Great Read on G vs Bb

[Martybucs]

A lot of people keep saying that no one could tell the difference if they weren't told what key horns the corps was playing on.

Maybe a single corps performance, by themselves, it wouldn't be the first question that comes to mind and perhaps you couldn't tell, if you haven't heard a lot of G horn lines.

However, from one corps to the next, if one corps was playing Bb and the next on Gs, I definitely think you could not only tell there is a difference, but actually pick out the G horn line.

It would be an interesting exercise, but even though I grew up in drum corps, I really don't mind the Bb horn lines. I just want them to be good and with the enormous size of today's horn lines - they're loud enough.

[Spaml6]

A lot of people keep saying that no one could tell the difference if they weren't told what key horns the corps was playing on.

Maybe a single corps performance, by themselves, it wouldn't be the first question that comes to mind and perhaps you couldn't tell, if you haven't heard a lot of G horn lines.

However, from one corps to the next, if one corps was playing Bb and the next on Gs, I definitely think you could not only tell there is a difference, but actually pick out the G horn line.

It would be an interesting exercise, but even though I grew up in drum corps, I really don't mind the Bb horn lines. I just want them to be good and with the enormous size of today's horn lines - they're loud enough.

I can tell the difference... maybe thats just because I LOVE the sound of a G line.

If you want to settle for "loud enough" that fine... by I personally enough "####ING LOUD!!!

[Dave]

If a Corps gets new Gs and does not let the palyers abuse them, they should last 30 years or so.

I understand corps like to play the contract with the horn company game and rely on reselling the horns to High School bands and stuff, but with the Junior Corps doing the same thing, how long before the market is saturated?

With the number of schools in this country, how quickly they go through horns and their own systems of trading them down through schools, I doubt we will have to worry about that for a long time, if at all. And thirty years? Maybe a chrome beast that's treated with kid gloves at all times and travels in an Anvil case, but I've never seen even a top of the line horn let alone a marching horn that lasted that long without significant investment in overhauls and other repairs, and frankly it's not worth that kind of money. Telling players to take care of their horns is one thing, but there will always be something: on-field collisions, someone trips and falls either with or onto a horn, the truck/trailer gets jostled harder than usual and cases start falling (and even in the case, a horn can get damaged), and even certain playing habits can lead to long-term damage that's not necessarily visible on the outside. I've never seen a corps who has had horns for a significant length of time like that because they wanted to, it was always because they couldn't afford anything else.

[camel lips]

ReneBbades ?????

That made me sad to see that.

[Leland]

Except the contrabasses, I believe. If I am correct on this the contras that they use have 2 valves AND a rotor. And I understand that they still can't hit all the notes on the scale, such as the low "D". Can anyone else comment on this paticular item to confirm or "contra" dict?

Yup, the Kanstul contras have a half-step rotor (same design as on the Olds p/r contras) to replace the long slide that the DEG contras had. And you're right, we can't play the low D or Db. They've been like this since the first Kanstul set back in '95. Supposedly, once they were delivered, Col. Crawford took a look at the contras and said, "Yeah, we should've gotten 3-valve contras..."

I put a low G at the end of "You're Beautiful" by fingering it 1-2-r ("Ab") and lipping down a half step.

[Vanguard Rich]

Yup, the Kanstul contras have a half-step rotor (same design as on the Olds p/r contras) to replace the long slide that the DEG contras had. And you're right, we can't play the low D or Db. They've been like this since the first Kanstul set back in '95. Supposedly, once they were delivered, Col. Crawford took a look at the contras and said, "Yeah, we should've gotten 3-valve contras..."

I put a low G at the end of "You're Beautiful" by fingering it 1-2-r ("Ab") and lipping down a half step.

Now that's some serious "flappin" there!! I put one of those in at the end of my "GBTC" solo with the 2005 RA. Finally got to use the 4th valve on my DEG "Monster" for that one. It's ironic that the RA's Air Force Academy "G's" were all three valve DEG's.