [a hymn] and fingerd it like we would for a B flat baritone. We called it " Tim's Tiny Tubas". Lots of fun. Thanks Trent. I currently have somthing like this. A King with detachable bell for storage in F or E flat, Just pull the slides out to the mark.
Absolutely. This would be fun in a brass quintet setting. I could picture a group getting into Victorian period dress and playing Victorian Christmas carols with this, some cornets, a baritone, and a tuba.
I just want to learn a brass instrument for Christmas .
They just suit it so well .
I am going to guess that a french horn mouthpiece, being developed for an instrument twice as long as an altonium, would not work as well as a alto horn with a specifically design mouthpiece.
If I look at a hymn book and think of trumpet fingerings an octave higher it works.
@@timscofield8929 I've saw horns with swappable slides to change keys but not any you can just pull out, that's a very nice idea to have basically 2 horns in 1
"Continuous strive for minimalism" he says whilst having hundreds of brass instruments on the wall in the background 😂😂😂😂😂
I would love to see a chart that has bore size on one axis and tubing length on the other, with all these various horns plotted on it
Yeah, bore size and shape, conical or spherical.
@@euphinism1 Do you mean cylindrical instead of spherical? Unless you’re talking about one of these: ninestones.com/burntearth/articles/globarticle/index.html :)
@@xenontesla122 Oi! Yes, I did mean cylindrical! My mistake!
@@xenontesla122 Interesting article...I have a bass ocarina nominally pitched in C, while it's real key is Eb+/- I have had this thing since 1961. Peter Schickele was in our town for a concert, and offered to buy it. It is still not for sale! ;-)
Impossible to do on a 2 axis chart because there are multiple geometries to consider. Just using this abomination for example, it has a smaller leadpipe "bore" than standard and long, but not ridiculously so. The cylindrical bore size is relatively large at .468" and of a normal length of maybe 25% or so of the horn. The conical section is then also a typical length, but much smaller than normal (Saxotromba-ish). And then just to troll you, it has a big whopping 8.5" bell flare.
Alto horns used to be fairly common things in the US. As other commenters have noted, they were mostly used in marching bands. About four years ago I found two (in playing condition) in a junk/antique store and bought em both for $100. They were older than the one in the vid, and pitched in Eb. They actually sounded miserable and hard to play in tune - I’m sure I had a lot to do with that! Anyway, I flipped em on eBay - I hope they have happy homes now! I love your vids Trent, keep up the good work!
What an interesting instrument. I've never heard of it before. It looks like a baby baritone. I felt the best part of the video was your mastery of descriptive phrases. I was smiling the whole time. It's a bit after 0530 when I watched this and I'm starting my day in a great mood. Thanks for the video.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video :)
Dave, how is it possible, that your comment was posted 2 days ago, if the video was just posted now? ^^ just wondering
@@fabiang.9588 Patreon Supporters often get an early release of the video. I happened to be awake right after it was first posted.
@@Theo1505 Aaaah, now I get it, thanks!
I have very fond memories of playing the altonium in our high school marching band. It was meant to be a " marching French horn," so that we horn players didn’t have to march with our double valve horns. It wasn’t intended to be a concert instrument. They were so cute and fun to play!
I was always told by my directors growing up that these were mainly designed for schools that had too many trumpets who needed horns, and was easier to switch students to it, since uses the same fingerings as trumpet and doesn't have any of the challenges of starting horn playing.
Now that I'm a music teacher myself I frequently use the altonium while leading rehearsal. Unlike with horn, I can manage to play it one handed which leaves my other hand free to conduct and cue.
Always a good day when you upload a video about an obscure instrument
Correct if I’m wrong, but weren’t instruments like this and the trombonium were intended for use with marching bands. In the trombonium’s case, I believe it was considered easier to march with.
Absolutely correct. Trombones were thought to be unwieldy because of the slide and French horns “pointed in the wrong direction.” The King Trombonium was used by the University of Southern California Marching Band.
I think the altonium and frumpet were both intended entirely to give french horn players something to do in marching band that didn't involve changing mouthpieces. Those b flat or f marching french horns you can get today are so much superior, mostly because they have the inner contour of a french horn rather than the half euphonium altonium or the half trumpet frumpet.
