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Re: Mechanism for half hole of english horn

Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-02-09 21:53

If there are two screws fitted, the uppermost adjusting screw controls the opening of the pad (which is connected to the lower/smaller part of the split plate).

A lot of European cors don't have this adjustment fitted and the pad fully opens (the opening is determined by how much venting the upper part of the split plate has). But having the extra adjusting screw fitted to adjust the venting of the LH1 pad will help the lower altissimo and mid C#, D and Eb notes in how they respond and sound.

The adjusting screw fitted to the upper part of the split plate is to further adjust the venting of the diamond aperture (and the venting of the LH1 pad if that doesn't have the extra adjustment fitted), though a lot of cors don't have an adjustment on here - the venting is usually determined by the thickness of the cork glued to the foot.

My Marigaux cor didn't have the extra adjustment for the lower plate/LH1 pad, though I had one fitted so I could lift LH1 off instead of having to roll onto the lower plate. I couldn't get on with it when the top plate was fully opening as I'm used to lifting LH1 off completely for the lower part of the upper register and altissimo.

The way I normally set the split plate on cors for the UK market is to have the upper plate open fully, but the lower plate to barely open at all - just a minimal amount of movement in it (similar manner as the 3rd 8ve key and RH2 fingerplate when lowered by the low C key). On instruments for the European and US market I set the split plate so both parts open fully - the lower plate/LH1 pad venting being determined by the opening of the upper plate.

It's mostly on prestige models of cors that have two adjusting screws for both parts of the split plate mechanism. Most cors have one adjusting screw, either on the top part of the split plate to adjust the venting of both the LH1 pad and top plate, or (as on Howarth cors) to adjust the venting of the LH1 pad only while the top plate opens fully.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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