User blog comment:Bocaj910/*Appears Out Of A Book... And Nowhere*/@comment-1621439-20101004212049/@comment-1874924-20101006033109

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I played French horn for 13 years, starting in 7th grade. Most symphonic arrangements have 4 horn parts, and 3rd Horn was my natural position, so it amused me to call myself a "third-rate horn player". I did my best work on 3rd Horn because I had better power in the upper registers, which is where 1st Horn and 3rd Horn typically play. (The French horn has such a large range--almost 4 octaves--that horn players are prone to specialize in the upper or lower registers.) I fared better on 3rd Horn than on 1st because I wasn't a very good soloist, being susceptible to stage fright.