@@staritone3883 i wish Bb marching horns still saw common use. The Mellophone can't get that same sound since it's in high F, whereas the Bb horns were basically the same concept of a F Horn (both being the lengths of a Baritone and F tuba respectively using small bore for a higher range) giving you some of the richness that IMO is a bit lost with the Mellophone
Yes, I remember those half-assed half-horn monstrosities from my youth. French horn players are already such intonation snobs that I remember the bands that I was in that gave them the choice of playing mellophones/altos or twirl a flag, they always took the flag. HAH!😂
This is essentially a weird shaped mellophone.
It really is. I've had the opportunity to sit and play with one of these, and the very first thing that came to mind was "This plays pretty much exactly like a mello."
The blowing characteristics and how the valves move and everything just felt really similar.
I dunno what horrible Mellophone you've had access to, but absolutely not.
At least you can see past the bell.
Isn’t this just a US Altohorn?
@R Bodisch he said they come in Eb and F. My Alto Horn is in Eb. It takes an Alto Horn mouthpiece but you can use a trumpet mouthpiece. I have a Conn and it’s a little bit beefier than this instrument.
When I was growing up, far as I knew, the brass family was trumpet, trombone, French horn ( I know, I know, it's not really French but what the hey) and tuba. You've really expanded my knowledge and I thank you.
I bought one of these for the price of $100! I love it, it was just overhauled and played amazingly!
I have an Eb Altonium and a Bb Trombonium. Looking for someone to overhaul both. Who did the work for you?
This would be a great instrument for kids to learn on, especially for school marching bands!
I'm still waiting for the day that, in one of these "rare brass" showcase videos, you play my instrument: the bass flugelhorn.
Isn’t that what’s hanging on the wall behind him on the far left?, or is that an ordinary flugelhorn with different shape?
@@TimothyReeves I think that's his "solo horn," which is an e-flat alto horn with a trumpet-like wrap.
if anybody wants to hear more of the trombonium J.J. Johnson And Kai WInding have a tune called piece for 2 Tromboniums
Nice sounding instrument. The sound of the alto is at least as different from that of the French horn as those of the baritone and euphonium are from that of the trombone.
For awhile, people kept experimenting with using french horn mouthpieces in places they didn't belong. The Getzen frumpet is a torture device rather than an instrument (it's an F alto trumpet that uses a french horn mouthpiece), as is the g/d "french horn bugle" used by drum and bugle corps prior to having two valves. The french horn bugle is more like a french horn than the altonium or the frumpet are, but for some reason it has a very small bell. Basically, all these instruments have the difficult accuracy of the french horn mouthpiece but do not possess the veiled sound of the french horn. Combine that with the bad intonation of an unrefined, new instrument design and all you have is a bad time.
I own a KING verison of this instrument but it is not as small. It also has a additional pipe to change its key ( from Eb to F) It takes my trumpet mouthpiece. I do agree. The tone is very "adventurous". Do you have any information on this type of brass instrument?
These and other similar instruments (bell front brass) were created to have the instruments of the American marching bands (high school and college) project in the same direction, or, as in the case of the trombonium, reduce some of the perceived unwieldiness. I also suspect it was easier to teach one of the 100 trumpet players these instruments than their original counterparts. Some caught on (bell front baritone for one) and some didn’t (the altonium). The questionable intonation on many of these instruments likely has more to do with somewhat specific mouthpieces being designed for them (like the Conn 16E Mellophonium). Unfortunately, just like today, the first thing lost is usually the mouthpiece and once the instruments went out of production, the mouthpieces were no longer made and whatever “fit” went into the horn. I’d love to see comparisons with the original mouthpiece vs modern replacements (if that isn’t the original you’re playing on).
I've tried the Altonium with a Descant Horn mouthpiece and it's better than with a regular mouthpiece, but still not great. I think it's possible to produce a mouthpiece that would work better, but it's hard to do it for a reasonable price with how small the selection is on the market. With the Mellophonium, for sure. It plays fine with the original mouthpiece if you know how to blow to pitch. Anything deviating from that design is disaster waiting to happen.
I just left a comment on this video. I have one that is like the one in the video however it's not as small. Made by KING. I believe it's in the key of Eb and has a lead pipe changer to make it F. Do you know anything about these horns?
