Shadow_7 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I think I posted this after DCA last year but I'll say it again. (nothing against Bb if that's where you're at)BUT..... while watching and listening at Prelims I never (and my wife too) really got into anything until MCL came on the field. The wife said "Wow......listen to that?" I said "Those are "G" bugles". I'm not seeing the relevance. Most corps leading up to and including MCL are all on G horns. Only the top three or five are on Bb's. And some of the newer Class A corps. Most everyone else at DCA are on G horns. DCI on the other hand.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 The wife said "Wow......listen to that?" I said "Those are "G" bugles". So your wife said "wow" and you said "these are the best quality musicians honey, and that is why you probably are impressed with the sound..." Oh, wait, that's right; your wife said "wow" and you said "you like these guys honey because their horns are pitched in a different key..." Great way to help her understand the activity. It's not the quality of the horns or the musicians, it's the key of G which is magical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 (edited) So your wife said "wow" and you said "these are the best quality musicians honey, and that is why you probably are impressed with the sound..."Oh, wait, that's right; your wife said "wow" and you said "you like these guys honey because their horns are pitched in a different key..." Great way to help her understand the activity. It's not the quality of the horns or the musicians, it's the key of G which is magical. Wish there was a way to quantify the sound difference. On other threads, (several threads), people have posted as to the louder effect of G bugles. Someone suggested MYTHBUSTERS take up the task. I think that would be cool - nerdy - but cool. I think it's very real. Doesn't mean better, mind you. It definitely comes down to the quality of the musicians and horns. The top corps on Bbs and all of DCI are plenty loud enough. I do believe that if you're strictly talking maximum projection, G bugles have my vote. Also, they have a distinct sound I like and speaks drum and bugle corps to me. Edited January 27, 2008 by Martybucs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryTrooper Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 C This man can transpose on the fly... Probably only three people in the corps I’ve marched in could do that… Wish there was a way to quantify the sound difference.On other threads, (several threads), people have posted as to the louder effect of G bugles. Someone suggested MYTHBUSTERS take up the task. I think that would be cool - nerdy - but cool. I think it's very real. Doesn't mean better, mind you. It definitely comes down to the quality of the musicians and horns. The top corps on Bbs and all of DCI are plenty loud enough. I do believe that if you're strictly talking maximum projection, G bugles have my vote. Also, they have a distinct sound I like and speaks drum and bugle corps to me. I never had the luxury of playing a silver G bugle. Mine were always stainless steal or some #### like that… Yea there’s intonation for you… Loud for sure… I remember when Jim Jones added the “triple over back” to the 81 show for prelims or finals (I can’t remember). That is when the riffles tossed a triple while marching backwards and the Sop line marched forwards between them. The first time we tried it a riffle miss-tossed and it came down on my hand and horn. That horn slammed to the ground on a black top parking lot. I picked it up, looked at a few starches on it and kept playing on it. Yea… TONAL QUALITY!! But I did vote for G… It’s old DC’er in me I guess. Personally I think we should go back to the day when horns had no vales and inserted mouthpiece extensions in the horns. In order to play a run each person got to play one note like the bass drum line… Yea... That would be fun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 This man can transpose on the fly... Probably only three people in the corps I’ve marched in could do that…I never had the luxury of playing a silver G bugle. Mine were always stainless steal or some #### like that… Yea there’s intonation for you… Loud for sure… I remember when Jim Jones added the “triple over back” to the 81 show for prelims or finals (I can’t remember). That is when the riffles tossed a triple while marching backwards and the Sop line marched forwards between them. The first time we tried it a riffle miss-tossed and it came down on my hand and horn. That horn slammed to the ground on a black top parking lot. I picked it up, looked at a few starches on it and kept playing on it. Yea… TONAL QUALITY!! But I did vote for G… It’s old DC’er in me I guess. Personally I think we should go back to the day when horns had no vales and inserted mouthpiece extensions in the horns. In order to play a run each person got to play one note like the bass drum line… Yea... That would be fun... I play a 3 valve G bugle now - chrome plated. I love it. The dense chrome plating gives it a darker full sound in the low brass and a rich brilliant sound in the upper brass. It's popular to bash the chrome plated G bugles by people that like to seem as though they know everything or at least something. For many years people were thrilled by the sound and lots of people still long for that particular timbre. (BTW, pronounced tamber, for those that are thinking timber as in falling wood) However, that is indeed a tonal quality and not an altogether bad one. Yes, there were and are hornlines whose major objective is volume at any cost and the tonal quality suffers, but really, do you think any horn would sound good in