G_Bass

Is that tuba still up for grabs? What slides are missing?

I'm looking for a used Bb Contra/Marching tuba. King or Dynasty preferred. Will also consider Yamaha or Kanstul. Please email me at gbass242@gmail.com. Thanks!

Any contras left?

I'm making a point to go several times this year. Had my first last year, and have been craving one ever since.

I attended their rehearsal last Thursday, and saw the show that night. They sound good, but if I may be so bold and give my opinion, the low brass didn't fill the stadium. You can hear those horns, but it wasn't as resonant as they were on Kings. Their position now in the rankings is due to a number of things, and as skajerk said, its more than just the brass caption. I thought it was a dumb move too, but money does play a big role in this activity, and Jupiters are cheap compared to Kings.

Not that anyone listens to me, but here it goes. Lets just assume for a second that Drum and Bugle Corps is a musical genre. Well, so is "Crooner music", "Classical", and "alternative rock". Now, if a "speed metal" band decided to put Beethoven's 5th to their instruments and style, wouldn't that inherently change the genre of the piece of music? Another perspective. A "punk band" is playing and only has a guitar, bass, and drums. Well, out of the blue, they decided to add a couple of horns (sax and trombone, let's say). Are they still a "punk band"? They can still play music of the "punk band" genre, but with the instrumentation now including the horns, it would most likely be seen as a "ska band". My opinionated point is marching bands have used amps and synthesizers for a long, long while (My high school had narration in 2003, before DCI allowed amplification). DCI now uses amps, narration, and synthesizers. IMO, it is not drum corps anymore. It is marching band with what has been added over the years. The definition of Drum and Bugle Corps has been modified time and time again ever since a valve was added to straight bugles. "Can only have 1v G/D bugles" "Can have P/R G/D bugle (I have one of those, they exist)" "Can have a P/R G/F bugle with half step rotor" "Can have a 2 piston bugle with same characteristics as a P/R G/F bugle" "Can have a 3v, fully chromatic G bugle". Its an endless definition. We all take the definition we marched with. I know of people that still claim true DBCs are ones with only one valve. I claim 3v G bugles with battery and pit, no electronics what-so-ever (ok, maybe a Dr. Beat). ANYWAYS... Add or take away something from a musical genre, its a whole new world. But, as we've learned over centuries of music making, the rules are meant to be bent and broken (Mozart did it all the frickin time). We wouldn't have awesome sop solos if Jazz weren't a breaking of the rules from one form to another. So, drum corps can be DCI to someone, whereas to another person, DCA is. To a youth who is in juvenile hall and has the option to stay there or do a parade with a horn in his hand, that's drum corps. This debate will continue. Its only when someone ACTS upon it to make a difference. I'm still waiting for that top 12 DCI corps to use G Bugles in the near future to "break the mold", but will most likely not happen. Bbs are a "dime a dozen", and Gs you have to special order. IMO, the G is so much more worth it.

The CONTRAS have 5 in the line, and we were all on 2vs! (Actually, 3 of us were on K-90s, 1 on a Dynasty II 2v, and 1 on an Olds P/R)

I don't know about Mr. Dean, but it is possible to pull a muscle in your lips from over exertion, or playing wrong for a while. I had a friend that did this on horn a few years back, and he had to totally retrain himself how to play the horn. Don't blow your lips. Do an adequate warm up, and warm down.

I was able to get my hands on one for a while, and this mouthpiece is just about everything I've looked for. Now the problem is, just about everyone, even dillon, has stopped making them. Anyone know of a good source to get one, or do I have to send my colleague's mpiece to Kanstul to have copied?

Not good... You know (I hate to bring this up), I've been hearing that the use of.. *shudders* synthesizers to help the low brass (particularly tuba) sound is going to be apparent this year. Eliminating the 4v horn, and/or limiting your tuba/contra line to <10 is probably your problem of NOT HEARING YOUR LOW BRASS! Take the Phantom approach. Get a bad*** low brass line with proper horns (although, I'm still unsure about their move to Jupiter). I hope to own a 4v G contra one of these days (Kanstul Grande 4v with S-style lead pipe *drool*). I just hope they'll still make them.

If you're talking DCI only marching tubas, they they will more than likely have 3 valves. Since the switch from G bugles to multi-key, most/all the tubas in DCI are pitched in Bb, just like a concert tuba. Dynasty makes a 4 valve marching tuba as well. G Contrabass bugles, however, came in more varieties. There is the piston/rotor (like having only 2 valves), the straight 2 valve, the three, and 4 valves. Instrument is pitched in G, not Bb (minor 3rd down).

Very cool.

Whoa.. first post in a long while... Yeah, triple horns exist. I know of at least 2 horn players that have them (and both are from Houston Baptist University). I "hear" some pros play on them. I still like a K-90.

Revo was there in 06 :)

Lol. I CAN HAZ BLUUCOATZ?

Pimptastically scrumtrulescent!

Amen, Sir!

I'm interested in building my DCA library. I currently have a handful of recordings from '05 finals, but I want more. Where would one buy recordings from the past 40 years? I at least want to get the 2000s, and some of the 1990s. Anything would help!

If I had $2500 to drop, I probably would. Conns are generally good horns.

From what I remember, the 1141s were a rats nest of pipes. The balance was ok, but picking up the horn was a task. I played the 1151 at TMEA this year, and it was a good horn (Probably the best Bb on the field). Its so reminiscent of the K-90. Yes, its bell-heavy, but it plays well. Plus also, you can see (in a limited window) to your left. (SHOCK!)

By "Softer", I mean more contoured, not flat, and it is more comfortable, and feels softer. So its purely cosmetic?

What about a nice Provolone? "No, sir! We're fresh out of that, too!"

Well alright! I just spent a few days at the Texas Music Educators Association conference and convention, and tried multiple mouthpieces. I've whittled the list down to 3. (In no particular order) - Dennis Wick 2L - Miraphone Rose Orchestral - Schilke 67 These are like the Helleberg I'm playing on now, but adds more mass to the mpiece. And what I like about the DW and Miraphone is the softer rims. Anyways, how does the plating affect the mouthpiece, comfort of playing, and overall tone of the horn? p.s. I did notice on playing the silver versions of these mpcs that they were a lot smoother in playing vs. my Helleberg.

That's whyt there's Octaves!

That just screams Kanstul at me.