The Swiss Carbon Alphorn is made of a hydrocarbon-reinforced plastic compound laid up in a diagonal overlapping pattern. Exceptionally strong, this material is used in the finest racing bicycles, boats and aircraft parts.
The acoustical properties are excellent, although the alphorn is extremely lightweight. With this alphorn one need not fear the combination of humidity and temperature. It will not crack because of adverse conditions. In fact, it may be disassembled entirely from time to time, and washed and dried to remove any dirt, dust or foreign material.
The basic Swiss Carbon Alphorn is telescopic in ten sections - Because of the precise machining and manufacturing techniques, it is absolutely airtight.
The complete Swiss Carbon Alphorn is in six tonalities - G, F#, F, E, Eb and D. Unlike the typical wooden alphorn, the Swiss Carbon Alphorn is INFINITELY tunable (listen to www.swisscarbonalphorn.net). A separate section which incorporates a tuning device can be substituted for Section #2, making the G, F# and F tonalities tunable. With or without this special section, each of the three lower tonalities, E, Eb and D, consist of a three-piece section which is tunable within itself.
The pitch is excellent throughout the entire range and the response is quick and clean from the lowest to the highest harmonics.
Besides an alphorn in six tonalities, this instrument can be transformed into a horn without a bell, more correctly called a Buchel (or bugle) in Bb, Ab, G, F#, F or E.
If one has interest in the Australian didjeridoo, five of these can be formed as well - one can assemble a Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto or Soprano.
The playing of the didjeridoo can be made more comfortable with a special section with a wax-like rim.
Main Characteristics
Material:
Carbon fiber* (see warning)
Weight:3.4 lbs. with cover
4.5 lbs. with cover, all tonalities and accessories
(Traditional wooden alphorn in F and F# could weigh up to 14 lbs.)
Dimensions:30" collapsed - in case
May be further collapsed to 24-½" for putting in
(Traditional three-piece wooden alphorn can be up to 57".)
Sound:Comparable, if not superior to, the classical
Pitch: Excellent throughout entire range
Response: Clean and fast on all harmonics
Distinction: Silver medal at the 27th Inventors Fair
1999 in Geneva, Switzerland
List of References: Dimitri, a prominent Swiss clown and pantomime; Raymond Devos, important French comedian; Daniel Bourgue, ex-solo horn player of the Paris Opera and professor at the French Academy of Music in Versailles (France); Gregory Cass, first horn of the Swiss-French Symphonic Orchestra; Frank Lloyd, horn teacher in Essen (Germany); Marvin McCoy, freelance horn and alphorn soloist, Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA); FrÆydis Ree Wekre, soloist and professor at the Norwegian State Academy of Music in Oslo (Norway); Arkady Shilkloper, horn/jazz horn player, Moscow (Russia); Daniel Wood of QUADRE, California (USA); Ted Schlossberg, New Jersey (USA); John Wates, London (England); Javier Bonet, Madrid (Spain); Shirley Civil-Hopkins, Kent (England); Nozomu Segawa Chiba, conservatory professor (Japan); Erja Joukamo-Ampuja, horn professor, Sibelius, Lathi (Finland); Michel Garcin-Marrou, Paris (France); Bruno Schneider, Basel (Switzerland); Nancy Fako, Chicago, Illinois (USA); Gail Williams, former associate principal horn, Chicago, Illinois (USA); David Krehbiel, former principal horn, San Francisco, California (USA); and various musicians and artists of reputation.
Posed upon a water surface from a boat in the center of a lake surrounded by trees (or mountains), the sound will enchant you by the creation of wonderful echo-effects.
* Warning: Carbon is an excellent conductor of electricity; therefore this new type of alphorn should never be used near sources of electricity and/or high-voltage cables, and/or during thunderstorms, especially, if like Zaneth, you take advantage of its light weight to lift this long horn and play in the direction of the gods.
To Quote Zaneth: "If you feel stressed, take a walk in nature and play a bit; things will get better. When you play, the countryside answers. Your melody comes back to you. It's as if you make the earth vibrate."
