BCC99Man Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 hey all. this is gonna be my first year marching corps (Phoenix). i'm a trombone/bari player but i may do contra. are there any positive or negative sides to this switch? i hear doing contra will darken my tone, which i'd love, but would it like take away my range and all that? oh, and another thing, i'm only like 5 feet. hehe, i'd be a short contra player. anyone know of any shorter contra players and if my height could be a hinderance in my marching? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContraMan Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 BD had a female contra player in the late 90s who was 5 feet nothing and she marched well. As for range and things, it is a change for lower instrumentation but if you maintain a good embouchure and proper playing styles the loss shouldn't overcome the advantages. If all else fails, you can always work high range on the low instrument... mwahahahahaha. What type of mouthpiece are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContraAl3of10 Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 There is a negative side to playing contra. It's very addictive!! I would suggest using a 24aw or similar shallow mouthpiece your 1st season out. It will be easier on the chops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIPhreak Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 There is a negative side to playing contra. It's very addictive!! I would suggest using a 24aw or similar shallow mouthpiece your 1st season out. It will be easier on the chops. I might suggest using a regular conn-helleberg. Why not get the right piece and make the right sound from the beginning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCC99Man Posted June 22, 2003 Author Share Posted June 22, 2003 thanks all you people for your input, but i'm stickin with bari for phoenix. we've now got a full bari line (6)!!! woo hooo. we need more sops tho!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContraMan Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 There is a negative side to playing contra. It's very addictive!! I would suggest using a 24aw or similar shallow mouthpiece your 1st season out. It will be easier on the chops. I might suggest using a regular conn-helleberg. Why not get the right piece and make the right sound from the beginning? The sound isn't in the mouthpiece... it's in the player. The variables vary much more from player to player. One person could sound just as good on a Bach 24AW as someone else on a Conn-Helleberg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCC99Man Posted June 24, 2003 Author Share Posted June 24, 2003 since we're on the topic of sound, i've got my bari, but i just can't seem to get good sound quality, especially in the low register which is what i play during the show. is this just a phase thing from switching to a bugle? i mean, i have pretty good tone and sound on a Bb instrument, atleast better sound than what's coming out of my bugle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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