A new revolution is forming. One person plays all the parts of a piece one part at a time to produce music. There are now several web pages that have helped to introduce this new avenue of expression. It is a new way to play for the public.

There have been multitrack recording programs for some time, however when Apple came out with a program called Garage Band, I suddenly realized that I could record a piece of music, playing all the parts one at a time. I can now become my own group. I never considered this possibility before.

There are two other horn players who have done this before me: The Frazier Horn Choir by Todd K. Frazier, and Thomas Thu Hurlimann, which is no longer on the net. He called himself the one-man french horn ensemble.

To play and practice on the horn with other people and to make live performances is really much more fun than just playing by yourself. It is a lot of fun to play in a group. However, there are some players who have found themselves without an organization to play in.

I am now a principal of a school and I have found my work load too heavy to join an orchestra. At times I am tempted to join anyway, but I have found that the local musical groups play on the Sabbath (the Bible Sabbath, Saturday). I want to obey God with what I do and I believe I should be worshipping God on the Sabbath and not be doing things of pleasure on that day.

So for the time being, I will be recording myself, using my Conn 8D and my computer which allows me to play and record when it fits my free time. Oh, and it looks like I may be directing a small school band.

The other two horn sites that I have cited above use mp3 files, however mp4 files are much more efficient. The technology is at least 10 years newer, so the file could be half the size with even better sound.

I set up an experiment in the past to see what people think of the comparison between mp3 and mp4 sound files. No one ever commented but a lot of people did try out the two different types of sound files.

The original size of the music file before converting to either mp3 or mp4 was 21.3 MB. Initially, I made a 3 MB mp3 file using the high quality setting (160 kbit/second) that iTunes provides. I then produced a 1.9 MB mp3 file using the good quality setting (128 kbit/second). When I compare the 1.9 MB mp3 (128 kbit/second) file to a 1 MB mp4 (64 kbit/second) file that I made using Apple's QuickTime Pro, the mp3 recording, even at 128 kbit/second, seems to have more mid-range sound when compared to the mp4 recording. This suggests to me that I may have a greater frequency response in the mp4 recording despite its smaller size because the mp4 recording would have more highs and lows in the recording, more high fidelity.

What I have done is to convert the mp4 recordings into a QuickTime movie. This quicktime movie has the original mp4 sound file inside, so nothing is changed except the packaging. The data is the same as a mp4 file.

You will need quicktime or some suitable program to "listen" to the mp4 audio files.

Dorian mode of Octo Tonorium Melodiae by Thomas Stoltzer (c. 1480-1526)
mp3 files 64 kbit/second (1 MB)
mp4 files 64 kbit/second (1 MB)

Initially, I started playing the Dorian mode at a faster speed. However, I felt that much of the grandness of the piece was lost by the rushed speed. So I slowed down the piece and I added some reverb to simulate a large cathedral feel. Dorian has five parts.

I was in the process of moving when I made the above recording. The recording is not yet what I want, but it can be used to distinguish between mp3 and mp4 recordings. So, I thought I better post what I had so I could hear from you what you think about this new format.

I enjoy all types of music. However, both Early and Classical Music is to me, the epitome of man's ability to express themselves. It has expanded the envelope of expression to a very high level of feeling and emotion.

In the 2004-2005 season and the first part of the 2005-2006 season, I enjoyed playing my french horn in the various orchestral and ensemble organizations of Woodland Productions in Kettle Falls Washington. In my previous location at Walla Walla Washington, I was a member of the Walla Walla Symphony for over 10 or more years. At the same time I was a member of the Inland Northwest Orchestra, and the Walla Walla Brass Ensemble. Toward the end of my time at Walla Walla, I participated with the Oregon East Symphony and in addition, I was occationally asked to join the Mid Columbia Symphony as an extra to round out their horn section. Click to learn more of the horn playing author of this web site