Brass size

[jrmcnulty]

A large hornline can have more volume and it can be easier for people to be a little less mindful on where one breaths, but that is not always the case. To me tunning is the key. A smaller hornline will sound louder if in tune than a larger out of tune hornline. Scientifically, it makes since. It is really kind of cool. So, all the small horn lines that have been around and that others have stated already were louder because they can play together as a in tune hornline.

But playing in a 74 member in tune hornline is really cool!!!

Ryan

[batmanrenegade]

A large hornline can have more volume and it can be easier for people to be a little less mindful on where one breaths, but that is not always the case. To me tunning is the key. A smaller hornline will sound louder if in tune than a larger out of tune hornline. Scientifically, it makes since. It is really kind of cool. So, all the small horn lines that have been around and that others have stated already were louder because they can play together as a in tune hornline.

But playing in a 74 member in tune hornline is really cool!!!

Ryan

I agree

[RaiderLex]

i think it is way easier in a large hornline because you have the numbers to back you up. For example lines like Cadets or Phantom who have about 70 horns, they have the privelege to pick who they want to be in their hornline thats why they are so talented. They have about 20 sops, and in a div 3 corps 20 is about how big the entire hornline is. If 1 sop dropped out for a litle bit in a 70 man hornline it wont matter, but in a div 3 hornline, if a sop or anything else drops out, its noticable, and it's more affecting. Therefore it is harder to play in small hornlines, and i give them mad props. B)

[jameseuph]

I enjoy a large hornline with at least 60 horns. I like 20 sops, 14 mellos, 10 baris, 10 euphs, 10 contras

[azul eyes]

that's 64

[ContraGuy77]

Im not taking any sides here because I agree with both sides, but just a fact. In 1998 both the East Coast Jazz and Spartans beat Tarheel Sun and both ECJ and Sparts had smaller lines then Tarheel. HOWEVER the QUALITY from ECJ and Sparts were alot better then Traheel, this is somthing that keeps on being forgotten and I think its a very good point, no matter HOW big your line is if the quaility sucks then your not going anywhere. I mean ECJ did beat alot of DI players that year at Q Finals beacause their quality was alot better then some. Thank you.

[knightsbari]

over the past few years I have played with hornlines ranging from 12 to 64. When I played with the hornline of 64 there were some parts that I ended up droping because I either forgot or was running across the field too fast to play. When I played with the hornline of 12 I HAD to know every last note and play it no matter what the drill was because there were times when I was the only peron in my section.

I will admit playing with a hornline of 64 is way cool and quite loud. That season I learned a new style of music other that what I have played in the past, I also improved on my range, learned how much more difficult drill can be. And how much each person matters and has to know what they are doing because everyone depends on one another

Currently I am in a smaller hornline this season and I personally think that I learn more and become a better player because if you forget something there is no one else there to cover your part for you. This season I switched horns and being in a smaller corps this season had forced me to work twice as hard at everything ..... going from contra to bari is a little bit of a change for me ( going from on the shoulder to in front of you and also to a smaller mouthpiece) and it all took alot of work. Personally I think I have come farther as a musican in the past 4 months than I have the past 4 seasons.

For a hornline of 12 to be good, everyone has to be individually good, whereas for a hornline of 64 to be good, you can have some people who are lacking and still sound fine. So its not all the group as a whole its also on individuals.

Also another factor in how a hornline sounds is also the staff. each may teach different ways and techneaques to playing. Not to forget also the horns: some brand / key horns may amplify better than others .... nothing agenst Bb horns but over the years I have played on both Bb and G horns and in my personal opinion I think the G horns produce a little more sound than the Bb horns do. So there are alot of things that also factor into the overall sound of a hornline other than the size

So in my opinion bigger hornlines may sound and look cool but I think that you learn more and become a better player in smaller hornlines

Edited April 11, 2003 by knightsbari

[cheezedogg 23]

nice.. ditto.... cept i wanna add one thing. You can learn just as much from a large hornline as a small hornline as long as they have a good staff and you push yourself. But other than that, YAH!

[spcbrass]

What I like about large hornlines...QUALITY...QUALITY...QUALITY

With a larger hornline you can create such a quality of sound that will easily blow the house down. And when you let them loose they blow the whole city down. One thing about larger hornlines, even though it is often harder to obtain the clarity, is that you can obtain clarity at a pretty high volume level simply by backing down each individual volume and focusing on intonation and timing. Intonation combined with timing is what really helps to achieve the loud volumes.

Most of our clarity issues come from overblowing and forcing sounds above what we can play. I teach people never to play outside of themselves. Once you start reaching too far, you are less apt to have control ofer #1 you tone quality #2 your intonation and #3 your timing. By backing things off half a dynamic you can still create the same effect through clarity and intonation.

And then there are the sections with big fat potato notes that you can just unleash #### on. With a 70 man hornline everyone playing full bore with a great sound it almost hurts. Still you never play outside of yourself. Each individual needs to know where they max out and play just a tiny bit below that level. This way you are still using maximum output, while achieveing clarity and great intonation at the same time.

Intonation=overtones=really loud organ sound (you can hear every voice) dark sound

Overplaying=no overtones=white noise (you hear extreme upper voices) bright sound

[Orpheus]

Im not taking any sides here because I agree with both sides, but just a fact. In 1998 both the East Coast Jazz and Spartans beat Tarheel Sun and both ECJ and Sparts had smaller lines then Tarheel. HOWEVER the QUALITY from ECJ and Sparts were alot better then Traheel, this is somthing that keeps on being forgotten and I think its a very good point, no matter HOW big your line is if the quaility sucks then your not going anywhere. I mean ECJ did beat alot of DI players that year at Q Finals beacause their quality was alot better then some. Thank you.

Something else that matters is that the music has to be arranged with the size of the line in mind. You can't give the same charts that SCV might play to a hornline that has 2 players per part. They could play the music just fine, of course, but it wouldn't sound the same. The sound quality of a big line is totally different from a small line, no matter how good the musicians are. You've got to play to your strengths. It's just like a chamber orchestra sounds totally different from a full symphonic string section, even though the instrumentation is the same. The music must be written to fit the size of the line. If you have eight sops, it's never gonna sound like you've got 20 ... it can sound just as good, but it'll be different.