Windy, brassy things

By Fluteflute CC BY 2.5

At some point in my life I wanted to learn how to play the French Horn - or, as serious musicians call it "the horn".

Then I bought a second hand cornet and thought I'd give that a crack.  It eventually lead to a few months' worth of being in a brass band just so I could get lessons, but the timing of both the band nights and the lessons were both of the "I'm not sure I can keep this up" variety and, as it turned out, I couldn't.

Besides, it turns out that I'm not really suited to such high-pitched instruments as cornets/trumpets.  The baritone horn (not actually related to the French Horn) was more comfortable, but possibly a bit low, really.  I think I should have tried something in the middle of that spectrum - but the club had stacks of baritones to lend, so a baritone is what I borrowed (and what I was learning until the sucky timing of everything just got too bad).

But now I'm thinking about French Horns again.  Even as the brass teacher dude was steering me towards the baritone, I was wondering why I couldn't/shouldn't give French Horns a try.

The appropriate answer at the time: brass bands don't do French Horns.  Apparently they're part of the wind section in a concert band.  Who decides these things, anyway?

However, I don't want to spend over $1000 on an instrument that might end up languishing in the instrument graveyard that is my spare room (currently residing in the graveyard:  a cornet, a pocket trumpet, a melodeon, three recorders of various sizes, a fife, a mouthorgan, a kazoo and a concertina that occasionally sees the light of day.  Technically there's an electric keyboard in there, too, but I've managed to con someone else into keeping that in their own spare room).

So I really want to borrow one or buy a second hand model that is functional but very, very cheap.

I could probably borrow one if I joined a concert band, but I'm reluctant to join anything else, quite frankly - even if the local concert band happens to be located in my old school.

Anyone know of a spare French Horn I could have?  I'd be willing to swap it for something from the graveyard, if that sweetens the deal (as long as it's not the recorders or the concertina - they're keepies, even if they are mostly unused).