randomnoise

How to clean a silver horn in the absolute LEAST amount of time. This works great for me, but if your horn is filthy, it might take more work. You need: - Goddard's Silver Dip (put it in a squirt bottle) - A mix of Dawn dishwashing liquid and water in a separate squirt bottle In your shower, or outside with a hose (I wouldn't do it over grass), clean the outside of the horn by spraying liberally with the mix of Dawn and water and rinsing it off. Spray the silver dip all over the horn. Use a lot and cover the instrument. Rinse it all off. Spray one more time with the Dawn/water mix and rinse.

I found silver wipes at a store in Rochester that worked great on our horns - really fast, too. Contra players bought out the full supply!

You need to play the horns. Is there anywhere you can try them out?

Yamaha 204 and the System Blue are both excellent instruments.

The San Francisco Renegades are pleased to announce their 2012 show, “TWISTED” TWISTED 1. To move or progress in a winding course. 2. To alter or distort the mental, moral, or emotional character. 3. A contortion or distortion of the body. 4. To alter or distort the intended meaning. 5. A change in direction; a turn. 6. A personal inclination or eccentricity. 7. An unexpected change in a process or a departure from a pattern, often producing a distortion or perversion. Over the past 12 years, the San Francisco Renegades have defied tradition and shattered expectations with their groundbreaking and in your face style of drum corps. 2012 brings their most daring production yet – TWISTED. Featured music includes: ‘Twisted Nerve’ by Bernard Herrmann ‘Death Hunt’ by Bernard Herrmann ‘Uninvited’ by Alanis Morissette ‘Break from Reality’, an original composition by Brian Sears ‘Knights of Cydonia’ by Muse

Lip trills are just fast slurs. I learned out of the Arban's book. Took about 3 months when I was in high school. I practiced them a lot.

In your opinion, what is the best sousaphone on the market? Is there a decent 4 valve?

Parts are written in F - same as Horn. BTW - Congrats on your teaching gig, Bob!!

I was not on Brass Staff in 1984, but we had pretty much the same guys in 1985 (I took over for John Figueara) and noone was caption head. As a matter of fact, there was never a brass caption head when I taught in the 80s. We all shared in the duties. We would actually argue jokingly about it. "You be caption head today." "No, I was it yesterday, it's your turn now." That kind of thing.

I have gotten great results with the System Blue mouthpiece. The Conn Helleberg is a classic.

It isn't that difficult. Let me try to explain: There are three marching French Horns that I know of (from longest to shortest): 1. G Horn (bugle). Same length as a Baritone bugle, but played an octave higher. Partials very close together. 2. Bb Horn. The most common Horn used in Marching Band. Same length as a Trombone or Euphonium, but played an octave higher. Also same length (and partials) as the Bb side of a double horn. Partials are not as close together as they are on the G bugle, but still closer together than a Mellophone. 3. F Horn (Alto). Very rarely used (but I am trying to get people to change). Same length as a Mellophone or a Descant Horn. Partials and fingerings are the same as a Mellophone. It may be that there is am F marching horn in the world, but I have never encountered one. Hope this helps, -Chris

Hey Gang, There are three sets of rights that have to be procured. Back in the day, these rights still had to be procured, but no one did, and no one enforced the law. The three types of permissions (as I understand them, not being a lawyer): 1. Permission to arrange your music for performance. Basically, you pay the owner of the tune for the right to arrange and perform the music. A link was posted to the BOA site that talks about this. You don't have this, you don't take the field. 2. Mechanical rights give you permission to sell a CD. These are relatively inexpensive and easy to get, mostly from the Harry Fox agency. 3. Synch rights give you permission to sell a video. These are usually the most expensive and the toughest to get. Corps that sell their own CDs and DVDs will need to make sure this all happens. If a corps does not sell audio or video of their show, I can understand why they might want to (or need to) save time and money and not purchase these rights. DCI sells CDs and DVDs, so they purchase these rights (if available). Not coincidentally, this is why an increasing number of groups (especially marching bands) hire composers instead of arrangers - it is a heck of a lot easier to get rights as part of the package.

You guys are talking like the only option is a Bb Marching Horn. This is not the case.

No more so than any other G or Bb bell front horn. I am playing it in Renegades this year, doubling a Contra feature in the extreme low register. It's pretty loud. Folks are telling me I sound like a Bass Trombone!

"Azar dated actor Giovanni Ribisi for several years." Genius.

They absolutely listen to drum corps - just as much as we did. We had a kid join the Renegades who knew the shows from all of our junior corps days, and was able to tell us what we played BITD.

This design was done by Marty Reese of the Santa Clara Vanguard for the reasons mentioned above. If you check out pictures of Horn players in action, you will see that the lead pipe points down. By bending the lead pipe, Marty made it so that his drum corps Horn players could use a more natural embouchure. I am playing one of these horns this year, and I must admit that (although weird), it is a much more natural playing position than tilting my head back.

This argument doesn't fly with me for three reasons: 1. I play Horn and I do so in corps with no problems. It is true that the partials are closer together on Bb marching horns, but if you are a quality player, this is definitely achievable, especially given how much time drum corps put into perfecting their act. 2. The partials are no closer together than the partials that a lead player on a trumpet or baritone faces while playing in the upper register. 3. The Kanstul 284. This is an alto F, bell-front horn that has exactly the same partials as a Mellophone. Sweet playing instrument. Someday, a top corps will win with a mix of instruments other than the standard 4 instruments, and it will change. Maybe.

I am playing on a Cornet in Renegades this year in order to match the sound of a great Soprano player - Cornet was the closest I could come to his sweet sound. And I don't play Sop. When I marched in BD (and Dinosaurs walked the Earth), we used Flugels instead of Mellos at times for a different sound. IMO, drum corps play it way to safe from an orchestration standpoint. Mix it up, I say!

In DCA, you can only play on a Picc with 3 valves or less. We wanted to use a 4 valve and were told we would get DQ'ed, so Larrie Dastrup had to learn his parts on a 2 valve G picc.

Hey there - Renegades are also playing "Awakenings" - an original piece by John Meehan, Dave Glyde and Brian Sears. Thanks!

Hi guys! I haven't been to DCP in ages. Anyway, Renegades and Dream are judged on DCA sheets at all shows. Can't wait to see you all in Rochester!

Calling all members, friends, potential members, and alumni! Join us for the start of our 2011 Season. We will be learning music from our 2011 show, "The Seventh Sense" by John Meehan and David Glyde. Saturday, January 8, 2011 1:00pm – 9:00pm Sunday, January 9, 2011 10:00am – 4:00pm Del Mar High School 1224 Del Mar Avenue San Jose, CA 95128-3572

Templeton HS in California is all brass.

Hmm - I never heard that. And I am the guy who would make the call for our corps. Would very much like to get our horns fixed up, but no plans to change in the foreseeable future. If anything, we would switch to vuvuzelas!