Penn State

Well said Dave!

as did I...plus Susan G. Komen for the cure http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiv...nfirm_vote=true

AGREED!!!! that would be the quickest, easiest, and cheapiest way to solve this problem. IMO, a drum corps should be able to perform their show with out needing an on the field energy source for electricity.

Agreed, drum corps is more than a 10 minute show on a football field...

LOVE IT

Help Mark Taylor record his new CD! He can't do it without YOU! Follow this link to Kickstart and make a pledge to help fund his new Horn and Mellophone project!! (Al Perkins) http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markta...h-horn-and-mell For those of you who are not familiar with the MelloCast ( http://mellocast.com/ )Mark is a regular mellocaster and professional horn player who also plays the mellophone!!! This is a great opporunity to help suport the release of a new album that will feature the often forgotten solo jazz instrument, the mellophone. This may be the very first time a 'mellocentric' album is produced since the Kenton band ceased utilizing a mellophonium section. I hope you will join me in supporting this worthy project!!!

bump

*bump* very excited for practice this Friday!!!!! Hoping to see a few more contra/tuba players, who, btw, are very welcome to join up with the corps -contra chris

Karen, I couldn't agree with you more Looks to me like Madison may very well have a 'break out' year this season. SO very excited!!!

Steve, which Yamaha mellophone do you speak of, 202, 203, or 204?

if anyone remembers, Cadets switched to Yamaha brass in 2000 but still were utilizing pearl drums. One of the biggest reasons Cadets switched to Yamaha horns was two fold: the corps was in desperate need of new horns (it was reported old Kanstul horns, some made for BD, were being held together by tape) and a great contract was offered by Yamaha. I beileve the following year, 2001, Cadets became an all yamaha corps. All in all, Yamaha was a gift sent by God to the Cadets.

Thank you Doug!!!

All I can say is...if that were to happen...Thank and Praise God we have DCA!!!!

best of luck VK!!!!

It was a GREAT night!!! I ended up on the Yamaha bari w/ a Bach 5G mouthpiece. I thought I sounded pretty good which was confirmed by numerous music people and of course their parents. The choir director/organist was very happy with my playing. It truly was the highlight/point of my Christmas....really....I could have received no presents on Christmas day and it would not have mattered at all. Playing that night was very special for me, a night of music making that I will remember for the rest of my life :)

Just moved this over from the thread I started in DCA land..... This story is mind boggling. An inner city band director raises a high school program from the ashes. Builds a world class caliber indoor drumline. Goes out of his way, both time wise and financially to help his students be successful. Obeys school adminstrators and begins working on forming a marching band program but doesn't recieve the support needed from the school to make the program sucessful. On top of that the district eliminates the middle school instrumental program. Of course the man is fired for....not starting a marching band program?!?!? Are the So. Cali schools really in this bad of shape??? Very disheartning that any school student would be deprived of the opportunity to learn how to play a musical instrument. Esp. in this story, where it seems the firing of a teacher was based on a administrator(s) personal vendetta, not the actual teaching abilities of a band director. Any of our Cali members able to shine any light on this??? Honestly, when I first started reading the article I thought they were speaking of Hawthorne NJ. My first thought was, is it possible to bring the Muchachos back to provide these kids with another opportunity for an education in the arts. Obviously, at least i think, that wouldn't help the situation. Any thoughts on any of this, ideas how we as drum corps people can support the arts in our schools, does our country need a revival of the community based drum and bugle corps??? I'm young and naive and unsure. I'm hoping our more experienced members will be able to shed light on this

