big phan

I have found Yamaha to be a very dependable horn, but often they can sound too bright and "tinny." I understand they make their horns with a fair amount of zinc, the reason for the brighter sound. Zinc tends to rattle more and doesn't have the same resonance of some other metals. King doesn't. It seems that king horns may have been a little less consistent in the way they were made and so you could have a line of 10 horns with 10 different problems. However, more recently King seems to have settled on a much better developed model. The sound that can be attained from a line of King horns is much warmer than that of a line of Yamahas simply due to the fact that they are made differently. King may have better projection, but it is projection that is better rounded. I would prefer a line of Kings(Phantom Regiment) to a line of Yamahas.

yeah. . .but ya gotta relax first! Relax, Breathe, Dah, and you can make any sound you want.

David Tippett. Great teacher. I have never met anyone who knows how to get a brassline off the ground like Dave. He was one of the reasons the Glassmen got so big so fast in the early ninties.(if my chronology isn't off. . .)

I agree that straight on is never something that you can do ALL the time. But to switch back and forth between up and down also ends up developing your embouchre wrong. I try to play straight on/leaning towards downstream for the most part because I find I can get more resonance and can play more relaxed. Even at the higher octaves, for me, if I think about playing downstream, I am able to relax better. Maybe the whole jaw-jut idea helps to develop the upper initally, but to get consistent tone and a good quality sound up high, I have to play down a little. Just my two cents.

Consistensy is bloody hard. I still suck most days. It seems to me that there is not much you can do to control when your crappy days are. However, there are things to notice. Colder, dryer days are harder to get a clear tone on. They also tend to tire your lip out faster. I don't really know what to tell you. Beyond just keep trying. Most Top 12 corps, it seems to me, will recognize the fact that you are working at it and improving and usually a couple of cracked notes won't get in the way of them understanding your ability.

I have just posted these on Ebay if you want to cross-reference. . .

Yeah. I found in playing them(french horns) that they have a sound that doesn't stick out ever, even when you want it to. If you want the french horns to play a line that should come out, it takes the rest of the ensemble holding back a little to make sure it is heard. However, the low range on a horn is fantastic. Big, warm, dark. It's way less like an alto trumpet, compared to a mello. I'd love to see a junior corps start marching a line of those and mellos, to get the fuller, warmer sound. I really like the mellophone, but I think the french horn can create a more dark sound.

JD Shaw definitely is responsible for the awesome euph/mello runs. I talked to him in August about the show and arranging etc. and he definitely is intimately aware of what individual sections like to play most! As well as being a phenomenal horn player he is definitely a great arranger.

I played Marching French Horns for seven years, and found a couple of things. The notes are sometimes harder to slot because the slots themselves are closer together. However, the Horn itself has a much darker, warmer sound than a mellophone. If you want a more symphonic sound, a more rounded sound, marching horns are the way to go. Also, however, playing at louder dynamics is pretty difficult. A marching horn is harder to get a focused, loud sound out of than a concert horn, and often the louder dynamics will spread and get blatty if you don't pay attention. They are not bad horns, in my opinion. It's just a matter of choosing what style you are looking for.

hahahahaha! you're right. My bad. I was thinking from the transposition to the concert pitch. sorry. :P

For the arrangements I've been doing, here's the ranges I try and work within for the most part(to play relatively comfortably): Sopranos - F5 - C7ish (below F5 can end up being a pretty fat sound and unless that's what you want is pretty gross sounding) Mellos - F4 - D or E6(mello parts transpose up the fifth, not down) Baris - Bb3 - G/A4(there's usually no need for a bari to go below a Bb in the bass clef Contras - Bb2 - Eb3 This may seem pretty limited, I know, but it has worked pretty well for me . . . so far.

I have become the proud owner of a line of nine used silver Yamaha Marching Horns, all in really good playing and aesthetic condition, (model: YHR 302MS) cases included. If you would be interested in one or any of these, e-mail me at ahaig886@hotmail.com. Be happy to provide you with specific info on these(I do have pics of them).

JD Shaw, the arranger for PR, is also the horn player for Boston Brass. Does that count?

That's how I was starting to feel after it started raining hard in Allentown. I had driven six hours with four friends to see it and I was gonna be ###### if I left cause of rain.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Go phantom!