HashBrownJM Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 The Jupiter reps kept saying "we put the weight in the back." They seemed to think this was a huge selling point.And as others have commented, they are back heavy. Yeah. I think the first incarnation of the horns were front heavy like King, but having never marched Quantum 1.0, I wouldn't really know. They're big on the back-weighting, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruckner8 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 That really sounds like an intonation nightmare to me... >_> Probably right, but I have supreme self-confidence when it comes to teaching kids to listen, understand their instruments, and play in tune within an ensemble. The talent would have to be there, absolutely, which limits the experiment to about 4-5 hornlines out there. (If every hornline tried this, the disparity between quality hornlines and the rest would be even more obvious than it was in the G Bugle days. Today, thanks to Bb, hornlines are better, and more equal in quality than ever.)The magic would be in the writing. Want a fat C major chord? OK then, you know you'll get it for free on the C instruments....just be sure to NOT give the E to anyone in the G group! It would be like using different manuals on an organ...lots of C-G everywhere with one lone E in the right hand thumb, lol. Funny thing is, the corps that would benefit most would also have the most exposure to error (Corps that play more long phrases, with traditional harmony on every note, like Phantom.) Blue Devils would probably be the most qualified to succeed (talent + writer & staff that knows exactly what I'm talkin' about), but their music selections don't make sense for it, and they prefer brighter, seamless sound. They're more likely to go All-C, lol. The sound in my imagination is WOW. Thicker color instruments in G (Contras/Euphs/Mellos), and bright stuff in C. I can't let go of the organ analogy. (I listen to organ music a lot, and I've been involved in some large installations ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badmellomf Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 The sound in my imagination is WOW. i think that about sums up your analogy...might want to stay away from organs, large or small... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's Godzilla! Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 They [drum corps tuba manufacturers] should go ahead and make the tubas in C. Maybe it would be 17% smaller than a Bb horn (assuming a Euph is half the size; using linear extrapolation).Especially if they insist on adding 4th valve. Keep it light, balanced, useful, practical. C Trumpets are popular too. Why not use those in DC? Many manufacturers make Bass Trumpets in C (for the Ring of the Niebelung), so there exists tooling out there for such a voice. Making the Baris in C would be a breeze, either by using the bass trumpet tooling, or the existing tooling, but slightly smaller than Bb. And while we're at it, may as well make the mello in G....hmmmmmmmmm....and maybe put a voice between the C bari and the C tuba, say, a Euph in G?...hmmmmmmmm...and since we lost that Low F in the C Tuba (3V), why not add another G voice below it, like a Contrabass Bugle in G? Now THAT'S an 80-member multi-key hornline I could get into: C Trumpets (16) G Sops (8) [lower part] G Mellos (16) C Baris (8) G Euphs (16) C Tubas (8) G Contras (8) Everyone of those instruments exists in some form or other. Heck it would be like having 2 hornlines in one! 48 G Bugles and 32 Cs. Someday, when I win the lottery... PS: Notice how this would put the "tuba vs contra" discussion to rest...lol That's probably the awesomest idea I've ever heard. You had me at G mellos... I don't have a preference for either key hornline, but nothing cuts like the old school G mellos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 That's probably the awesomest idea I've ever heard. You had me at G mellos... I don't have a preference for either key hornline, but nothing cuts like the old school G mellos. And the sopranos, and the baritones, and the euphoniums, and the contras...wait... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 That's probably the awesomest idea I've ever heard. You had me at G mellos... I don't have a preference for either key hornline, but nothing cuts like the old school G mellos. like a lazer beam....especially in the hands of one of those Colt guys circa mid 90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazymello Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Probably right, but I have supreme self-confidence when it comes to teaching kids to listen, understand their instruments, and play in tune within an ensemble. The talent would have to be there, absolutely, which limits the experiment to about 4-5 hornlines out there. (If every hornline tried this, the disparity between quality hornlines and the rest would be even more obvious than it was in the G Bugle days. Today, thanks to Bb, hornlines are better, and more equal in quality than ever.)The magic would be in the writing. Want a fat C major chord? OK then, you know you'll get it for free on the C instruments....just be sure to NOT give the E to anyone in the G group! It would be like using different manuals on an organ...lots of C-G everywhere with one lone E in the right hand thumb, lol. Funny thing is, the corps that would benefit most would also have the most exposure to error (Corps that play more long phrases, with traditional harmony on every note, like Phantom.) Blue Devils would probably be the most qualified to succeed (talent + writer & staff that knows exactly what I'm talkin' about), but their music selections don't make sense for it, and they prefer brighter, seamless sound. They're more likely to go All-C, lol. The sound in my imagination is WOW. Thicker color instruments in G (Contras/Euphs/Mellos), and bright stuff in C. I can't let go of the organ analogy. (I listen to organ music a lot, and I've been involved in some large installations ) hmm... give it to crown, and maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penn State Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 That's probably the awesomest idea I've ever heard. You had me at G mellos... I don't have a preference for either key hornline, but nothing cuts like the old school G mellos. G mello = soprano+large bell forgive me drum corps gods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontwan2know Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 G mello = soprano+large bellforgive me drum corps gods Actually, other than the Yamaha which is its own beast entirely, there is very little difference in the design and sound of F and G mellos, when you play them individually side by side. The difference is in their relative place in the line, with the F mellos being between the soprano and tenor voice whereas the Gs were in the same octave as the sopranos and the lines frequently crossed. That's what made them stand out so much. You'll hear arrangers do the same thing now when they want the mello voice to really stand out and still have the full brass choir playing out...the difference is that the F mellos have to play in an extremely high tessitura to accomplish this. Check out some of JD Shaw's arrangements for Phantom if you get a chance. Holy mellos above the staff all the time, Batman! As far as the back-heavy nature of the Quantum tuba...granted, you'd prefer a perfectly balanced horn, but if you had to pick, I'll take a back heavy horn over the more common front heavy problem any day of the week and twice on sundays. Overall, I think the balance and weight of euphs and tubas is way overemphasized in drum corps (and I played bari and euph and loved it, for the record). Pick the horn that sounds/plays the best and buy stock in pharmaceutical companies! This is not a high school band asking a 14 year old 90lb kid to play a 5/4 Kanstul tuba we're talking about here. It's drum corps! Man up and own that horn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASUTuba Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 As far as the tuba is concerned... It is very accurate to say it's a mix between the King and the Kanstul 5/4. Along these lines, it does have the bell-heaviness of the Kings. After getting my butt kicked for a season by holding one of these beasts up, I think weighting the back end is a GREAT idea. To the people who say it's too heavy/awkward I say, "Get over it." The sound you can get from these horns is worth the weight and (just like any other tuba) you get used to holding it after a bit and then holding any other brand is SUPER awkward. All things considered, a GREAT tuba. In my opinoin, after improvements, this will be the best marching tuba on the market. Can't wait to hear them in Phantom's hands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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