@@everydayshowday5151 So I own a couple and definitely have the Eb version of the Altonium. I know about as much as what's available on the internet. My Tromboniums are in poor condition (awaiting me to set aside the funds to get them into working condition) but my Altonium plays nicely. I've tried experimenting with mouthpieces and even cobbled together something that works for me (if you don't need a high register). I personally like them but I just like all brass instruments (trombone player by trade).
@@bonemack - thank you for the responce. I'm looking for genres of music to use this horn with. I feel it will add a great value to what I want to do as a performer.
@@everydayshowday5151 JJ Johnson and Kai Winding have a recording called Two Tromboniums. I’m a trombone player (slide) but grew up playing valves instruments also. I’ve used valves trombone sounding things in place of the real deal where physical space was a premium and slides just weren’t welcome or when I need a somewhat crisper articulation than my skills allow. As for genre, it’ll fit well in jazz, brass ensemble, etc but you are giving up the trombone slide effects for, dare I say, velocity in changing pitches chromatically.
My local music store has a new old stock specimen of one of these, sitting in their display case since the 70s. I picked it up and gave it a blow yesterday, fun little horn!
That's a really cute Eb Alto Tuba
YOU AGAIN
@@isetta4083 The Horn is very cute
@@RockStarOscarStern634 it is very much so
@@isetta4083 I'm getting a yinfente 5 String Electric Cello so I can play Choral arrangements of every song on the Cello.
Not even close to a Tuba.
Mr. Hamilton is a super nice guy! His show belongs on Bravo/PBS/History channels!!!!
I have one that changes from E flat to F and the bell can be rotated. I played it in marching band back in 1971-74. I enjoy playing it but my community band director does not like its sound so I play my French Horn with them.
my army unit had a few when they wanted trumpet players to cover horn parts. we called them "commodophones".
No doubt you've had a few things to say about the valve trombone, but I've missed them. If you have a minute I'd appreciate a word or two about that instrument. Thanks.
Trent you are the most underrated RUclipsr on the planet. When I turn 18 I’m going to send you a nice trumpet for one of your videos.
I have an F.E. Olds & Son Ambassador in the key of F Altonium I read a Bach mouthpiece made for a mellophone works well. But, my band director infatically told me not to bring it back to band. I play the Altohorn Eb. I really like my Altonium It can be converted to Eb by changing the Big Main tuning slide. The horn was made in 1957 and the slides are a bit on the loose side. Do you think silver plating the male part of the slide will tighten them , seal the slight air leak? The valves are in nice shape.
So it's a french horn that looks like a baritone and sounds like a trumpet... Ok
Alto horn?
I think trumpet is a huge stretch lol
except no French Horn player would or could play it since it is played with the right hand not the left. Also most French Horns have a thumb valve to switch between the F Horn and B flat horn and again French horn players would struggle to play without this fourth valve.
@@DoctorI1962 Single horns much? (also switching between right and left isn't that hard, we do it all the time(mellophone, normal alto horns, etc)
Mouthpiece and lead pipe would be bigly different.
Just saw one of these on reverb last night
I learned to play on one of those. Our band director called them "F-Horns". I played it for about a year before my loneliness (I was the only person playing it) caused me to take up the Trombone.
i actually quite like the way it sounds
I have a King horn in F very similar to yours, Trent, but its intonation is very quirky. The mouthpiece receiver is made for an alto horn. I've tried playing it with a French horn mpc using an adapter and it actually sounds a little better, though intonation is still bad. I also have an Eb horn (probably a tenor horn?) by Antione Courtois that plays amazingly well, even though it is full of dents and needs a lot of work.
I'm surprised to see this instrument on here! My high school actually has one (for some reason) and I've had to opportunity to mess around with it occasionally. It's a really funky instrument, but I quite like it.
Someone gave me an E-flat altonium recently, which is a bit of an inconvenience as I'm a woodwind player. One of these days I'll experiment with fitting sax and clarinet mouthpieces on it.
It’s likely because you play so well, but this horn sounds really quite nice, much better than I expected, a lovely bright, and a little buttery, tone.
Hey Trent our band actually has a trombonium with a removable bell
I played both altonium and trombonium when I played in our high school marching band. John Marshall High School, Cleveland Ohio.
Ohio here too, Medina County. Played altonium in High School marching band in early 1970's.
