Arena Corps Guy Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I remember the wonderful sound produced by drum corps when the French horn was used. Would you like to see it make a come back? thoughts..comments... and why did it disappear anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContraRich77 Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I remember the wonderful sound produced by drum corps when the French horn was used.Would you like to see it make a come back? thoughts..comments... and why did it disappear anyway? The French Horn never disappeared........it's just laying low. Aside from several parade and alumni corps, the Renegades AND So Cal Dream fielded french horns competitively in 2010. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Priester Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I remember the wonderful sound produced by drum corps when the French horn was used.Would you like to see it make a come back? thoughts..comments... and why did it disappear anyway? To answer the question - Yes, absolutely! I'm a drummer and I can tell you that nothing mellophonic can produce the smooth, timbre of a good french horn section. The tone and richness blows the mellophones off the charts. But, that is just my opinion. I know what I like. If I remember prior threads on the subject, french horns were abandoned by many instructors since they felt that it is easier to teach a beginner to play the mellophone with basically a soprano/trumpet mouthpiece instead of going for the full, rich sound of a frenchie using a tiny and difficult to control french horn mouthpiece. With Sky, starting in 1969, Hy used a mid-range section of 9 french horns and 3 mellos utilizing 3 separate parts, to produce a great sound and blend with the rest of the hornline configuration. Many others just put the french horns in storage and just utilized the mellophone as their mid-range horn. I'm sure that some of the many french horn afficionados, such as HornsUp, G horns, Duke Cornwell and Fran Haring, will chime in with more fact than I am able to do. But again, it's just my humble opinion, but there is definitely NOTHING like the smooth, rich sound of a section of french horns. Mellos just ain't the same. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 (edited) Shouldn't you ask, "Do you want G bugles back?" before asking, "Do you want French horn bugles back?" Can't have one without the other. Edited October 21, 2010 by Hrothgar15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRCman Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Shouldn't you ask, "Do you want G bugles back?" before asking, "Do you want French horn bugles back?" Can't have one without the other. Well, technically, a bugle has no valves... those "G Bugles" were actually "G Trumpets".. and now they have switched to Bb trumpets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ywpkm0 Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I used them in Steel City in the 80's. I loved 'em! I had #####in' players too!...OK maybe one #####. But she sure was fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 One of the reasons I joined the Sunrisers for the 1977 season was the fact that the corps was bringing back French horns, after not using them for several years. During my time there, John Arietano wrote some really cool, challenging stuff for the French horn line.... a lot of fun to play. Plus, it was a privilege to be in the same line with some great people. During my six seasons with Sun, we had in the French horn line, at various times, Paul "Gatsby" Daunt (who, IMO, was easily the best French horn player we had, and one of the best I've ever heard anywhere), Marty "Stan" Roche, Frank Voltaggio, Dennis Plante, Johnny Olson, and Joe Smeyers. Marty, Dennis and I were together in the line for four seasons starting in 1979... and Marty and I were there for five, beginning in '78. Like I said when I noted Dennis' untimely passing a couple of years ago.... he, Marty and I had more fun than any three people had a right to have. None of the three of us was a great individual player by any means.... but together, we made a pretty good team. Like the OP has said... there was/is something about that drum corps French horn sound. Unique... unbeatable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 (edited) Double post. Sorry 'bout that. Edited October 21, 2010 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironlips Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 To answer your question: "Yes". As for French Horns not matching up with Bb brass, the standard key for them is F, just like today's Mellophones in those lines. There have been bell-front marching French Horns available for a very long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 (edited) French Horns can work anywhere... that said... I guess looking at the names on here I qualify as well as anyone to discuss the topic... (sorry Fran, but you're still in diapers) I learned on soprano in the early 50's and was switched to French Horn because "You're big enough to hold it"... that was probably around 1955... I started my competing senior corps career on French Horn in 1959. I played "Black Saddle" under Brad Longdo with the Brigadiers. Old timers upstate will remember the French Horn Rips that Brad wrote for Fulton Gauchos in "Lawrence of Arabia"... I did the super corps in '65 - Grey Knight Post Crusaders - on French Horn. (listen to "Goldfinger" and don't tell me French Horns can't be loud) In the fall of 1965, I traveled to the Whaley Royce factory and picked up Crusaders first two mellophones and with Mark Pettit was one of the earliest mellophone players in senior corps in 1966. I expect that that season I probably became the first person to play Mellophone with one corps and French Horn with another in the same season as I went to Brigs and filled a hole for the last 3 weeks of the season and DCA #2 in Bridgeport (Cru's season ended early). Later in the 60's staying with Brigadiers I played both French Horn (Glen Smith Round stubby French Horns) and mellophone and in 1971 I played mellophone for the inventor of the horn Dominic Del Ra. So basically, I lived the era of transition from French Horn to Mellophone. '72 Crusaders sold me on mellophones for senior corps... this was the era of the tick and a quick observer easily realized the French Horns on the move were garnering more than their fair share of ticks. I was the exception. While being a big man, I was graceful on my feet and completely mastered the art of minimizing movement from the waist up. I NEVER had an embroucher problem, but many others did... I will admit, many of us had custom mouthpieces made with extra cushin - Corky didn't like it but he tolerated it... besides Phil Cerimeli made the mouthpieces and no one (even corky) screwed with Phil... French Horn (including legitimate concert) remains the most difficult brass instrument to truly master. A lesser point but still true is that in my drum corps (whoever it might be) LOUD IS GOOD was king! and yes, the mellophones lent themselve to LOUD... I have no problem with anyone choosing to use both and I respect both instruments - a good arranger can work them both well... I do think that it took some arranging genius to avoid the trap of making the French Horns a compliment to the first bari's... Dreitzer and Fabrizio recognized immediately that the middle voice sound was unique and should be used to compliment both the lower and upper voices and frequently were the glue that made the arrangements work. Edited October 22, 2010 by TomPeashey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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