CookieMonster

Yeah, considering that I believe King designed their horns with Phantom and for Phantom, I don't see them switching off soon.

I stand corrected. Good work, team.

Just a heads up, I don't think I have seen any marching euphs that use a euro shank. Most euphs (and many baritones) use just plain large shank leadpipes. I am not sure if I have ever seen a medium shank marching horn, but you could have something I don't. What horn are you playing on?

I have actually heard very good things about the use of vodka as a cold-weather lubricant. Depending on the particular coldness, you can use a half-n-half vodka-oil mix or just liquor up your horns. As far as it causing damage to the inside of the valves, not much can live in vodka, and it doesn't oxidize metal, so it is safe on that front, too. I might be inclined to try a less flavored liquor, like Everclear, which is pretty much just straight Grain Alcohol, but whatever you can put in a spray bottle and would not rue "disposing of" afterwords, I would imagine. I'm not entirely sure if it will do anything to the lacquer, which hot-packs can damage, as well as the fact that a hot pack on the valve means uneven heating on the instrument, which means potential warping. I would not recommend that method if you care much about your horns in the long term. Probably not immediate damage, but it could mess stuff up eventually. Using alcohol in it should be better,

Well I heard that PR's show this year is based on the revolutionary musical stylings of a little known, but prolific and varied romantic composer, Sir Richard Astlenson

Why not? Their operating costs are almost as high with the added wrinkle that they don't make as much money from fans. It seems to make perfect sense.

A good euph line will add so much depth to your sound, that you will hardly sound like the same hornline from last year. If you think of the trademark "Phantom Sound", from the past years, that is from when they fielded an all Euph-section. And whoever said that you don't have as much range on Euph, it's all up to the player. If you can move the air, you can get everywhere on a euph you can get on a baritone. Also, as one of the people who finds it "entirely too easy to overplay a baritone" (which should be your entire third section, IMO), it takes those people from having too bright and blatty of a sound, to a dark, resonant, beautiful tone that has little trouble blending with the ensemble. Sort of think of it as Bass Baritone or Tenor Contrabass. That's about where the tone falls. I would personally never call it a waste of money, as it should improve your sound a noticeable amount either from the starting gate, or when you teach the people playing it to breathe like brass machines they should be.

I was more offended by the fiberglass sousaphones.

It's actually all weekend... But much like frosty, I will be back again one day.

I'm not going to be able to make it for the banquet due to my audition, so I am expecting a moment of silence for my honor or something like that... I miss you guys!

I'm sorry, I didn't intend to 'mess' with you, I disagreed with some of what you said, and I do agree that developing good technique is more important, I just think that it is good to have at least a bigger piece to learn on because it helps build the chops and tone that I like out of a player. Bigger/deeper mouthpieces require more air for people to make sounds that they are happy with, forcing them to play correctly. Also, I am at least 78 percent sure that I am not Brian Bowman.

I didn't say that nobody can sound good on a 6.5, he asked for advice about what piece to use, and in my experience, nobody is at their best on one. I know that there are many, many, many more important things to talk about, but in a conversation about mouthpieces, it does however, make a noticeable difference in tone, volume, range, and flexibility (The first two on which I place a higher value, hence my distaste for the small, shallow, light 6 1/2 AL for anyone but a new student). Also, it doesn't matter whether you play a G bugle or a $4500 Willson 2950 4 Valve compensating (which, by the way is a stellar price, and if you have seen any at this amount, I would very much appreciate a PM with where and who I could murder for this deal.), like breath support, it does not matter what kind of instrument you use, a good mouthpiece, like breath support, will help on whatever you are playing from a piece of PVC pipe, to an $8000 Willson.

I am going to come out and say it. The 6.5 AL mouthpiece is a terrible piece, and I have never heard somebody who sounds their best on one. I switched over to the Bowman BB1BT, and I felt a huge improvement on my sound production, tone color and center. But here's the thing about switching off of the 6.5 AL, you will not last as long at first. It's going to be a climb, but once you get off of the thing,and practice on the new one (at least an hour a day at the very minimum), you will sound so much better for it that you will wonder why you stayed on it for so long. I would not recommend anybody continuing to play on a 6.5 for more than two years after the first time they ever touch a low brass instrument. It trains your chops to be lazy, which trains them to make a bad sound.

Also, remember how long it took for your first band/corps's pit to learn how to play with the horn/drumline? Who would want to go through that every year by moving the pit around?

Please, everyone knows that there has not been a decent theme from a video game since "The Secret of Monkey Island"

The way that I did the switch over was first, to finger along to music while I played it on my slide (not completely moving them, just enough so you feel the pressure) and to run chromatic, major and minor scales through the circle of fifths when I was just standing or sitting around. If you're watching TV, run scales in your fingers, it helps immensely.

I disagree that there is little new music coming out. Just last season, SCV did a pretty good show with tunes from Eric Whitacre, Philip Glass, John Adams, and other people. (all very modern composers. Also, Bluecoats did "Gonna Fly Now" this year (From Rocky), for a movie theme. I wouldn't want all of the shows to be movie themes and new compositions though. While I love them, I think it makes it a little less special when they do come along if you are inundated with movie themes (see: college marching band shows).

After this, do you have a ring on your lips from the mouthpiece? It sounds like you could be pressing too hard on your top lip.

1. Clarke Technical Studies 2. ??? 3. Profit!

I actually might not be there, I'm going to see about maybe auditioning for the Bluecoats that weekend (if I can find a way to get there) so wish me luck?

Well, I heard that the baris are going to get a leisurely 8-5 for the whole show, our movement being handled by the contras.

Honestly reading either isn't that hard. If you can only read one, and they only have the other, then learn. Except for contras, if you're reading treble clef contrabass, something has gone horribly, horribly awry.