Petr Cip Gemshorns

Lazar's Early Music

Bill Lazar

425 N. Whisman Rd., Ste. 200

Mountain View, CA 94043

(650) 938-5367

(866) 511-2981

Bill.Lazar@gmail.com

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Prices

Ordering

Fingering Chart

Care of Gemshorns

How they are made

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Pavel Číp

Gemshorns

The Gemshorn is an early form of recorder, made of a cow horn with a cedar fipple inserted at the wide end. It has an incredibly sweet sound due to the conical shape of the horn. They have 7 finger holes and 1 thumbhole, and play similar to a recorder (the sopranino has 5 finger holes plus 1 thumbhole and fingers like an ocarina). I normally order instruments with gemshorn fingerings (see chart below), as they are better in tune and easier to play than recorder fingerings. They have a range of one octave and one note. During the 15th c. it must have been a fairly common instrument, as there existed an organ stop of that name. They can be ordered with gemshorn fingerings (highly recommended--see fingering chart; similar to Renaissance fingerings), or with recorder fingerings (much larger finger holes and hard to play). These gemshorns are made by Pavel Číp to exacting standards. Fingering can vary from that given in the fingering chart. Soundclip (soon--well, maybe later).

I got in my first sets in mid-March and sent off most of them to waiting customers. I had 5 instruments left and our Sunday morning recorder consort tried them for about 30 minutes. The unanimous opinion was that they were beautifully made and sounded wonderfully sweet. I even played the bass at our recorder society meeting on some Josquin pieces. The sound is just different enough from a recorder to stand out and adds a sweet tone color to the group.

Gemshorn Fingering Chart--Gemshorn Fingering

Gemshorn Fingering Chart

	Číp Gemshorns Prices (November 2004)	Top of Page

Size	Description	Price
Sopranino Gemshorn	Handcrafted Horn Sopranino Gemshorn in F or G, 5 finger holes + thumbhole	$178
Soprano Gemshorn	Handcrafted Horn Soprano Gemshorn in C or D, 7 finger holes + 1 thumbhole	$248
Alto Gemshorn	Handcrafted Horn Alto Gemshorn in F or G, 7 finger holes + 1 thumbhole	$314
Tenor Gemshorn	Handcrafted Horn Tenor Gemshorn in C or D, 7 finger holes + 1 thumbhole	$429
Bass Gemshorn	Handcrafted Horn Bass Gemshorn in F or G, 7 finger holes + 1 thumbhole	$630
Greatbass Gemshorn	Handcrafted Horn Greatbass Gemshorn in C or D, 7 finger holes + 1 thumbhole	$927

Care of Gemshorns

Gemshorn care is similar to that required for recorders. Because they have a cedar block, they should be broken in slowly over a period of weeks using the schedule supplied for recorders. The instruments should be allowed to dry out between uses. They should not be played for more than approximately one hour at a time. Gemshorns should not be oiled. The exterior can be cleaned by wiping with a soft damp cloth.

Email, call or write me to order or discuss your needs. You can't order from my web site--I like to discuss your order with you first.

Many people have told me how much they enjoy my bringing my ‘store’ of instruments to workshops so that they can try many different ones over the course of a few days. This makes their decision-making process much easier.

Obviously, when ordering by mail, I can’t send you my whole ‘store’ of instruments to try, but I do try to come as close as is reasonably possible. All instruments can be ordered on approval. I am happy to send out two or more instruments for you to compare. For instance, I could send out two or three rosewood altos, or rosewood, pearwood, grenadilla and boxwood altos for you to sample. Then you can play them (please, no more than 15 minutes per day, just as if you were starting the breaking-in process), let your friends try or listen to them, and let a teacher try them. This gives you some feedback on your choice, and gives you more confidence in your decision.

I want you to be satisfied with your instrument, and feel under no obligation to buy it if you don’t like it. A normal time for deciding is approximately one week. I, of course, expect any returned instruments to be in like-new condition (see below). Whether you decide to buy an instrument or not, all I ask is that you pay for shipping costs both ways.

Email, call or write me to order or discuss your needs. You can't order from my web site--I like to discuss your order with you first.

I had an instrument returned that smelled of cigarette smoke. The customer did not smoke, but a visitor did. I haven't yet succeeded in removing the smell. I can't sell a smoky instrument, so I do not want to send instruments on approval to households where people are allowed to smoke. If a smoky-smelling (or mildew-smelling) instrument is returned to me, I will not accept it, and you will have bought it, since it is no longer in like-new condition. In my experience, hardly any recorder players smoke, so this should be a rare occurrence. So please, no smoke, mildew or lipstick, and brush your teeth before playing--all things you should do if the instrument were yours. I hope you understand this policy.

I accept personal checks, money orders or cashiers checks.
I accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
CONTACT 425 N. Whisman Rd., Ste. 200 Mountain View, CA 94043 (Map) (Detail) (866) 511-2981 toll free (Pacific Time Zone) (650) 938-5367 local/foreign/Skype Lazars.Early.Music@gmail.com www.LazarsEarly Music.com OPEN BY APPOINTMENT-Call--I'm here most of the time, 6-7 days a week To order, email, phone or write me your request. I don't give out customer contact information to other companies.

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