this case? I don't think there'd be many alive that played bugles before at least one horizontal valve. There were some scout type corps that used valveless bugles, but most drum and bugle corps always used a valved bugle. Heck the keyed bugle of the 19th century had like 8 keys and was still considered a bugle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryTrooper Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I play a 3 valve G bugle now - chrome plated. I love it. The dense chrome plating gives it a darker full sound in the low brass and a rich brilliant sound in the upper brass. It's popular to bash the chrome plated G bugles by people that like to seem as though they know everything or at least something. For many years people were thrilled by the sound and lots of people still long for that particular timbre. (BTW, pronounced tamber, for those that are thinking timber as in falling wood) However, that is indeed a tonal quality and not an altogether bad one. Yes, there were and are hornlines whose major objective is volume at any cost and the tonal quality suffers, but really, do you think any horn would sound good in this case? I don't think there'd be many alive that played bugles before at least one horizontal valve. There were some scout type corps that used valveless bugles, but most drum and bugle corps always used a valved bugle. Heck the keyed bugle of the 19th century had like 8 keys and was still considered a bugle. The first time I saw a PR horn line warm was at a Casper show. They lined up in their 60 horn arc (I may not be remembering the correct number) and each one tuned separately. A few us Troopers were sitting in front of them checking it out. Then they played at chord pianissimo. A very long and slow crescendo followed till they were at quadruple forte, or 11 on the electronic dial. It was amazing! I believe they had silver horns. To this day that sound sticks in mind. The chrome plated sound never quite did it for me after that. It could have been the level of musicianship of the players, it could be lots of things. But the horns in that arc that day made this sound that sang through the air at volumes of every magnitude… Truly amazing!… I don’t believe I ever got a softer tone out of my plated bugle then I did from my trumpet though. I have never seen a corps march with vale-less bugles. I do remember my first horn instructor/arranger (Bob Pierson) talking about arranging for them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow_7 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I think we should go back to the day when horns had no vales and inserted mouthpiece extensions in the horns. In order to play a run each person got to play one note like the bass drum line… Yea... That would be fun... I don't know how fun it would be, but it'd definitely be cheaper. I could probably outfit a 60 man hornline for what I paid for one Contra. That's the thing I think we missed the boat on by moving to "legitimate" instruments. Not only do our used horns leave the genre now, but we've got to pay professional horn prices for "marching" horns. As I wait for Paxman to make a full marching line. With titanium pistons at $10K per soprano. http://www.paxman.co.uk/pages/catalogue/mo...triplehorn.html http://www.paxman.co.uk/pages/catalogue/titanium.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 The first time I saw a PR horn line warm was at a Casper show. They lined up in their 60 horn arc (I may not be remembering the correct number) and each one tuned separately. A few us Troopers were sitting in front of them checking it out. Then they played at chord pianissimo. A very long and slow crescendo followed till they were at quadruple forte, or 11 on the electronic dial. It was amazing! I believe they had silver horns. To this day that sound sticks in mind. The chrome plated sound never quite did it for me after that. It could have been the level of musicianship of the players, it could be lots of things. But the horns in that arc that day made this sound that sang through the air at volumes of every magnitude… Truly amazing!… I don’t believe I ever got a softer tone out of my plated bugle then I did from my trumpet though. I have never seen a corps march with vale-less bugles. I do remember my first horn instructor/arranger (Bob Pierson) talking about arranging for them though. P/R horns in silver plate? Don't know if that was an option. Could've been, but I only ever saw lacquered brass or chrome plating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I don't know how fun it would be, but it'd definitely be cheaper. I could probably outfit a 60 man hornline for what I paid for one Contra. That's the thing I think we missed the boat on by moving to "legitimate" instruments. Not only do our used horns leave the genre now, but we've got to pay professional horn prices for "marching" horns.As I wait for Paxman to make a full marching line. With titanium pistons at $10K per soprano. http://www.paxman.co.uk/pages/catalogue/mo...triplehorn.html http://www.paxman.co.uk/pages/catalogue/titanium.html Imagine if Monette made G bugles...it would be like $300,000.00 for just 25 sops and they don't even come with a case or mouthpiece!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryTrooper Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 P/R horns in silver plate? Don't know if that was an option. Could've been, but I only ever saw lacquered brass or chrome plating. I have been thinkin it was silver all this time. I guess we need PR horn person in 81 tell us what they had. I am questioning my own memory now.. Sad... Sad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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