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Can someone explain the G Bugles?


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Why do you need to resell horns? Whats wrong with buying a line if horns and taking care of and maintaining them and replace as needed?

Yamaha wanted into the game and I guess they didn't want to make G Brass.

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Wh

1376969064[/url]' post='3314975']

Yamaha wanted into the game and I guess they didn't want to make G Brass.

What good corps are still on G tat i can youtube.....any class. Not Marines....dont sound good what I'm finding on youtube.

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If a corps really wanted to go G, couldn't you just replace the tuning slides on B-flat horns with different length ones to convert it to G? Esp that G is what, a minor third lower, so the tubing would be longer?

I believe that is what Garfield did for their contras the last few years before they went B-flat.

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If a corps really wanted to go G, couldn't you just replace the tuning slides on B-flat horns with different length ones to convert it to G? Esp that G is what, a minor third lower, so the tubing would be longer?

I believe that is what Garfield did for their contras the last few years before they went B-flat.

IIRC, the tubas worked OK for Garfield but not stellar.

Also, the G bugle is conical bore in all voices, while most of the current Bb are cylindrical bore. It does make a small difference in timbre.

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I'm actually a soprano player for the Kilties this season, part of DCA now. We use 3 valve Gs, one of the few corps that does. Originally, they used valveless, but they moved to single valve bugles to be able to play more than just one overtone series. Soon later they started using valve and rotor G bugles, like you see here

. After this they moved to two valve horns, like you see in the Commandant's Own nowadays. With 2 valves you still are limited note wise (no low C# and D, No Ab...) Eventually DCI allowed 3 valve horns, giving access to the full chromatic series.

G horns are more conical than cyllindrical, giving them a different type of sound. They almost sound more in your face. They're pitched in G, so they are lower in pitch. It's hard to explain but the air feels different to play, all the fingerings and stuff are the same as a Bb though. One advantage you get from a full G hornline is the sound of the overtones, they really ring out. It's also really loud.

if you're interested ;)
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Hawkeye... who makes the Kilties horns?

PS - see your corps in a week or so.... :thumbup:

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Sorry folks, G horns are not more conical. They are all made from the major components of Bb horns. There is no special tooling for bugles.

To make a G horn from Bb parts, tubing must be added. This tubing must be cylindrical.

Therefore G drumcorps bugles are proportionately more cylindrical than their Bb progenitors, and have been that way for about the last 85 years.

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Hawkeye... who makes the Kilties horns?

PS - see your corps in a week or so.... thumbup.gif

We use Kanstul horns. I can't speak much for the other sections, but us sopranos use their powerbore ones. I forget the model number, I'll take a look when I get home later today. Nice punch with them though :). They're pretty great horns, not much to complain about them.

Hope you enjoy us though :) The last one's always the best.

Edited by Hawkeye
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I'm not a brass person, and can't explain bugles. I can only point to the link as an explanation.

I love this recording made from the stands - 1976 Stillwater Drum Beauty - Concord BD. This is night #2 of Drum Beauty...I think the horns cut loose a little more than on the first night. Be sure to use ear/headphones to enjoy the clarity, emotion, and intensity....and a few errors, but hey..it is organic!! Very few music majors in this corps.

Since I only had audio, I had to quickly add a slide show. Hope you like snares, cuz that's all I could grab quickly. Anyway, I enjoy it mostly because I never got a chance to stand in front of the horn arc, but this is how I always imagined it sounded.

Edited by c mor
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The evolution of the brass instrument for Drum Corps has gone on for years. Its been a constant change. I have no illusion then that we are stopping now with the Bflats, especially in the soprano voices in the brass lines.

I can easily envision the next stage to be the addition of more tubing to allow a newly configured G that can likewise take advantage of the full chromatic scale. Some DCI Corps with dough will initially buy the new horns, blow everybody away with both the clarity, intonation of its players( AND VOLUME when required in the playing of the newly reconfigured instrument pitched in the key of " G " )and off we go. Yes, the transition will be expensive and it will have to be a good fit for the marchers coming in from Band, but that won't stop a creative Corps from going in this direction if they perceive that it can give them a competitive edge, and a sound that is richer in overall quality level, especially with the richer timbre in the newer Sopranos that'll be created with the change of tubing.

Edited by BRASSO
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