This is Nuvo's first foray into making a plastic ‘brass’ instrument. It copies traditional brass design in plastic form – to a point. It uses a conical hollow plastic mouthpiece and the tubes on the instrument are u-bent in a manner roughly equivalent to a mini tuba. However, these are more tightly turned, which gives a concertina-like effect, and while it makes it easier to hold it also has an effect on the ease of production of the air column.
The jHorn is pitched in B flat but also comes with a set of crooks that transpose it into C, so participation in ensembles with concert-pitch C parts is possible. The plastic mouthpiece supplied with the instrument has three interchangeable rubber rims that change the cup size in both width and depth. The manufacturers claim the range to be two and a half octaves.
The look of the instrument causes quite a stir when it comes out of the case. I was given a black one to try, but it also comes in white with different coloured tubes and valve tops, and it's hard to dispel its toy-like appearance. It comes with a snug, handy case.
The brass professionals I asked said that the instrument felt harder to blow compared to their own instrument and lacked that resonant ‘ring’ produced on a traditional brass instrument. They also felt that any instrument that offers resistance to the beginner could be counter-productive.
The instrument is certainly light enough for a small child to hold, and if dropped it won't dent. However, my own pupils found that holding the instrument was not intuitive and they would have preferred some more obvious handhold positions.
A child needs to feel easy buzzing at the outset, producing a big sound at the first blow, but there was more resistance in the jHorn compared to their equivalent brass instrument. When exploring the range of the jHorn there are areas within the two-and-a-half octaves that feel hard to produce, especially in the upper part using the smallest rim on the mouthpiece. The notes feel easier to produce in the lower range using the larger rim on the mouthpiece, but even here the intonation does not feel very reliable with notes having to be lipped up and down even when not using the valves.
The valves themselves make a clickety-clack noise when they are pressed. Until recently no plastic brass instrument with valves has managed to conquer this problem, but I did try a plastic cornet recently that had metal valves, which seemed a better solution.
Some of my pupils liked the feel of the rubber rather than metal and Nuvo may have hit on something here. Perhaps pupils with braces may benefit from plastic rubber rimmed mouthpieces?
The jHorn opens up some new possibilities for the beginner. In theory, a young child who has not yet chosen a brass instrument could start on the jHorn and adjust while learning by switching the cup size. However, my recommendation would be always to start on the smallest depth of mouthpiece unless notes are produced more easily on the larger ones.
In conclusion, the jHorn has some interesting innovations as a prototype instrument. The changeable mouthpiece is an intriguing development, and the ability of the instrument to change form B flat to concert pitch is innovative, but in practical usage I fear for those lost or misplaced crooks. Of course, if the instrument manages to attract more players for lower brass then it will be a welcome addition to the ‘brass’ family.
My main reservations are to do with the blowing resistance of the instrument. Perhaps Nuvo has been too ambitious in trying to produce an instrument with such a large range, and maybe there is a smaller-range plastic beginners’ instrument waiting to be invented? For now, I'll be sticking with the traditional brass instruments for my pupils, especially as prices are so competitive.
