Pgh Guy2 Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Hey Steve, "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!" I can remember a couple of super players....Miss Debbie, Pat Cavanaugh, Marcee Zaragoza, Lee Wasson, Don Fine, Denny Smith just to mention a few.... You are right, we had some players in that section in the 80's... Lets do it again.... Enjoy the music... Pgh Guy Bari 2 John G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyroo Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 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. So Tom, does this mean that if French horns come back, we can get you back onto the field as well?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 (edited) 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. Very good point. Screech with Sun was another arranger who made great use of the middle voices. He wrote stuff for our French horn line that was at times a lower mellophone voice... other times an upper baritone voice... and other times its own voice. Edited October 22, 2010 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-horns Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Well, technically, a bugle has no valves... those "G Bugles" were actually "G Trumpets".. and now they have switched to Bb trumpets. Let's not start this discussion again. PLEASE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-horns Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 I think there are a number of reasons for the demise of french horns in drum corps. (Funny how marching bands still use 'em.) There is no doubt that in the "tick" era, a frenchie in inexperienced hands was a judge's dream. Just follow the frenchies around the field and fill the sheet. Another reason, albiet a lousy one in my opinion, is that the mouthpiece is uncontrolable while marching. Don't tell that to my man Henry Lynch, who will ONLY play frenchie with Skyliners Alumni and can march better than most competing corps members. What makes me chuckle is the number of mellophones equipped with adapters to allow the use of a frenchie mouthpiece. Not just in corps, but a lot of bands! There are other reasons, but I don't want to start any trouble. If you want to hear frenchies, c'mon down to a Sky Alumni rehearsal or catch a performance. Believe me, you'll hear 'em - all of 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Marching French horns in the key of G make makes my mouth water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Remember Hank Burnett RIP from Utica? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shenandoah Vibrato Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Absolutely, they should come back. I really, really miss the up and down the scale runs the french horns used to do from high C up to High G or the slurs to High G. There is something electric about that sound that a mello can not duplicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 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? One word.....Mellophone. I was there during the transition and it happened almost overnight. It seemed like one minute a corps was playing on french horns and the next minute they ditched the french horns and the mello became a "must have". I'm neither pro nor con. It's just the way I remember it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Remember Hank Burnett RIP from Utica? Hank is quite unforgettable... the best even... he killed me in I&E's... as soon as he took out his teeth - I was dead meat... triple tongue expert too... I could play higher, but that was it... in every other way he was quite humbling... and a GREAT person too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.