@Mark A -- Not surprising, since King was located in Cleveland. Many years ago, I had a King Baritone much like the one shown in this video -- it was a fine instrument.
@@AndrewAMartin I took private lessons from James Anastacia, who was one of the designers with King. I was even allowed to "test drive" a pre-production model of a King Eroica horn. That was sweet!
I marched with one of these in high school. I didn't sound as good as you, though. And we all played it thumb-out, except when we were playing one-handed.
I was hoping it would match the timbre of the euphonium. I want there to be a tuba family instrument an octave higher than a bass tuba that I can score for.
King is quality! I started out on a Cleveland King Cornet! 🎺
I used to have a King Baritone Horn, 30+ years ago. A few years ago, my parents donated it to a local school (it was technically theirs, I guess). That was a fine horn...
@@AndrewAMartin Yes they are!
Working through the backlog of these wonderful videos. What was that excerpt you played at the beginning of the video?
Sounds like my French horn before I've screwed the bell on.
I like any instrument that makes the player look like a giant
It sounds like a trumpet or flugelhorn. Maybe baby’s first baritone?
I started playing the basfligorn,comming from saxophone. I have problems in the lower register. any tips? maybie a video on basfligorn?
There's been one of these for sale on our local craigslist for a couple months. I've been debating getting it, and with how small and awkward it is, i think you've decided it for me.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodthereitis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT IS A REAL THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My music teacher in high school showed up with one of these one day. I was one of only two only French horn players in the school at the time, and enjoyed fiddling around with other instruments, especially the less popular ones.
I can’t find another like it, nobody seems to have any idea what I’m talking about, and it drives me CRAZY!
It was so playable! I could read horn parts, play it like a trumpet and blast out over the band way easier than with a horn... a benefit when one is greatly outnumbered.
I want one.
The tone on this instrument is actually quite good in my view.
"Is this soprano tuba?" XD
Hi, Trent! I was wondering if you can do a video o the Wagner tuba from Wessex, since it's the cheapest one I could find.
He will, if you send him one.
I don't have one. I play the cello.
'It's in the key of 'if.' I love your accent.
"Generosity of Preportions"
🤣🤣🤣
F.E. Olds made a similarly shaped alto horn in F. I used one for two years in marching band before I switched schools.
Don't those use an alto horn mouthpiece, though?
The one that I played on also used a horn mouthpiece. The school had 5 of them.
Since I share your particular generosity of proportions let us feel fortunate indeed that the Altonium seems to have been largely made of the metal unobtanium and is therefore scarcer to find than an honest politician.
Is there any kind of practice mute for this bell front Instrument?
Softtone
Your instrument recordings sound so amazing! What microphone do you use?
What was the outro piece?
So a cornet with a huge bell?
I've got one of these oddities. It sounds ok, but intonation can be a little sketchy. Very interesting to look at, but...
Hello Trent, have you ever tried a deep temperature treatment on any of your instruments? A guy over here makes a lot of publicity about it. He chills the instruments at minus 220 centigrade and claims the instruments improve because the material structure stabilizes.
without the video if someone asked me what instrument that was. i would say with full confidence trumpet. thats all it sounds like
Love the info and horn { I am american}. Hey Trent. A completly different topic. Do you have problems with stuck valves on instruments that are not played often? If you do not, why?
I played Slavische fantasie for my college audition!
It is like a concert mellophone
I’m in marching band and I play trumpet. With the colder weather coming do you have a good recommendation for a plastic mouthpiece? I typically play with a Yamaha 14b so something like a 3c or 5c would be nice to have.
I can make you a custom one!
@@avishai7830 Wait, really?
@@zach4994 sure! I can 3d print you one. As long as you pay for shipping lol
@@avishai7830 I mean that would be cool, could you design me one and I 3D print it from my school?
Trumpet trying to fit in with the low brass:
Trent, with your skills could you tilt it over a bit more to play the valves with your left hand? Enjoying the videos!
Ha ha- Trenth 10% off = a tenth
Trent tenth = trenth
No? Just me?
You probably already know this and this is just me making myself look a bit thick but TrentH comes from 'TrentH(amilton)'
@@patrickcooper7066 i know ;)
As a person who plays an instrument in the key of F I hate this instruments existence but it’s still pretty cool
It sounds a bit like a strangled trumpet, but I actually don't mind the sound that much.
application to use in Jazz?
