kickhaltsforlife Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Sorry, but peashooters are marching trombones... Give me my King 2B or 3B and i'm happy for marching band! ( I prefer 3B) back to marching trombones... have never found one that actually sounds like a trombone if you really wanted that voice.. and any I have played are just ####. Honestly the current instrumentation works fine. Lead baritones should be able to play at least up to a Bb and you're already into the mellophone range. And I've heard plenty of bari lines cut through when they need too. I just think the trombonium is straying from what overall sound caption heads are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Looks more like a Bass Mellophone (That coming from a Trombone player, switching to Baritone for DCI) You can never have enough Bass, or enough Mellophone. I approve of this instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Rock Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 I love your enthusiasm about it. I share the same. This is the one area of drum corps that HAS NOT CHANGED NOR HAS HAD ANY CREATIVITY since Cadets 1983. (Some Flugels along the way, and Glassmen used French Horns again in the 90s) Yeah, and I just can't help but think that there's still work to be done here. It is humbling to know that the Jack Meehans and Zig Kanstuls of the world have made an effort, and that's enough to make a guy lose hope, but maybe they were approaching it in the wrong way. Honestly the current instrumentation works fine. Lead baritones should be able to play at least up to a Bb and you're already into the mellophone range. Yeah, they can play in the register, but not with the same brilliance and quality of sound of a french horn. The brilliance of the french horn sound is due largely to the length of the horn, relative to the ranges for which it is typically used. On the F side, the normal range starts an octave above the fundamental, and on the Bb side (assuming you're reading in F), you are essentially playing a Bb baritone with a tiny bore, but pretending it's in F (hence the funny fingerings). So any horn we really want to truly be the french horn voice in drum corps can't just be the length of a mellophone or a meehaphone, etc., etc. Both are essentially descant horns, anyway. A marching french horn today is in Bb, and is the same length as a marching baritone, though with of course a smaller bore and a french horn mouthpiece. Its problems are the thin rim of the horn mouthpiece, the difficulty of maneuvering close partials while on the move, and a relative lack of projection. Maybe there's a compromise between one of these and a trombonium? A slightly larger bore and a custom mouthpiece? Has anyone ever taken the F approach? Is it practical? But seriously, who wouldn't #### their pants when approached by a line of marching Wagner tubas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhs alumni Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 (edited) I still want a mixed key hornline of C instruments and G instruments. on staff with a corps a couple of years ago, i was asking for a marching tuba in C to make playing much easier for our soloist....a piece in D doesn't work all that well on a Bb horn (specially with a horn that is terrible in the tuning department) Edited February 27, 2009 by bhs alumni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I guess I come at this from a choral and choral writing perspective. Brass choir is traditionally created to mimmick vocal choirs. Soprano - Trumpets Alto - Mellos/French Horns Tenor -? (Trombones) Baritone - Baris and Euphs Bass - Tubas See the tenor part in many choral arrangements sings a harmony to the soprano melody part pitched an octave lower (male voice). By descant, I speak of pitches a 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th below in many cases. In brass quintets, the trombone pulls these parts usually although they are sometimes dispersed to the french horn (on the high end) or baritone (on the low end). The problem with the solutions presented without the use of a trombone are mainly with intonation and tone quality. Baritones can reach many of those tenor notes but the tones can be easily pinched sharp and can get an airy wispy quality unless the player is of exceptional skill. The french horn presents other problems at the lower end of its natural range...the tone can come on blatty...specifically when playing at louder volumes and with marcato or accented starts of the notes. (I don't like the use of the word attack.) Anyway...my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhs alumni Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 think of it more like male voice choir: t - trumpet t - mello b - baritone/euph b - tuba if you want to relate it to mixed choir just keep in mind the split parts per horn...generally: 3 trumpet parts, 2 melli ($1 to bill clark), 3 bari, 1 tuba...that's 9 voices right there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 (edited) I guess I come at this from a choral and choral writing perspective.Brass choir is traditionally created to mimmick vocal choirs. Soprano - Trumpets Alto - Mellos/French Horns Tenor -? (Trombones) Baritone - Baris and Euphs Bass - Tubas See the tenor part in many choral arrangements sings a harmony to the soprano melody part pitched an octave lower (male voice). By descant, I speak of pitches a 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th below in many cases. In brass quintets, the trombone pulls these parts usually although they are sometimes dispersed to the french horn (on the high end) or baritone (on the low end). The problem with the solutions presented without the use of a trombone are mainly with intonation and tone quality. Baritones can reach many of those tenor notes but the tones can be easily pinched sharp and can get an airy wispy quality unless the player is of exceptional skill. The french horn presents other problems at the lower end of its natural range...the tone can come on blatty...specifically when playing at louder volumes and with marcato or accented starts of the notes. (I don't like the use of the word attack.) Anyway...my 2 cents. I was wondering, has any corps ever used C or e-flat trumpets? What about cornets? What key were Phantom's herald trumpets last year? Of course, just because you can does not mean you should. But seems like maybe someone could try a show based on 'British brass band music' and use some authentic instrumentation. Edited February 27, 2009 by IllianaLancerContra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhs alumni Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 enter Ohio State University Marching band......duck and cover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 think of it more like male voice choir:t - trumpet t - mello b - baritone/euph b - tuba if you want to relate it to mixed choir just keep in mind the split parts per horn...generally: 3 trumpet parts, 2 melli ($1 to bill clark), 3 bari, 1 tuba...that's 9 voices right there yeah...it really lines up better to the male choir/glee club genre. I put in the glee club thing just to tweak some folks. Bad me...bad bad me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 enter Ohio State University Marching band......duck and cover Best Dog-goned Band in the Land. or something like that. Probably the best traditional style marching band ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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