The horn in F sounds a perfect fifth lower than written. It is the brass instrument composers misjudge most, because its comfortable range is narrower than its full range and its high notes are risky.
French horn registers
| Register | Range | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Sounding B1 to F2 | Rough and less secure. Usually given to the low horn players, 2 and 4. |
| Middle | Sounding F2 to F4 | The warm, heroic horn sound. Four horns in unison here are a cinematic staple. |
| High | Sounding F4 to C5 | Bright and thrilling, but costly. Usually given to the high horn players, 1 and 3. |
| Top | Above sounding C5 | Risky even for strong players. Not for long lines or quiet entries. |
Writing for the french horn
- Write a perfect fifth above the sound. Many modern horn parts use no key signature and write accidentals in.
- Horns usually play in pairs, with players 1 and 3 taking the high parts and 2 and 4 the low.
- Endurance matters more than range. Give the section rests in a long cue.
The french horn in sample libraries
Horn libraries are recorded loud more often than soft, and a sampled high C costs nothing. A quiet, exposed passage near the top of the written range is one of the hardest things to ask of a player, and one of the easiest to write in a mockup.
The full range is every note a professional can produce. The practical range is narrower on purpose, leaving out the notes only strong players produce reliably. The figures here are cross-checked between orchestration references, and where they disagree the practical range takes the more conservative one.
Other brass ranges
- Trumpet range: E3 to B♭5
- Trombone range: E2 to F5
- Tuba range: D1 to F4
See every instrument on one chart, or check a whole MIDI file against these ranges, in the instrument range chart.