​
​About the Alphorn

 The "Swiss alphorn" or "alpine horn" is a great way for people to experience something completely different in the world of music. The alphorn is a relatively easy instrument for those who already play either the French horn or the trombone/euphonium to add to their skillset, and it can also be a fun way for a novice learner to get into playing a musical instrument.

How It's Made

The alphorn is a wooden instrument, traditionally made from European spruce. Historically alphorns would be made by searching for a tree growing on a steep slope, giving the trunk the necessary shape for the bell of the instrument. The tree would be cut down, stripped of bark and hollowed out, resulting in a long, tapering horn with a curved bell. The instrument was then traditionally wrapped in bark or leather to preserve and protect it. Wire, metal hoops or thin strips of wood were also sometimes used. Today Alphorns are rarely made from a single tree, and they almost always come apart into smaller, more easily transportable sections. Modern alphorns are usually wrapped, although unwrapped alphorns with exposed wood are also available. More recently makers have begun experimenting with more exotic materials, such as carbon fiber.

It is difficult to see the connections on a modern alphorn, but they come apart into multiple pieces so they're more transportable

Modern alphorns wrapped in various materials, including birch, rattan or bamboo

Mouthpiece Types

Traditionally alphorns were played using a wooden mouthpiece, similar to a somewhat crude trombone mouthpiece. These mouthpieces were often flat-topped, with a sharp edge and a wide, thick rim. These days most alphorn players use more modern wooden mouthpieces, which are usually similar to either horn or trombone mouthpieces. It is also possible to play the alphorn using a standard french horn, trombone or euphonium mouthpiece with an adapter. ​

The first alphorn pictured has a wooden mouthpiece

Additional resources: 
(for gear, retreats, events, workshops, and more information on the alphorn) 

The Alphorn Institute 

The Alphorn Association of North America (AANA) 

AlpenSong

Naturtoene 

Rocky Mountain Alphorns

Salzburger Echo

​How to Play​

If you want to learn to play but you're not sure where to start, fill out our contact form and we'll get in touch with you. We love helping people learn to play.

For a more in-depth look at the alphorn and for more resources we recommend checking out Naturtone.ch 

How Sound Is Made

The alphorn is a type of instrument called a "lip-reed" instrument. This means that like most brass instruments such as the trumpet or trombone, the alphorn is played by blowing between the lips into a mouthpiece. This causes the lips to "buzz", which in turn causes the instrument to generate a sound. The alphorn is an open tube all the way through; there are no holes to open or close and there is nothing inside the horn to cause different notes to happen. All of the notes are created only by the player changing the airflow and lip tension. 

The alphorn is simply an open tube and is played by "buzzing" your lips

Instrument Range

The instrument will not play any note; rather it will only play notes that vibrate in sympathy with the natural shape of the horn can be played. Below is a chart showing all of the notes that it is possible to play on the alphorn. It is not possible to play other notes in between these without changing the length of the instrument by adding longer or shorter sections of tubing.

Chart shows all playable notes on the alphorn