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Developed non-transposing gestopft mute for horn first in the world !
Gestopft play style is the closing bell part by putting right hand in, and to play metal sound style. But it is very difficult playing method and technique for amateur horn player. That's why we have developed Gestopft mute for all players.
Current Gestopft mute needed the transposing and had other problems to play. Our new developed non-transposing Gestopft mute solved all problems simply for all horn players. With this mute, everybody can play horns as usual fingering and play in metallic gestopft sound simply.
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About Gestopft play style
Horn is peculiar instrument putting right hand into the bell part. This is concerned deeply with development of instrument and play style. In the era of Beethoven, it was mainstream for the instrument without valve called natural horn. His horn sonata was composed for this natural horn but required the special note using valve horn on music score. At that time, most players could play this horn sonata even the horn did not have valves. They had special techniques to control the notes by changing form and position of right hand put into the bell. By using this technique, they could play seminote lower and higher. Of course, most horn players at present inherited this technique even now.
In music score, this gestopft play style is written like "+" gestopft in Germany, bouch in French, chiuso in Italy. When you play with F tune horn, the note will be half note higher so you need to transpose your fingering half note lower to correct the note on music score. In Bb horn, when you play in gestopft style, the note will be 3/4 higher than normal so you have to use gestopft valve to lower the note(compensation note valve)
Difference between our Gestopft mute and current mute
Gestopft play style is very difficult play style for all amateur horn players. About 70 years before, American horn player and instrument designer named Mr. Lorenzo Sansone invented the current style Gestopft mute. (right picture)
But there were problems as follows :
- needs transposing = Player has to transpose half note lower by fingering in F horn.
- It works only F horn = Player can not play in Bb horn with special compensation note valve
- difficult to play in low range = Player can not play in low range with rich sound
- un-used with double horn = Player can not use currently mainstream double horn F/Bb. Only for F horn.
BEST BRASS has solved all these problems and invented New Gestopft non-transposing mute.
- no need to transpose = Player can play in normal fingering as music score.
- possible to use in Bb horn = Player does not need any special compensation note valve.
- easy to play in low range = Every player can play in low range with rich sound.
- enable for double horn = Player can play double horn F/Bb as usual fingering.
Every players can play gestopft in metallic sound with this new invention non-transposing Gestopft mute with normal fingering method.
