Martybucs

Why that's the Mario Brothers...no?

Every playing characteristic of the horns you mentioned above is more representative of the player's sound and abilities. The horn itself has none of the characteristics you mention. It only amplifies what is put into it. If you are a good player, with good tone, and good abilities, you will sound that way on any equipment that is in good condition. If you suck, well then, you suck...it ain't the horn. Sure, horns can have certain tendencies which favor a bright or dark sound, but they are not that dramatic. Your individual playing style may have you preferring one type or brand of horn over another, that's fine, doesn't mean the horns you don't like are bad. It only means you don't prefer them. Sometimes it's popular to bash a certain brand of something because everyone else does it. For awhile, King made the "absolute best" horn, then Kanstul, back in the seventies it was OLDS. Yet plenty of corps got there butts kicked by other corps playing on the horns that were popular to bash at the time. I know I've tried Kanstul sopranos a couple of times. I don't like them. I don't like them because I prefer something else. I absolutely love the CONN Vintage One flugelhorn, best flugel I've ever played and I've tried a whole bunch. Lots of people probably don't like it. I've been in drum corps since 1964 and still play a G bugle, but I've also played trumpet the same amount of time. I don't get complaints when I play drum corps or professionally on the trumpet. Part of that is; I don't blame the horn.

I'd rather hear someone "Kack the crap out of it", than hear it played on a keyboard. At least there'd be some entertainment value in it, at least for other trumpet players. I went to a free BEATLE MANIA conert in the park last year. GOD, they were awful! Guy playing the keyboard did the piccolo trumpet part, but had to slow down to play it.

Coldest parade I remember was the Pottsville Winter Carnival - a long time ago - it was 17º that was cold enough for me! I did the parade many times and it was usually in the mid to high twenties. I could never understand how the girls wearing skirts could bear it!

Our parades keep getting rained out this year!

Are the Weril instruments really that bad? I played a Bb not too long ago and I thought it was OK, pretty good, in fact. I have an old DEG 3V G bugle that is just over 20 years old, (I can't believe it!), and it's like brand new.

that's different than the transcription I have. The one I have starts on F# and ends on a G. OK, I just re-checked my part and it does start on F#, but is for Pic in A! All these years I"ve been playing it on Pic in Bb! I put the A pipe in and wow, it's much easier!

I probably missed it. I was outside for awhile. Thanks for playing it, though.

Our horn instructor/arranger back then was Tony Yaklich and being Russian, we played a lot of Russian music by various composers through the years.

One of my all time favorite recordings, (naturally), is 1976 DCA. In Bucs opener, "Meadowlands"; the corps is playing back field before a big hit and the rifles are spinning and you hear the straps, slapping to the music, with a sharp slap on all the musical hits. Man! better than a pit! Love it.

I've got a whole bunch of Drum Corps Digest. Was looking through them about a year ago.

that is a 4 valve piccolo trumpet. the design seems to be Schilke type. The solo never goes low enough to use the 4th valve, though. You can see the sheet music written out at the end of the video, but that is played up an octave.

Yeah, I've seen him wind surfing. Oh, you meant drinking water...well, there's water in most everything liquid.

You're confusing how many people are at any given game, with how many people actually watch, or care that, the band is performing. In DCI people are there just for the bands, er, I mean corps....maybe.

I marched what I think was the last one they had and it was 17° Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Thanks. I've known Eddie since we were kids in junior corps together and he's such a gregarious guy. I was thinking he seemed to enjoy facebook and it surprised me that he is off everyone's friend list there. Then again, knowing Eddie, I must think, "What did HE do?"

OT. I just noticed on facebook that Eddie Young from Reilly has dropped off the face of facebook. Hope he's OK. Anybody from Reilly know what's up?

It's that time of the year again...fall parade season: Columbus Day, Pulaski Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, whatever. Let us all know where you guys are playing and when. Here's a new twist. Like the Renegades invite people to do their CNY parade in Feb. Does any corps open up for people wanting to "sit in", or rather, "march" in for one of their parades? I started this, but off the top of my head, I can't remember our schedule. I'll have to post that later.

I got to see it, Jim. Sounded good. You could tell they were afraid of your power...they had you behind that plexiglass shield.

This is cool, Jim. I will definitely try to catch it. Remember on the hit - horns to the box!!!!

Jim, I was in Bucs in 1976 and I don't think we had 51 horns. More like low to mid 40s. I'll have to see if I can find a roster, I could be wrong.

If you want to remain sane...forget the trumpet. You will never be able to play high enough or long enough to satisfy anyone, even yourself. ex. what? can't you hit the double C? so and so can hit the double C and not turn red...everytime! or Can you take that up an octave? or again, at full volume. on the other hand, there is nothing so sweet as plastering a double C in performance.

No, really, he can. He said, "It's the one with the snakes, right?" or was it serpents?

The fourth valve is not used in the upper register. A 3 valve piccolo trumpet only goes as low as F# on the staff. With 4 valves the piccolo trumpet can descend to low Db, just below the staff. I would imagine that the 4th valve on the Bb trumpet would make it possible to play and octave lower, down to the pedal Db using the proper valve fingerings plus the 4th valve and would make even lower pedal notes easier and easier to correct the pitch. Don Ellis did play a 4 valve, quarter tone trumpet for awhile...he was into a lot of weird stuff, with that and time signatures.

Bucs Alumni. Not that it wouldn't be a good thing.