Did you have problems switching to a G bugle?

[jamoline]

I COULDN'T LEANT MY MUSIC TILL APRIL BECAUSE I DIDNT HAVE A HORN! Bb is just alot more convenient to alot of people especially those who have never played brass before because you can get yout hands on it.

that's so ######## dude. you just practice the music as written in Bb.

if you've never played before (like I had never played before, when I started marching), you just practice on a trumpet.

the switch to sop wasn't hard at all, wtf. it messes with your ears for a few hours, but you adjust and then everything's copascetic.

[TomL]

22 years ago when I started marching, :) DCI corps' were just switching over from piston-rotor to 2 piston. As a trombone player, I had some of the same issues as the other trombone players commenting earlier - learing treble clef was a FAR bigger issue than learning the G horn.

Sure, a Bach Strad Trumpet plays better than a DEG Dynasty 2 valve bugle. But wasn't that just the charm and the challenge of it?

I think the comments here are pretty clear - about 10 to 1 in favor of the G horns....... But friends, I hate to hear drum corps people arguing the bogus, "red herring" issues that were successfully used to remove bugles from "drum and bugle corps".

It NEVER was really about making it easier to learn the horn. The comments here make it clear that few us had much touble with that.

It NEVER was really about attracting more "band" kids to DCI - heck, even back when I marched 99.5% of the corps brass players I knew were also in HS or College bands.... and probably 95% of them started in band rather than in drum corps....

It NEVER was about making corps more relevant to kids who want to be professional musicians - as others have noted above, not many professional brass players play Bb horns exclusively.... Professional tuba players are much more likely to use CC than BBb - and may play F horns as well. Pro Trumpet players, at least in symphonies, must be able to play C trumpets, Eb, etc. French Horn is naturally in F and Bb. etc.

In Fact, It wasn't even really about making horns cheaper for corps and thereby reducing the cost of operating a drum corps. There was sufficient production of G horns.... until their use became "optional."

NOPE - it was only about 2 things:

(1) Top corps can make LOT$ more dough by endorsing a horn that is sold to Tens of Thousands of bands - i.e. "Bb". and

(2) removing the G bugle restriction was a necessary first step to eventually removing the brass and amplification restrictions.....

Tah-Daaaaaaaa...

Welcome to the wonderful world of drum band international - soon to be known as Lounge Singers International.

When Cadets put their first synthesizer in the pit, you can start counting the days until "marching brass" is only a fond memory.

Tom.

[Dave]

A couple things to keep in mind:

First, another reason legalizing Bb horns was pushed was because it gave corps another outlet to sell their old horns to: high school band programs. Programs are usually looking to purchase horns at discounted prices in quantity, and this is a chance for them to do that.

Also: this isn't the first time in history that keys beside G have been in drum and bugle corps. I believe it wasn't until the 1930s or 40s that G was made the official key, and before that corps existed that played bugles in a variety of keys. Even after that corps still played on other keys, and throughout the twentieth century corps in other countries have had other keys. Plus, the key of G isn't a defining feature of a bugle; drum corps doesn't magically become a band by allowing Bb horns in anymore than sleeping in a garage makes you a car.