horn line tours

[Shadow_7]

Mellos can go nuclear

But it's not the same nuclear.

When you do it on mello, it's all you. You loose track of your surroundings, and you stop just short of having your head explode.

When you do it on Euph, you're still aware of your surroundings. You appreciate that guy going nuclear next to you. You notice the babies in the front row starting to shed tears and keep pushing that much harder. You notice the special ed kids in the sixth row digging it and dancing and push that much more. You notice that guy on top of the press box jumping up and down doing back flips and the like and push that much more. You notice that same guy fall off tha back of the stands to his death, and figure you can still push that much more. And at the end of the show when everyone else is spent, you push that much more. You start to realize that you're the loudest guy in the corps, and yet you've still got headroom to go even louder. Tis the nature of the horn.

[lupin]

Everyone falls to the mello.

eh....i think ive had my fill of mello, besides we've got F mellos and not G mellos which is kinda depressing cause i liked the G's way more that the F's

[Spaml6]

...besides we've got F mellos and not G mellos which is kinda depressing cause i liked the G's way more that the F's

Thats how I feel, but about the entire line... nothing like 8 contas sounding like 12 tubas

Edited March 9, 2009 by Spaml6

[leadsop97]

I am a trumpet/soprano player, and will always be. That being said, I marched lead bari with the Hurcs in 2003 when I got back from DCI tour. I also have played lead bari and contra with the CT Alumni.

Mellophone is the only instrument I haven't played in drum corps (although I played it in I&E ensembles in 2004 and 2006 at DCI, and as a soloist for the Targets in 2001 and 2002). My father plays mello and I wouldn't want to be in the same section as him. And at that point, most everyone just tells me I'm not allowed to play anything other than trumpet/soprano.

[euphononium]

the whole premise of a horn-line tour irks me. i know, i know...sometimes you take one for the team and go where they need you and i am not talking to those who did this out of a necessity; but why not take pride in sticking with one instrument and being very good at it, even if you aren't a musician throughout your daily life? truly great musicians don't always play every day or go to music school, but they will never be bored with their instrument because they're always doing something to better themselves... and a good musician will always realize that their corps will not likely benefit from someone playing an instrument they're not proficient at.

as someone who worked hard up the ranks to play lead baritone it bugs the stink out of me to see these lead sops step into the lead bari line and think they can handle it when the two are nothing alike. don't even get me started on lead sop vs. lead mello... NOT the same! this is one thing that really bugs me about DCA as it seems to happen there repeatedly. i have way more respect for that guy who has played third baritone or second mello for 22 years than someone who jumps around to supposedly make themselves look good.

it really gets me when they get people who have never played anything before and just stick them in the 3rd bari section, too...ugh. that's like the marching band that takes all of the 7th graders and sticks them on bass drum.

[Shadow_7]

I will concede that your first season on a NEW horn is pretty much a wash. The instruments share attributes, but you don't know what horn / mouthpiece / methods works for you and you spend all season figuring it out.

That being said, there are REASONs for doing a tour. For me, primarily as a self imposed physical therapy after a body altering accident in 2000. Initially to see if I could still do it, so I could better determine my response to crappy insurance companies. And later to give me options should the worst case scenario happen and the reduced circulation that I now have in my left arm prevents me from doing my main in my later years. At a minimum if you plan on doing any sort of instruction you should take a tour, if only to get more intimate with the quirks of each horn. If you compose, you should probably do the same IMO. And as a carry over from my Army Band days where you play the same ten marches on the same horn for four years straight (or twenty), you eventually get bored of that, and you have to branch out in order to keep your sanity. Plus in all age corps, you never know who will be able to make it at a given event and need options to cover the part, at least that's how it works in the smaller corps anyway. And then there's the super heroes who want to I&E on EVERY caption at DCA.