Yes, at least I like to think so Each line is unique and offers advantages in different voices over their competition. I will discuss the instruments that I have personally played on and what I feel I have enough feedback on to comment. I will make it clear when I am speaking of my personal experience as opposed to others. References will be provided for any product opinion from other musicians when possible. Yamaha: -To the extent of my knowledge Yamaha is the only manufacturer that offers a professional trumpet in its marching brass line up. The company offers various options to allow the corps to choose the Xeno model that facilitates their vision of the soprano voice. -The YMP-204 mellophone out performs the competition by at least a mile. Very smooth valve action, I consider near professional quality, if not professional quality. The scale on this horn is even, a thumb saddle on the first valve slide is a useful feature. The horn is free blowing and produces a warm alto voice tone when paired with a deep V cup mouthpiece such as a Blessing mello 5. Chris Nalls considers the 204 to be a near professional instrument (www.mellocast.com Episode #75). I own a Yamaha 204 and regularly play it with a Blessing mello 5, a true alto voice mouthpiece. A heavier mouthpiece, such as the Blessing 5 or IYM, helps balance out the horn as this model is slightly bell heavy. For more information on the YMP-204 please see: http://www.middlehornleader.com/Yamaha%20YMP204.htm www.mellocast.com Episode #9 - The Yamaha YBH-301 marching baritone is a very unique horn as it has a significantly larger bore size in comparison to the competition. A large quantity of air is vital in making this horn speak well. Valve action is smooth but the stroke distance is slightly longer than what one may consider normal. I feel this model is very rewarding for the highly skilled, experienced musician. I own a Yamaha and play it regularly with a Bach 5G mouthpiece. -The Yamaha YEP-202 marching only euphonium is an excellent horn. It shares its valve casing and .571” bore size with the marching baritone; however it has a wrap which is more open than the baritone complimented with a larger bell tale. I feel this horn tends to play slightly flat but is not difficult to pull into tune (key is more air). Surprisingly, this horn blends well with the concert style euphonium. I own a Yamaha YEP-202 and play it when I have the time with a Bach 5G mouthpiece. -The Yamaha YBB-202 marching only tuba has gained an excellent reputation with the Yamaha corps members I marched with in Blue Band. I have not been able to track one done yet to test play (if anyone can assist me in this please let me know, I would really appreciate it!!!). The horn is considered well balance in the carry and playing position with multiple places for a player to find a comfortable grip. One very unique and impressive quality of this horn is that it has a professional grade bell. Since the original posting, I have played tested the 202 with the Caballeros and picked one up to use in an alumni corps. 15 degrees above // is easily obtainable. This horn, imo, is ‘American style’. Intonation is good, not perfect (the horn is very sharp when in ‘factory tuning’) The tone quality of this horn is very flexible, you can produce a huge, warm, sonorous sound to a very direct and articulate sound, and of course everything between. This horn is the most balanced tuba or contra I’ve picked up, especially in the playing position. To show you how much I love this horn….to be able to afford one I sold my Conn 5J tuba and added a pay check. Still didn’t have enough money for a new horn and had an immediate need with the corps I was to play with, I purchased a used one from Cadets. I very much want to get a new 202 one of these days, it just won’t happen anytime soon  just a side note…a member of the Sentinels, who also plays with the Buccaneer Alumni, liked the sound I produced so much on this horn, he asked me not only to come and play with Bucs Alumni but insisted I bring my horn with me. Yes I did join up and I LOVE IT!!!!! Dynasty -The M541 Mellophone is simply the best Dynasty Mellophone I have ever played. I play tested the M541 with a custom mello 6 mouthpiece which is owned by a friend. This horn features sturdy construction with good valve action. It is very well balanced and comfortable to be held in the playing and carry position. Intonation is relatively even but has a brighter tone than I personally care for. The horn play tested is owned by East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Warrior marching band. For more information on the Dynasty M541 mellophone please see: http://www.middlehornleader.com/Dynasty%20...MT%20Review.htm -The Dynasty M570 marching baritone is an excellent horn. This horn is light weight, balanced, even intonation, and free blowing; perfect for the beginning marcher and yet good enough to keep a seasoned musician satisfied. This is my favorite Dynasty horn I have played. So good, as a matter of fact, even though I own a Yamaha YBH-301, I still would love to own this horn! I played this horn with the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Warrior marching band. I utilized a Dynasty 6 ½ A small shank mouthpiece. -The Dynasty M875 marching only tuba is large for a 4/4 sized tuba. Many consider the 4th valve to be an invaluable feature. Personally, I could have done without the extra weight. The balance of this horn is somewhat front heavy and is not very comfortable to hold in the carry position. An annoying but not critical issue with this horn was the tendency for the ‘mother of pearl’ fingers buttons to easily fall off. Overall this horn had a tendency to play flat. Mouthpiece choice for me on this instrument is a Bach gold plate 24AW mega-tone mouthpiece. The smaller mouthpiece made it easier to bring the horn into tune as compared to those with larger mouthpiece preferences. In spite of its flaws this is a solid horn, worthy of being performed on in any brass ensemble setting. I do not own this horn but have performed on it in the DCA venue. King: -The King 1121 mellophone: please see: http://www.middlehornleader.com/King%201121%20Review.htm www.mellocast.com Episode #8 -The King 1124 marching baritone was a huge disappointment to me when I play tested it. Intonation was not a huge concern; however I found the 1124 to be very stuffy with the valve cluster uncomfortably distant from the mouthpiece. During the play test I was able to utilize the following mouthpieces: Bach 6AL, 5G, and 1G. I had slightly better results with the larger mouthpieces but the horn still felt extremely stuffy and unresponsive. I play tested this horn at an authorized Conn-Selmer dealer. Quantum: -The Quantum mellophone: please see: http://www.middlehornleader.com/Jupiter%20...tum%205050S.htm www.mellocast.com Episode #39 In summary: I feel the Yamaha brass line offers the best overall product. The alto and soprano voices truly are the best in the market. While it can be argued who has the best low brass voices, the quality of the Yamaha low brass is nothing to laugh at. The Dynasty line comes in at second with a strong low brass and respectable upper brass. I do feel as Jupiter works the quirks out of the Quantum line Dynasty may find its product line surpassed. I know the least about the King and Quantum lines, yet feel confident enough to predict that Jupiter will continue to develop and improve the Quantum line. At this time I do not foresee any immediate product re-evaluation and development by King which I find disappointing. Since the original posting Blue Devils have become a Conn-Selmer group (King brass). I will speculate that this was done to allow the BD staff to help improve the quality of design of the King marching brass. I only say this, as this is what seemed to happen when BD began using Dynasty products. I have not been able to play the Jupiter marching brass; however I recently played a Jupiter BBb concert tuba. It played very well with a very nice, warm tone with minimal back pressure. The valve action is smooth and quick. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of this instrument! http://www.jupitermusic.com/jbi_instrument...d=1&pId=166 As a side note, I felt Jersey Surf had an excellent performance on the Quantum horns at DCI East. Based on that performance alone I feel the Quantum line should be given serious consideration. As I have matured I have come to the realization that there is no such thing as a ‘magic mouthpiece’. I am a firm believer that a musician should utilize the mouthpiece that best works with their embouchure. In some instances, such as a bell heavy mellophone, a large or heavy weight mouthpiece will help balance out the horn in the hands of the musician. I have and probably will again. I purchased a Yamaha marching euphonium from Crown last fall. It plays well and is in very good condition for a two year old drum corps horn. There was a bit more platting wear on the third valve and the last crook before the bell tale. Thankfully no pitting. I figure the wear in the high contact areas was accelerated by excessive polishing with an abrasive polish.

