Contra-Line Age-old Question

[3rd_Star_Brigade]

For some reason, I feel that I must air my grievances on the use of berets in the Contraline when the rest of the corps is in, say shakos.

Take BD for example, I much prefer the entire corps in shakos to just the contras in berets. I know theres a tilt and all, but it looks much more uniform and i like it so much better.

Anyone else have an opinion?

[Dave]

Just FYI, I don't know of any corps contraline that wears berets. BD wears those golf/driving caps (I don't know the proper name) that you see in a lot of places. I prefer the contras to wear what the rest of the hornline wears.

[3rd_Star_Brigade]

Just FYI, I don't know of any corps contraline that wears berets. BD wears those golf/driving caps (I don't know the proper name) that you see in a lot of places. I prefer the contras to wear what the rest of the hornline wears.

yeah, thats what i think i meant.

they looked like berets to me, so thats why i said it.

[Piper]

I know that the Cavaliers turn the brim up on the right side of their headgear (which is one of my pet peeves) and the contras turn them up on the left.

[ContraFart]

in crossmen we wore the aussie with the ploom, which was HELL on getting a good hold on the horn.....the next year they went to berets.

But I marched a small yamaha convertible with a g crook. it almost rested on my head.

[korsakovisjesus3]

ploom

hahahaha, #### happens.

[nukeme70]

This seems to be a resurrected version of a topic from not too long ago, but I'll play...

I always thought the BD contras looked soooo cool with the Kangols/driving caps. I always hated wearing ill-fitting headgear that interfered with the playing of the horn.

Nobody ever seems to complain about drummers without gloves, or without the same gauntlets that the hornline wears. They don't wear the same equipment, because it interferes with their playing. Same thing with most helmets/shakos/Aussies/etc. The Bluecoats helmets that we wore in '92 had the entire flare of the left side chopped off and covered with white duct tape. With shakos, the decorative pin that holds the chinstrap/brim chain thing can actually get hooked on the horn, making for a messy or disastrous horns-down. Most of the horns I've played on are already resting against your head, adding a standoff of an inch or two changes the way of playing, usually by forcing the player to lean their head even farther to the right. Add on a shako, plus a 14" plume, and now you have a body line that is far from verticle - which in my opinion is far worse looking than having different headgear.

If the argument for them is that it makes the hornline appear more uniform, well, I hate to be the one to break the bad news, but all other horns have the bell directly in front of the player's face, and the hat is visible above the horn. Contras/tubas occupy the space that visually would normally be occupied by headgear, plus, it blocks off one side of the players entire face and extends behind the player. One might as well insist that contra/tuba players should carry their horns in front of them to match the rest of the hornline.

That being said - I think I've marched wearing pretty much all the varieties of headgear out there - but when asked what I thought the section should wear, I went with the riding cap option.

[Piper]

I remember one year back in the 70's when the Reading Buccaneers contra line wore bandannas. Simple, efficient and it fit the image.