Scott F. Hall, b. 1963, California, U.S.A.
Falset Bass Horns
Here are pictures of a lot of serpent type musical instruments I've built - some are traditional, some are very unusual. Most of mine are best not called "serpents" but rather "falset bass horns" since they operate on a slightly different acoustic principle than do true historical serpents.
The classic English-looking eight foot bore-length one was made in two fiberglass halves laid over a plywood core (which I had first laboriously carved to the correct bore shape). My small two feet long instrument was made much more traditionally by carving the two halves in wood - also a very labor intensive. These two are truly serpents due to their primarily conical bore design.
The shape of the horn (above) is based on an illustration in "The Tuba Handbook" by J. Kent Mason (1977). "The Tuba Handbook" was published by Sonante Publications, PO Box 74, Station F, Toronto, Canada (1977 & 1979, ISBN: 0 9690656 0 4). As the source of his information and illustrations, Mason quotes an article from Grove (1954) authored by Reginald F. Morley-Pegge. Kent goes on to say that the Italian Serpent, or Bass Cornett, was in use many years before Guillaume invented the (French) Serpent. He describes the Italian Serpent as "a true bass cornett with small bore, thick walls, and thumb hole, thus distinguishing it from [Guillaume's] Serpent which superceded it".
Several of the less traditional instruments pictured here were built in laminated birch plywood, have a historically incorrect rectangular bore cross section, and include the octagonal outer surface shape that is typical of cornetts. This novel construction technique of mine and the common materials I use in these instruments means that I can build very quickly. Also, they have cylindrical bocals which gives them a punchy tone.
What do these odd looking horns sound like? Very much like the old originals and very expensive reproductions.
To see other falset bass horns built using my unique lamination technique, click here.
Book Serpents
Above are my most original serpent projects: box serpents. This new technique of mine is the simplest yet (100% simple jigsaw cuts - no carving required at all), uses less materials (plywood and glue only this time and the separate mouthpiece), and yet much more closely approximates the correct bore dimensions and gradual expansion of a true 8 foot long historical instrument. And all this is managed within a finished rectangular package that is only about 3.5 x 11 x 23 inches (hence the name: box serpent). A pretty reductive approach - I guess I'm a Modernist at heart. The key to this is that I'm doing a sort of "stepped negative-space topography" inside layer by layer in plywood. The bore shape expands as it should not only in width but also in depth. These are true serpents - the bore is correct and will play the harmonic series like any true horn will chromatically - just under three octaves.
Construction and Playing Detail
All low brass players know how to "toot" a mouthpiece and play tunes that way within a narrow compass, low to high. Well, if you build one of my falset bass horns to attach to your mouthpiece, you can increase that tooting range to 2.5 octaves and it will sound quite fat and loud. Any kid can build one but take note: to play one requires that you actually be a pretty good low brass player already. By the way, I've made two of these for Doug Yeo of the Boston Symphony Orchestra - he uses a small one for warm-up before performances.
Take your trombone mouthpiece and insert it into a 12 inch long piece of 1/2" diameter tubing. This can be any material really: the flexible clear or black vinyl stuff is fine or you could use 1/2" copper pipe. Anything waterproof is okay.
Now, insert that mouthpiece and leadpipe assembly into the small end of ANY short or long horn you have fabricated for this purpose. It can be as short as you want or as long as you want. It can be made in any material. It can look like anything from a ram's horn to a huge, long, convoluted Dr. Seuss style monster horn! It doesn't matter. The only serious issues are A) the horn section must begin at it's small end with at least 3/4" wide inside bore diameter and B) that diameter should remain 3/4" wide OR (better yet) it should flare on out wider and wider as it travels on down toward the bell end. Also, C) you should not be capable of blowing this contraption into the natural harmonic overtone series. If it does that, then start over and make the horn flare wider.
That's all there is to it! A horn like this in the hands of a decent low brass player will yield a range including the fattest, lowest pedal notes on up 2.5 octaves higher - all fully chromatically. There are no fingerholes, slides, nor valves needed although you can install some fingerholes if you like. They will not likely affect pitch but they can change the volume and tone quality of the sound. In all, falset bass horns sound very similar to serpents and bass horns of the 19th century.
To hear a sound of me playing on a falset bass horn that is only a couple of feet long overall, click here
What's the science behind all of this? I'm not entirely sure, but I discovered that 12 inches of cylindrical tubing on a mouthpiece allows you to "toot" 2.5 octaves. The horn attached to this tooting device provides amplification and improves tone. Wooden horns are nice because they mellow the tone nicely. Also, building a horn that has a very consistent conical expansion rate will provide the highest volume and the best possible tone (i.e. make the horn expand from 3/4" diameter on out to 3" or 4" diameter very gradually over the course of its entire length). To date, the best sounding horn I've made is wood and expands from 3/4" to 3" over its 90" total length.
Playing Technique Tutorial
Think about Bb lying in the lower middle of the bass clef staff - the one you tend to start your trombone scale warm up with. Try to blow that Bb note into the falset bass horn. For pitch reference as you first start to play, you'll probably want to have your trombone sitting nearby for intermittently comparing and checking pitches. When you've got that Bb sounding good, go ahead and use only your LIP TENSION to try to go up the Bb major scale: do, re, mi, etc. How? As with any brasswind horn (serpent, bass horn, ophicleide, etc.), it's basically just a matter of listening, tightening your lip tension, and adjusting your breath pressure.
Once you're warmed up and you can go up and down that eight note diatonic scale easily, it's time to try going on down into the deep, deep pedal notes - all the way down to Eb or perhaps even D. Again, just find the notes with your lip and ear. Take note that it is easiest to obtain most of the low pedal notes by DROPPING your lip position to a much lower point within the mouthpiece. You're going to need to make this shift when you get down to about C. You'll also need it as you continue on down through all the pedals to Eb and that D (if you can hit it). For very deep notes, start puffing out your cheeks, too.
Regarding chromatic notes: they're all easily accessible using the same lip-tension adjustment technique. You can play 13 note scales just as easily as 8 notes scales - you can even gliss from note to note and center on microtones. It's simply a matter of your breath pressure, lip tension, and precision use of your ears.
Now, go ahead and play a tune you know. Playing organized music on the falset bass horn will depend upon your ability to control breath pressure, lip tension, and comes via precision use of your ear. And as you know, the element of timing also comes into it.
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