The excerpts in both videos would likely sound just as magnificent on a regular C trumpet, if played by Prof. Hickman. For the rest of us, the insecure notes and passages in difficult keys would sound better and cleaner on the 5-valved horn.
The motivation to add extra valves and make the hard parts play easier had resulted in a number of trumpet modifications, such as the Conn quick Bb-A tuning mechanism. The Conn mechanism, however, could not have been adjusted on-the-fly.
Prof. Merri Franquin, 104 years ago, had created a different five-valved C trumpet. "Like the 4-valve instrument, the fourth valve raised the pitch a whole step, placing the instrument in D. The fifth valve lowered the pitch a minor third, placing the instrument in the key of A." [D. Hickman, Introducing the 5-valve C Trumpet by Blackburn Trumpets.]
Prof. M.Franquin's five-valved trumpet was tuned (open) in keys of C, A, D and B natural. The problematic part of M.Franquin's design was that with a minor third (key of A) actuation possible, the first, second and third slides would have to be all substantially increased in length, making this key less in tune without slide adjustments.
With Hickman's design, the base tuning of the horn is, at most, changed by a one whole tone up, or a semitone down, when any actuation of fourth and fifth valve is applied. This allows the notes to remain in tune in all positions of the fourth and fifth valves (C, B, Db and D).
The Hickman design is very flexible:
1. The piston fourth valve, lowering the pitch by a semitone from C to B natural, can be played, left in the "up" C position, or locked with a slider in the depressed position of B natural.
2. The rotary fifth valve, raising the pitch from C by a whole tone to D, can be played, left in the "C" position, or locked with a hook in the D position.
3. The combination of the fourth piston valve and the fifth rotary valve allow the trumpet to play in the key of Db.
4. With fourth and fifth valves not actuated, the horn plays as a regular (fantastic quality!) C trumpet.
That the extra valving could have been added without adversely affecting the tuning and the blow, is absolutely amazing.
Cliff Blackburn made and sold a bunch of them. . . maybe 8-10. . . before retiring and selling the company to Peter Pickett. Peter has also made and sold a few. Not everyone can wrap their heads around how to use this horn, but those who do immediately love it. The double French horn took many decades to become widely accepted, and four and five valve euphoniums and tubas took many years to be adopted too, so we will have to wait and see if this trumpet becomes really popular in the future.
I remember when I was a kid that trombonists were very much opposed to having a F attachment, but it is very common to see trombonists today with one or two triggers. And don't forget, history tells us that the trumpet (cornet) valve was invented and patented in 1810 in France, but players of the old natural trumpet didn't fully accept it and switch to valve instruments until 1870 or so. Arban was the main person to advance this change.
The slides in Hickman 5-valve horn are cut for the length of the C trumpet.
While any choice of the slide length in a multi-key instrument is going to be a compromise, I wonder whether the slide length tuned a quarter tone sharper than that for a C trumpet ("C+1/4") had been considered.
The "C+1/4" slide length would place the furthest keys of the instrument (D and B natural) equidistant from the slide tuning (3/4 of a tone). This, of course, will make all keys out of tune, but less so for the D side.
Tuning to a "C+1/4" would mainly affect the length of the second valve slide, as the lengths of the first and the third valve slides are adjustable on-the-fly.
Joined: 03 Jan 2010 Posts: 101 Location: Georgia, USA
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2020 3:22 pm Post subject:
Anything to avoid the awkward low B to C#, as in Clarke Fourth Study, #71. 😆 _________________ Phil M.
1971 Schilke C1L
1981 Schilke P5-4
1972 Getzen Eterna 900S
The valve slides are cut for D trumpet length. Sharp notes will need some triggering, like on all trumpets. It doesn't feel much different than any other horn as far as that is concerned.
The valve slides are cut for D trumpet length. Sharp notes will need some triggering, like on all trumpets. It doesn't feel much different than any other horn as far as that is concerned.
Do you actually play it in any single key? Or do you just treat it like a C trumpet with lots of alternate fingering options?
If you watch the videos, you will see that the instrument is in the key of C when all valves are open, but it can change keys of instrument on the fly by depressing the fourth and/or fifth valves. The fourth and fifth valves have little swivel locks to hold them down if desired, holding the instrument in B-natural (locking 4th valve down), D-flat (locking both down), or D (locking 5th valve down).
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