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Switching from G to Bb/F instruments, what year?


jon112780

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What year were the World Class corps allowed to switch from G bugles to the Bb/F horns they are currently using?

Who pushed for the change?

Did they all switch the same year?

Who was the first and last to switch?

Just curious...

The switch to Bb/F horns happened in 2000. According to http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=ca77ecfc-38f5-4c64-8774-c3c9b5cfc9cc , the cadets and BD were the first 2 corps to switch away from G. The last corps to switch to Bb/F was the Racine Scouts, and they marched their season away form G bugles in 2011, according to

http://drumcorpswiki.com/Racine_Scouts

I'm not sure why DCI made the shift, but a big part of it was about evolving the activity and making it on the same page and more available for everybody to participate in. This way I can bring my B flat trumpet to a camp and play that, instead of getting used to a new instrument (same basic concept, sure, but they handle differently from what I've heard). I don't know much more than this, sorry.

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It had a lot to do with the cost. G bugles were getting more rare with the ever advancing Bb/F instruments used in modern bands...In fact now I think Dynasty and Kanstul are some of the only places you can still even purchase G Bugles.

Corps realized hey...if we switch to Bb we now have something that is worth a resale value. (notice how all the corps resale their instruments after a season or two so they can repurchase.

Once that happened, a lot of the smaller corps and DCA corps started buying old DCI top class G bugles like hotcakes, lol.

Also, lets not forget that Bb/F instruments are SO much better in tune. (uh oh, i just gave away my age as to being younger!)

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It had a lot to do with the cost. G bugles were getting more rare with the ever advancing Bb/F instruments used in modern bands...In fact now I think Dynasty and Kanstul are some of the only places you can still even purchase G Bugles.

Corps realized hey...if we switch to Bb we now have something that is worth a resale value. (notice how all the corps resale their instruments after a season or two so they can repurchase.

Once that happened, a lot of the smaller corps and DCA corps started buying old DCI top class G bugles like hotcakes, lol.

Also, lets not forget that Bb/F instruments are SO much better in tune. (uh oh, i just gave away my age as to being younger!)

Actually, the horns played in tune if you played them in tune (like any instrument). Were there clunkers..yes, just like any other piece of music equipment. People have a tendency to hear a G line a declare "out-of-tune" when they hear the G overtone series. It's unique to drum corps. It's like all the "breath-dah" people out there that think it's the ONLY possible way to start and note together. Silly.

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Actually, the horns played in tune if you played them in tune (like any instrument). Were there clunkers..yes, just like any other piece of music equipment. People have a tendency to hear a G line a declare "out-of-tune" when they hear the G overtone series. It's unique to drum corps. It's like all the "breath-dah" people out there that think it's the ONLY possible way to start and note together. Silly.

The quality of the horn was not the same. I say "out-of-tune" because it's #### hard to get them to play in tune across the entire instrument.

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The quality of the horn was not the same. I say "out-of-tune" because it's #### hard to get them to play in tune across the entire instrument.

I agree, the quality was different, in most cases they were made slightly more durable. Unless the instrument was completely whacked I have never had an issue in playing it in tune. I am talking playing from V/R Olds all the way to 3 valve's over 10+ years. I suppose people don't play a ton outside their comfort zone anymore. But, being a trumpet major (played mello in corps as well as FH and sop), I was used to playing on other keys like C,D,Eb to name a few. They all had different tendencies but ALL were able to be played in tune. The caliber of the players today should EASILY be able to play pretty much anything in tune if they are as good as everyone says they are. The switch to Bb was entirely to do with money.

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I agree, the quality was different, in most cases they were made slightly more durable. Unless the instrument was completely whacked I have never had an issue in playing it in tune. I am talking playing from V/R Olds all the way to 3 valve's over 10+ years. I suppose people don't play a ton outside their comfort zone anymore. But, being a trumpet major (played mello in corps as well as FH and sop), I was used to playing on other keys like C,D,Eb to name a few. They all had different tendencies but ALL were able to be played in tune. The caliber of the players today should EASILY be able to play pretty much anything in tune if they are as good as everyone says they are. The switch to Bb was entirely to do with money.

Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!

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It had a lot to do with the cost. G bugles were getting more rare with the ever advancing Bb/F instruments used in modern bands...In fact now I think Dynasty and Kanstul are some of the only places you can still even purchase G Bugles.

I believe Dynasty and Kanstul were the only two left making G horns in the last years they were used in DCI. We didn't see Yamaha enter the scene until the switch was made.

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I believe Dynasty and Kanstul were the only two left making G horns in the last years they were used in DCI. We didn't see Yamaha enter the scene until the switch was made.

Yamaha sold tubas with an extended tuning slide to make them G instruments. Cadets used them in 1993. Crossmen had at least one of them before that. It might have even been the prototype, but that's just a guess on my part.

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Yamaha sold tubas with an extended tuning slide to make them G instruments. Cadets used them in 1993. Crossmen had at least one of them before that. It might have even been the prototype, but that's just a guess on my part.

Interesting. I didn't know that.

I've heard of groups marching Bb tubas with the remaining horns in G before making the complete switch to Bb (I believe Colts did this in 2003/2004).

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