Brass Voice Variety

[quietcity]

SCV used to have marching french horns, I think. Also BD marched flugels. I want to say this was early 90s?

in the 70's and early 80's, most everybody had marching french horns. I played french horn in three different corps (including SCV) that used the same mid-voice mix of 8 frenchies and 4 mellos. French horns began to disappear in the late 80's to early 90s, I believe. They were too limited in the face of the ever-increasing demands in music and drill. Its hard enough to keep a french horn from fracking when sitting still, let alone when running at 200 bpm.

[Hrothgar15]

Flugelhorns and French horn bugles are the ones that come to mind here (though does a marching Bb French horn even sound anything like the ones corps used to use)?

Early 1990s instrumentation also brings to mind the alto horn and the Blue Devils' Meehaphones. To this day I can't figure out what these instruments actually were. Anyone?

Edited September 11, 2015 by Hrothgar15

[mfrontz]

You may find your answer in this VERY informative interview with Wayne Downey:

http://www.middlehornleader.com/Downey%20Interview.htm

[Brad T.]

Meehaphones were 2 valved Yamaha G flugels basically.

I've played King's Bb French horn and it slots almost identically to the Bb side of a double horn. Obviously because of this you either need Bb horn music or tell your kids to play all notes as if on the Bb side of their double horn. It's not a bad instrument, of course I also have tuba chops so French horn is really pushing it.

I would love to see a group like Kidsgrove throw everyone in for a loop and adopt flugelhorns and Eb Cornets for a show and have as close to Brass Band instrumentation as you can get. Of course the number of people per part would be much higher. Having been in a marching band with Eb Cornets, there is a time and place in which they are useful and wanted!

[SkyRyder_FMM]

Yes, the Bb French horns sound like the 2V G French horns - just in a different key, and their tuning is a lot better. I marched on a 2V G French horn for several years, and I now have a 3V Bb French horn. The 3V Bb French horn plays surprisingly well (slots are good, tuning is good), sounds good, and projects really well.

[Brad T.]

The Preston Scout House Band from Ontario plays Bb "bugles" to keep to the roots of Canadian corps circuits which required Bb bugles over G. Of course in modern usage, Scout House just plays standard Bb marching brass, including Bb French horns. They also have a limited (4 person) F mellophone line that took most of the mid voice solos and were written in drill as members of the low brass, whereas the Bb horns were written as high brass. Both sounded like they played the same parts.

[fsubone]

SCV used to have marching french horns, I think. Also BD marched flugels. I want to say this was early 90s?

The last time SCV used marching french horns was 2001

[drumno5]

...when I marched in the Blue Devils, we tuned to the French Horns.

That's why you tuned to them, because they are difficult to adjust.

[Everyfan]

Meehaphones were 2 valved Yamaha G flugels basically.

Uhhhh...no. I'll have to dig out my old copy of Jack Meehan's book, but these were a custom designed and manufactured horn by Zig Kanstul. They sounded NOTHING like a flugel (especially live). They were rich and loud as hell, but they had a limited range.

[Kamarag]

Uhhhh...no. I'll have to dig out my old copy of Jack Meehan's book, but these were a custom designed and manufactured horn by Zig Kanstul. They sounded NOTHING like a flugel (especially live). They were rich and loud as hell, but they had a limited range.

Loud is an understatement.