Piper Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I once posed a question as to why most horns today are keyed in Bb but mellos in F. Someone got back to me with a reason, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. If someone could help refresh my memory that would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I once posed a question as to why most horns today are keyed in Bb but mellos in F. Someone got back to me with a reason, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. If someone could help refresh my memory that would be great. Because F matches the tone more closely -"Fooooooooooo". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrnguy500 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 mellos most closely resemble the sound of a (French) horn which are typically pitched in F. I've played on marching french horns which have been pitched in Bb....I know a little weird. You'd think marching horn would be in F like its concert counterpart. I found the marching french horns very stuffy to play due to the leadpipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-horns Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 mellos most closely resemble the sound of a (French) horn which are typically pitched in F. I've played on marching french horns which have been pitched in Bb....I know a little weird. You'd think marching horn would be in F like its concert counterpart. I found the marching french horns very stuffy to play due to the leadpipe. Since most folks are using F mellophones - even in marching bands - the manufacturers are less apt to put tons of effort into perfecting marching frenchies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.morgus Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 (edited) I once posed a question as to why most horns today are keyed in Bb but mellos in F. Someone got back to me with a reason, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. If someone could help refresh my memory that would be great. The mellophone in F against the trumpets and baritones in Bb is actually one of the advantages to the new voicings. By pitching the mello's in F, they have a fundamental pitch a fourth below the trumpets, and a fifth above the Bari, thereby giving an actual "alto" voice between the two. This wasn't really the case with all G horns, as the fundamental of the mellophones was the same as the sopranos. Bruckner8 explained this in more detail earlier: This Post Other answers above are also true, mostly that they are the pitches used in bands. Edited June 10, 2009 by j.morgus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.morgus Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 ....I know a little weird. You'd think marching horn would be in F like its concert counterpart. They used to be, pitched just like the concert horn. The new models are either in Bb or the newer F models built an octive higher - unison with mellophones. I'm not sure why this has changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I think this horn b-flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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