MountainBugleer

The other interesting thing about snare/bass debate is that snare drummers play a complete instrument whereas each bass drummer plays only a part of the bass line "instrument." Merry Holidays. <santa>

DON'T go to WVU. The trumpet prof is an excellent legit player, but he's a one trick pony. You'd be on your own for jazz.

From my experience, fiberglass sousaphones aren't anywhere near as bad as their reputation says they are. About 15 of them mounted on Ohio University players came right in to WVU's stadium a couple years ago and plastered our 24 brass sousas all over the place. Our director was livid, as he should have been. We played like crap. Judging from other instances, fiberglass sousas do not hold up to overplaying AT ALL. That's when they sound horrible. So it's all in how you play them. If someone doesn't sound good on a fiberglass, they're not gonna sound much better on a brass sousa. Fiberglass horns seem to hold up to the "rigors" (read: abuse) of marching band a bit better (no dings). However it would seem that the same behaviors that destroy brass horns eventually will catch up to a horn made of anything else. Equipment needs to be taken care of. Another thing I've noticed about sousas and convertibles is about the bore. The bore on sousas is a bit smaller in most cases, not bigger. Also, and more importantly, the bore is much less conical than convertibles. That makes a big difference in sound and power. Convertibles get a much rounder and fuller sound than sousas, which have more projection and "color" to the sound. Another consideration for sousas is their visual contribution. They're physically bigger, so their contribution will be bigger too. I love both instruments. A good convertible or contra bugle sound is like butter to my ears, and I've also never had any marching experience as fun as the "rock" section of Country Roads in WVU's pregame. One should consider a band's style when deciding what type of horns to get. Shoulder horns simply wouldn't work at WVU. The size of the sousa's bell contributes too much to the show, and I think with all the trumpets and trombones in the group the bass line needs to cut through to match all that brilliance in the sound. With a band that emulates more of a corps style sound, shoulders or convertibles are the only way to go. I love topics like this. Makes for interesting conversations. For another interesting topic or two, consider the marching band where I serve as brass tech. We don't use trombones. As a trombone player, I kinda dislike the move and also kinda do. The director just doesn't like the sound, prefers the darker sound of the baritone. We also use flugelhorns, requiring some range accomodations, in place of mellophones. I like the way the mellophone fills its role, but I don't really like the sound or how difficult they are to tune. I'd like to check out alto horns and see how they work but they aren't anywhere near as popular as mellos.

LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES LONG TONES Those are pretty much the best thing you can do. You only have to do them so often, like EVERY DAY. Playing long notes lets you focus entirely on sound and air. Also, your jaw is going to drop a LOT more to get down to that partial more than any other on the horn, or any other horn that you've played. The airstream should go more "straight" into the instrument rather than at a "downward angle" for higher notes. Good luck! :) Dew

Saxo for many many years. Learned trombone and tuba. Then I picked up a 2-valve baritone bugle with Allegheny NightStorm. Surprisingly, many of the same basic concepts of making a good sound are interchangable between instruments. Relaxed muscles, strong and focused air stream, and "voicing" as saxos call it (position of tongue, jaw, and open-ness of oral cavity and throat) are all pretty similar. If you can get a good tone out of a wind instrument, you can get a good tone out of any other one. Especially all these oboists. Sheesh! Good sound there takes some talent. b**bs Dew

Silver horns resonate/vibrate/reflect (?) more efficiently than lacquered or even plain brass horns. It's just the nature of the metal and/or the finish. We all know brass is very soft. Lacquer is pretty soft too. Soft things don't vibrate as easily. Higher frequencies of sound (those overtones in the sound that make it sound brighter or more colorful) will be absorbed more by the softer metal or the lacquer finish, allowing the lower and middle overtones (those that make the pitch of the sound and make it sound darker or fuller) to be more present. Those high overtones will resonate more with silver, but the middle and lower frequencies of sound, less affected by absorption, will also resonate more. What that means as far as what is better depends on who you ask. Someone who prefers silver horns will talk about how freely the horn responds and resonates. Someone who prefers non-silver horns will talk about how bright silver is and how much darker and fuller the other horns are. No matter what the equipment question is, it's always a matter of personal preference. Will an equipment switch change your sound? Nope. Will an experienced player notice the difference between a silver horn and a plain brass or lacquered horn? You betcha. How do I know which is better for me? If you're a beginner, forget about it until you've been practicing and playing a lot for several years. Then you just have to try different "setups." As a former saxophone major, this subject recieves plenty of discussion in that field as well. A cohort of mine had to loan me his solid silver baritone saxophone neck one day because the weld on mine broke. I noticed a HUGE difference. I got an incredibly fuller and more resonant sound. I felt like I didn't have to work as hard to get "my" sound out of the horn, i.e., it was easy to "take it where my ear wanted it to go." I've had similar experiences with brass. My trombone is lacquered with a rose brass bell. Rose brass has more copper in the alloy. It has a nice, dark and full sound. I don't feel like I'm "fighting" it or any other lacquered horn I've played to get the sound I want. I just feel like I put in less effort and get farther that way with a silver horn. I'd love to hear what others have to say here. Dew