French horns with four finger valves and one change horn valve, instead of the standard three finger valves and one change horn valve enable play in twelve keys, as well as twelve tones. Point and dimple connections between key levers and rotary valve string bars provide smooth translation of the string bars and smooth rotation of the rotary valve hubs. Screw-on mouthpieces and mouthpipes have smooth identical inner diameters to avoid the airstream disrupting steps of conventional push-in mouthpieces. Cork block mountings between the tubes, valves and slides instead of the standard soldered metal mountings avoid transmission of vibrations between the tubes. Hand straps steady the French horns instead of the usual finger hooks.
An improved French horn includes a coiled tubular body having a bell end, a curved inlet end and a plurality of valves formed thereon between the bell end and the inlet end for controlling a flow of air through the French horn. A mouthpipe has a mouthpiece end, a curved outlet end and a substantially straight section between the mouthpiece end and the outlet end. A pipe detachably interconnects the inlet end of the coiled tubular body and the outlet end of the mouthpipe. The pipe is configured so that the interconnected mouthpipe may be situated at either one of two positions relative to the body, including a first position in which the substantially straight section of the mouthpipe is substantially tangential to the coiled tubular body, and a second position in which the substantially straight section of the mouthpipe is away from the first position and close to the valves of the coiled tubular body.
