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G vs B-flat Experiment


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The closest thing to a true comparison came in 1994. Star of Indiana performed it's Evening of Brass Theater on both G bugles and Concert horns. Same kids, same technique and approach, same evening. The G horns were indeed the 'loudest', but where also exceedingly bright and a bit harsh in comparison. It was quite the topic of conversation at the time, but it was clear that most folks involved liked the sound of the Bb horns over the G horns. Now to be fair this was indoor venues. Primarily tarp covered basketball court sized venues. And the Bb horns were nothing like today's refined big bored marching brass, but it is the only time I know of where top level world class performers played both types of horns back to back. As I recall the G horns were used very sparingly if at all the next year and then sold off.

I've watched with interest both the G and Bb lines in DCA finals. It is pretty easy to pick out the bright G lines, but it isn't that dramatically different. The top lines are on Bb, but it isn't giving them any real advantage. They would likely still be the top lines even if everyone was on G.

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Which DCA corps are on G vs B-flat? I plan to do a bit of scientific analysis in a few weeks...

I have an even better idea.... DON'T!! How about that? How about you go take up tennis if you're STILL upset about that? They did that test a few years ago in DCA. It was posted to DCP, and almost universally, the B-flats were at the top of the decible list, the G's were mostly at the bottom. Experiment concluded.

Edited by BX5CM
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Which DCA corps are on G vs B-flat? I plan to do a bit of scientific analysis in a few weeks...

Here's all the scientific analysis you need.....when was the last time a G corps won a championship?

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Here's all the scientific analysis you need.....when was the last time a G corps won a championship?

I'm pretty sure it was 2004 Statesmen. At that time, only one brass line in DCA was on Bb, and that was Cabs in their first year. Bucs, Minnesota, and I believe Bush went Bb in 2005, with Bucs winning the first championship on any-key instruments. Unless Cabs went to Bb in 2003 and won with it? But the last G line was indeed Statesmen.

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I'm pretty sure it was 2004 Statesmen. At that time, only one brass line in DCA was on Bb, and that was Cabs in their first year. Bucs, Minnesota, and I believe Bush went Bb in 2005, with Bucs winning the first championship on any-key instruments. Unless Cabs went to Bb in 2003 and won with it? But the last G line was indeed Statesmen.

Bush used two solo concert flugels in 2003. Cabs went all-concert in 2004, Reading followed in 2005 and Bush went concert in 2005 as well.

The test was done again recently. I remember seeing something on here just a few years ago, maybe 2009-2010 where someone did the experiment and OH WOW, surprise surprise, the horns that can play better in tune (concert) are louder... isn't that what our horn instructors have been telling us for years? :)

Edited by BX5CM
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I'm pretty sure it was 2004 Statesmen. At that time, only one brass line in DCA was on Bb, and that was Cabs in their first year. Bucs, Minnesota, and I believe Bush went Bb in 2005, with Bucs winning the first championship on any-key instruments. Unless Cabs went to Bb in 2003 and won with it? But the last G line was indeed Statesmen.

I know that it was in Class A, but the Govenaires won on G horns in 2006 as well.

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Bush used two solo concert flugels in 2003. Cabs went all-concert in 2004, Reading followed in 2005 and Bush went concert in 2005 as well.

The test was done again recently. I remember seeing something on here just a few years ago, maybe 2009-2010 where someone did the experiment and OH WOW, surprise surprise, the horns that can play better in tune (concert) are louder... isn't that what our horn instructors have been telling us for years? :)

Where did the OP say anything about louder? I've been following this thread and posts he made in another thread and think he wants to compare the difference in sound/tone. Personally any difference I hear (with untrained ears) could be related to manufacturers or style of play so interested in what others notice.

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Excellent. We will do a comparison between CT & a b-flat corps w/ about same number of horns, both qualitative & quantitative. Also Kilties, ES on the G side. Any other G corps?

You cannot just compare similar sized hornlines, you have to take into account the types of charts being played and drill movements. The corps playing Chicago or Earth, Wind and Fire will always be louder than the corps play Stravinsky or Grieg, regardless of instrumentation. Also the corps whose drill concentrates the bulk of the hornline near the 50 and close to the front sideline will be louder from an audience perspective.

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Where did the OP say anything about louder? I've been following this thread and posts he made in another thread and think he wants to compare the difference in sound/tone. Personally any difference I hear (with untrained ears) could be related to manufacturers or style of play so interested in what others notice.

Ya know I can't be sure but if I had to pick one thing, I guess it was when he said "...let's just see how loud one group is compared to another" that kinda tipped me off.

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