How did the camo wallets sell out? Who would buy a wallet they can’t see??
I like these vids in which you show off different instruments. However, it would benefit me, someone not really familiar with brass instruments, if you could show them more carefully. I really couldn't see the comparison you were making as it was too quick, not side by side, and you were moving them around. Maybe you could hang them from a wall and get a good shot?
Keep up the good work. It's really enjoyable.
isn't it more like a valve alto trombone?
I guess if anyone can made that abomination of an instrument sound OK, it's you Trent! Well done, indeed.
Really interesting channel - what is the music called in this episode. David Storey
Excerpts from Slavische Fantasy
Can afford all that instruments on the walls, still waiting until his nabour will throw out his razor.
Euphonium at 0:50
So how is this different from an alto horn? Or are they the same thing?
I believe the alto horn is in Eb, and this is in F.
There are a lot of instruments called "Alto Horn". This horn specifically features a French Horn mouthpiece receiver and a smaller overall profile. This was one of the first attempts to produce a practical "Marching French Horn". It's remembered fondly by a lot of older players for its cute sound, but it's not a very good design. There's a reason why Descant Horns are so expensive. Trying to design an instrument in 6'F for a French Horn mouthpiece is typically a really bad idea.
That was one of the strangest sounding slaviche fantaisies I’ve ever heard
Can someone tell me what songs he plays at the beginning and the end?
He made a video about that.
@@majcrash can you tell me what video that is?
@@stephenowens5091 No, but you can search through his videos and find it.
I assume that it is an American style intrument
THEY MAKE VERY UNUSUAL INSTRUMENTS
I play the European style baritone, drums, flugelhorn, trumpet, tenor horn, piano, marimba, vibraphone, xylophone.... i dont know what else.. but im a good player though
ooooh it sounds nice
Sounds nice to me.
A wallet of peeled cow. Wow. Just wow.
Sounds like an alto trombone.
The beard of altonium... nothing minimal about it! I bought the wallet..
In marching bands in my part of the United States, standard brass instrumentation was trumpet, Eb alto horn Bb baritone, trombone and sousaphone. For some reason, they made a small bore alto horn, which would make it in my mind an alto trumpet. And then they put a horn mouthpiece in it? Seems foolish to me. As for size, they were typically played by school-age children, so it was a reasonable fit for them. And as to intonation, once you get outside and start marching around, intonation is going to go to hell anyway. As a voice between Bb trumpet and Bb baritone, they made sense for filling in chords where the low end of the trumpet would get flabby in the hands of kids.
Interesting!
Hi Trent, would you be interested in a Blessing student cornet. My daughter learned to play on it and I have used it occasionally to help out playing Christmas carols and stuff. It’s quite old but it hasn’t been used very often.
I would love to donate it to the wall of many things, subject to the cost of shipping (l live in the UK). Anyway, have a think.
Steve Edwards. -iii
Hi Steve, thank you for your kind offer. Could you kindly send me a photo? trenthamiltonnz@gmail.com
Now you have 900 likes
I think this is what my high school had 😬
Assuming you can counteract the intonation adventures this sounds pretty good. I fail to see, however, why anyone would consider wrapping it into a baritone/euphonium shape!! At that diminutive size a trumpet/cornet type shape would be ever so much more convenient to hold. The only reason the larger instrument is wrapped that way is because a marching style baritone is unwieldy when entirely out in front of your face with nothing to support it. lap style tuba wrap is easier to hold when sitting. But this little monster has no reason to be wrapped this way. I find it offensive.
Recent research suggest that horns like this were used in the early 6os in American marching bands before being replaced by the mellophone. The "altonium" is rather easy to carry being close to the body as opposed to the trumpet position with arms held up.
Nice
I was going to use the code to get a wallet to help out trent, but they're like 100 dollars
bit too heafty for me
That's how they keep the wallet so small.
What is a yardcart? 😂😂😂
My whole family thinks this instrument is pretty terrible.
I agree, generally, saying "It has, basically, NO tone color."
It genuinely makes me think of the sound of a blank sheet of paper.
Thanks for showing.
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my leather wallet is biodegradable