Ever Heard Of A Horn Blower?

No, I’m not talking about you and me, nor about the kind of person who brags about their own accomplishments either.  😉   I’m referring to a different kind of horn blower—the kind that you or I might use on our horns to dry them out.

If this concept of a horn blower is foreign to you, then you’re not alone, because until yesterday, I hadn’t heard of them either. It wasn’t until I was looking through the Weinermusic website, that I happened across these oddities by chance.

At first glance this might appear to be some kind of space age mute. But no, it’s basically a specialized blowdryer for your sax that blows the moisture out of your horn.

A check of the Hollywoodwinds website (this contraption’s manufacturer) provides us with the following description:

Moisture—the enemy of woodwind and brass instruments—has more than met its match in the Horn Blower, the newest, most innovative high-tech instrument accessory from Hollywoodwinds.

There is no easier way to fight the damaging effects of moisture, which can shorten the life of the instrument—or of the player [emphasis added], should the brass be allowed to corrode with a potentially health-threatening condition known as “red rot.”

After playing his or her instrument, the player simply places the Horn Blower in the instrument’s bell and sets the timer.

A powerful fan moves 11 cubic feet of air through the instrument every minute, pulling saliva away before it can do damage to the instrument.

In as long as it’s likely to take for the player to take a bus home, both the bore and the pads are bone dry. And a dry instrument is far less likely to corrode, preventing the onset of “red rot” and other corrosive conditions.

A dry instrument does not grow mold, which can result in hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), a dangerous allergic lung condition which can develop into fibrosis of the lung, a potentially life-threatening condition.

The Horn Blower takes just seconds to place in position and to turn on. It is compact and easily fits in most instrument cases.

The Horn Blower is adjustable, fitting all trumpets, alto and tenor saxophones, and French horns. Horn Blowers for other instruments are in development.

So they’re saying it prevents “saxophone lung”?

Wow! Talk about fear mongering. “Hypersensitivity pneumonitis”; “fibrosis of the lung”; and “potentially life-threatening condition”, are all terms and phrases the ad agency carefully choose in an attempt to play on some musicians’ germaphobic nature. The question is, will those elicited fears translate into sales of the Horn Blower?

Oh, and has there been any scientific studies conducted that show red rot potentially shortens the life of the player? Even the claim that it shortens the life of the instrument is somewhat dubious, and has to be put into the proper context.

Fear mongering aside, I was curious if the Horn Blower might actually have some merit, and be better than my procedure of swabbing the horn out after use, and then letting it air dry in its stand.

Who has tried the Horn Blower? Does anyone say it really works?

Well according to Professor Donald Grant, now from Morehead State University in Kentucky, this thing really does work. Although Professor Grant was skeptical at first, his endorsement letter seems to be sincere.

OK, so the Chair of a music department at a university liked it, but I was curious about others’ experiences as well. I decided to visit the largest online saxophone player’s community that I know of: SOTW, to see if some of the tens of thousands of players there had any experiences with the product. The most relevant thread was this one, but it didn’t have any actual users chime in—although it appears that the inventor did.

I checked all over the Internet, but wasn’t able to find a review from another player who had tried either the saxophone or trumpet version of the Horn Blower. I’m not saying that there’s not one out there, just that I couldn’t find one on any of the sales/store sites I looked at, or any of the many trumpet, etc. forums I visited.

I did however, find both deluxe sax and trumpet Horn Blowers (with timers) on eBay that did not sell. Not only didn’t they sell, but neither even received a single bid, despite having only a $9.99 starting bid. I’m thinking lots of people see this thing is the 21st century equivalent of snake oil being peddled to musicians. :blah:

The two kinds of Horn Blowers & how they differ

There are in fact two versions of this Horn Blower. The less expensive, USB powered version that ATM retails for $45, if your order through Hollywoodwinds’ Amazon.com outlet. Other retailers might sell it for less, so shopping around before ordering may pay off. Hey, you never know.

The second version of the Horn Blower is powered by AA batteries, and has a timer. This is the one that you could have running in your case on your way home from your gig. According to the advertising verbiage: “In as long as it’s likely to take for the player to take a bus home, both the bore and the pads are bone dry.” The price on this baby? A mere $85.00 through Hollywoodwinds’ Amazon.com outlet, but there too shop around, I’ve seen them for less.

Note that of course this device does nothing for the neck of the horn if the sax is in its case. You will still have to dry it when you get home.

Some final thoughts

Maybe I’m a dinosaur, but I don’t always see the need for a high-tech solution to a low-tech problem. Water and moisture, which aren’t always spit BTW, are often caused by condensation as the warm air from the lungs rushes over the cooler surface of the instrument’s metal surfaces. Here’s my low-tech suggestion for ridding your horn of the moisture accumulated during your playing session: Tip the horn to drain any standing puddle of water out of the bell; use a pull-through to dry the most serious wetness; and finally, allow the room air to do the rest of the job.

Personally, I’m not convinced that this Horn Blower will work any better than my current method of silk swabbing out my horn, and letting it air dry in its stand. I go years between repads of my horns, and not just because I’m playing so many different saxes either.  😉   The reason is I don’t do a lot of the things that shorten pad life, and lead to needing a repad or overhaul every few years.

Here’s a list of some things not to do, because they lead to shortening your horn’s pad life:

• Don’t drink carbonated beverages while playing.
• Don’t drink beverages high in sugar while playing.
• Don’t drink coffee, tea, etc. while playing
• Don’t eat while playing.

Here’s a list of what you can do to keep your pads for longer:

• Brush your teeth before you play.
• If you don’t have time to brush, rinse your mouth really well before you play.
• Drink only water while playing.
• Dry your pads immediately after you finish playing.
• Let your horn air dry overnight before putting it away in its case.

Finally, perhaps the most important step of all, take your horn to a tech you trust, and get him/her to look at it at least once a year.

These simple steps, besides extending your pad life, will go a long ways to preventing the dreaded saxophone lung that I mentioned in my article from November 19, 2013.

Do you really need a Horn Blower to do this? Probably not, but the good folks at Hollywoodwinds are sure hoping that you believe you do.

Update June 2024: Well this never developed legs. No surprises really. That said, I’m keeping it here really only for amusement factor. Hope you didn’t lose $$ in this product.