http://www.laweekly.com/2009-12-24/news/si...9-s-music-man/1 This story is mind boggling. An inner city band director raises a high school program from the ashes. Builds a world class caliber indoor drumline. Goes out of his way, both time wise and financially to help his students be successful. Obeys school adminstrators and begins working on forming a marching band program but doesn't recieve the support needed from the school to make the program sucessful. On top of that the district eliminates the middle school instrumental program. Of course the man is fired for....not starting a marching band program?!?!? Are the So. Cali schools really in this bad of shape??? Very disheartning that any school student would be deprived of the opportunity to learn how to play a musical instrument. Esp. in this story, where it seems the firing of a teacher was based on a administrator(s) personal vendetta, not the actual teaching abilities of a band director. Any of our Cali members able to shine any light on this??? Honestly, when I first started reading the article I thought they were speaking of Hawthorne NJ. My first thought was, is it possible to bring the Muchachos back to provide these kids with another opportunity for an education in the arts. Obviously, at least i think, that wouldn't help the situation. Any thoughts on any of this, ideas how we as drum corps people can support the arts in our schools, does our country need a revival of the community based drum and bugle corps??? I'm young and naive and unsure. I'm hoping our more experienced members will be able to shed light on this

Merry Christmas drum corps friends!!!

Emmaus Sentinels like to wish all the wonderful people at Cabs a very merry Christmas!!!

Love the euphonium...but I'll be taking the above advice...Thank you all and.. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

Don't worry on that. I pescribe to the the Al Perkins mellophone method. I've been using the IYM piece. Just due to practice time restraints, the upper register is not as solid as I would to have for a performance.

I will be accompany the organist for the Christmas Eve service. I was originally planning on playing mellophone. Since the transpostion (gotta love perfect 5ths) either puts you in the basement or the rafters, I'm thinking of just pulling out either the marching baritone or marching euphonium. I nay play one or two pieces on the mello but looking to stay in low brass land. I'm leaning toward the eupho, but looking for some feedback...What do you feel would match up better with a pipe organ the baritone or euphonium? To specify the equipment. both are yamaha marching only horns in silverplate. mouthpiece will either be a Bach 3G 5G. thanks for the help!!! -contra chris Buccaneers Alumni

My prayers are with the Nadaud family and Kris's extended family, Phantom Regiment. God Bless

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