[euphononium]

And then there's the super heroes who want to I&E on EVERY caption at DCA.

that's pretty much what i was getting at. i know a great contra/tuba player who can't pick it up anymore because his back was wrecked in an off-road experience... i totally get that. what i don't get is people who don't play an instrument outside of drum corps, only play every weekend or however many practices they have, but still feel the need to jump around.

as far as i'm concerned, i'd rather march 7 great contra players and 1 hole than 7 great contra players and 1 guy/gal who picked up a mellophone a couple years ago and doesn't know anything about the foundations of great tuba playing (or holding..haha)

[Spaml6]

the whole premise of a horn-line tour irks me. i know, i know...sometimes you take one for the team and go where they need you and i am not talking to those who did this out of a necessity; but why not take pride in sticking with one instrument and being very good at it, even if you aren't a musician throughout your daily life? truly great musicians don't always play every day or go to music school, but they will never be bored with their instrument because they're always doing something to better themselves... and a good musician will always realize that their corps will not likely benefit from someone playing an instrument they're not proficient at.

as someone who worked hard up the ranks to play lead baritone it bugs the stink out of me to see these lead sops step into the lead bari line and think they can handle it when the two are nothing alike. don't even get me started on lead sop vs. lead mello... NOT the same! this is one thing that really bugs me about DCA as it seems to happen there repeatedly. i have way more respect for that guy who has played third baritone or second mello for 22 years than someone who jumps around to supposedly make themselves look good.

it really gets me when they get people who have never played anything before and just stick them in the 3rd bari section, too...ugh. that's like the marching band that takes all of the 7th graders and sticks them on bass drum.

The only reason I played Contra in 06. I took one for the team. We needed another Contra player and had a mello player that marched Cadets back in the day that wanted into the line.

I will admit that it IS harder to move around to the different horns, but at the same time... I got very good at the different horns that I played.

Lead Mello is VERY different from Lead Soprano... VERY. Lead sop has greater range, while Mello has to do with the moving parts etc etc. The only reason that I moved around was because of the need to fill out the line.

If you are trying to say that you cant play both Lead sop and Lead mello, thats where I beg to differ. You can learn the horn and get VERY GOOD at playing everything on it. Personally, the only horn I wasn't VERY GOOD at was Contra, but that was just to my short time playing it. When playing Euph... I was very good playing it, Lead mello - played upper split after being slowly moved up from second that year.

I have been playing Soprano since 04, started on second.. and just got a chance in Alumni to play lead.. and Thats where I am.

No longer am I able to play low brass because of back issues, because I would LOVE to pick up my euph again... but my heart will always be in the upper brass, whether its mello or soprano... it doesn't matter either way.

[euphononium]

The only reason I played Contra in 06. I took one for the team. We needed another Contra player and had a mello player that marched Cadets back in the day that wanted into the line.

this is exactly what drives me nuts about DCA. find a real tuba player or close the whole and tell the mello from Cadets back in the day that the line is full. done. and the hornline will probably be better off for it.

Edited March 12, 2009 by euphononium

[Shadow_7]

this is exactly what drives me nuts about DCA. find a real tuba player or close the whole and tell the mello from Cadets back in the day that the line is full. done. and the hornline will probably be better off for it.

That only works with larger corps. You have to have the players AND the numbers to do that. And even then it's debatable if that is desirable.

Even though I've stepped out of the line to just record this season, I will on occasion step into the line on whatever voice is missing if the recordings are going to suck if I don't. In the hopes that they'll suck less with me playing. One of the things that all age corps excel at that would probably cause a DCI corps to crash and burn is being able to play their show (designed around contras) without any contras. Or without soloist A. Or marching with holes on BOTH sides of you. Most of the time, that doesn't phase members of an all age corps(much). I've marched in a 90 person corps that marched a show or two with upwards of 22 holes. Tis the nature of the beast given that most of us have jobs and lives outside of corps. It's not a matter of eliminating the holes, it's a matter of being able to deal with it, and perform in-spite of the holes.

Sure, you'd rather be a corps with dedicated members performing with 100% commitment. But the nature of all age corps is job, education, and family FIRST. As it should be IMO. Unfortunately not everyone GETS that. And certain rules (35 minimum) forces corps to redo those priorities to adhere to a lame rule. Which can only HURT the activity in the long run. Maybe I'm from a different era. Back then it was put to us as WHO IS DRUMCORPS FOR? Is it just for the elite? Or for ANYONE who WANTS to do it? As put to us in reference to a problematic member who wasn't a particularly good person / talent. In reference to us now having a hole because he quit, AND having a player who wants to fill that hole(that same guy). So we let him back in and we marched without a hole, because drumcorps is for anyone who wants to do it. Even though it wasn't always easy going, I wouldn't consider that member any less of an alumni than ANY other member.