horns in cars, trucks, and trains

Dear list:

How about a new topic? Does anybody know anything about the tuning of horns
in cars, trucks, and trains? How about written sources? My experience is as
follows:

Cars: usually two horns, tuned 2:3, 3:4, 4:5, 5:6

Trucks: sometimes one but often two, tuned 3:4 or 5:6

Trains: five horns, with various tunings involving the primes 3, 4, 5, and 7

John Link
ALMOST ACAPPELLA

In a message dated 11/09/1999 08:41:53 PM, johnlink@con2.com wrote:

>How about a new topic? Does anybody know anything about the tuning of horns
>in cars, trucks, and trains? How about written sources?

Composer/Performer Wendy Mae Chambers has created a Horn Organ from
various car & truck horns.
For instance, American car horns are mostly F# and A#... Foreign cars
had more variety. The low C is a Cadillac horn.
The different horns have different timbral qualities & loudnesses:
high-ended skronky VW horns, blaring Cadillac horns,
boomin' growl of Mack truck horns, etc..

(Ms. Chambers is also known for her toy piano compositions & performances)

zHANg

[zHANg:]
>Composer/Performer Wendy Mae Chambers has created a Horn Organ from
various car & truck horns.

Yes sir, and what a version of "New York, New York" she does with it
on EMI's incredible compilation _GRAVIKORD, WHIRLIES AND PYROPHONES_.
And speaking of John Link and "acappella" (!) - check out Hans
Reichel's mind boggling "Le Bal" on this very same compilation. The
first time I heard this I literally fell off my seat... his control of
the daxophone really has to be heard to be believed. And FWIW, I also
think that Reichel is absolutely THE most undervalued guitar player on
the planet... and he's really not at all what one might think of when
one thinks of the FMP gang... his music can be as intoxicatingly
user-friendly, as it is a one-of-a-kind state-of-the-art solo guitar
improvisation (even to these old and somewhat jaded ears...).

Dan