Begining Brass question

[pito'evil]

I have a friend that marched a year in Sr. Corps in the Honor Guard. She's only 19 and she wants to do at least one year in Jr's. So she's decided to learn brass and has signed up for the beginners class at out local CC.

Before the class, I told her that most DC beginners start out on baritone. I also suggested that maybe French horn/mellophone would be an option. So anyways today was her first day of class and she tells me that the professor told her to go rent or buy a trombone and to come back Monday

I'm a drum guy (pit to be exact) so I have NO clue if this was a good thing or not. Is it possible for trombone players to easily transfer over to (I think it would be) baritone? Or should she ask her professor to instruction on a different horn? I can't see someone who's just starting out and wanting to march corp learning to play on a horn that's not allowed in the sport.

Please help me! I don't want her wasting her time or money!!!

[Phirefenix]

It can be done, I'm not personally a t-bone player. But essentially there are the fingerings she'll have to learn. I've marched with people who had an easy time switching, and with others who had more trouble. If she's just beginning, it should be relatively easy to switch as she hasn't developed some of the habits unique to the horn. That's my $.02

[sydeshow]

I have a friend that marched a year in Sr. Corps in the Honor Guard. She's only 19 and she wants to do at least one year in Jr's. So she's decided to learn brass and has signed up for the beginners class at out local CC.

Before the class, I told her that most DC beginners start out on baritone. I also suggested that maybe French horn/mellophone would be an option. So anyways today was her first day of class and she tells me that the professor told her to go rent or buy a trombone and to come back Monday

I'm a drum guy (pit to be exact) so I have NO clue if this was a good thing or not. Is it possible for trombone players to easily transfer over to (I think it would be) baritone? Or should she ask her professor to instruction on a different horn? I can't see someone who's just starting out and wanting to march corp learning to play on a horn that's not allowed in the sport.

Please help me! I don't want her wasting her time or money!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IMO Your friend should pick a horn she wants to play (trumpet, baritone, or tuba) and rent one.... Go back to the professor and have him teach her. The Tbone isn't going to teach her much of anything related to Drum Corps except how to make noise thru the horn. On the Tbone she won't learning proper fingering, posture, etc. that she would need for a Drum Corps instrument. She will have much better luck learning on an instrument she WANTS to play not on an instrument she has to settle for.

Edited January 22, 2005 by sydeshow

[JimF-LowBari]

Have her try to stick with the Bari. I played trombone for years and had trouble learning/remembering the fingerings when I started Bari. And knowing the slide positions doesn't help at all when you play Bari. My first year playing Bari I ended up reading the fingering marks on the music instead of the notes which might be frowned on in some corps.

Feel free to IM or have her email me.

PS - Any reason why a trombone instead of a baritone? *shaking head*

Edited January 22, 2005 by JimF-xWSMBari

[tubawarrior]

here's another tip....get a different teacher...if i was told on the first day of class to go rent/buy a horn, i wouldn't have the great career in music that i already have....i'm sure the school (even a college) has a couple of horns that she could just borrow one. My advice would be have her check out a smaller, maybe even charter corps....usually you'll get at least a couple of folks who have never touched a horn, and they'll teach you....i suppose bad idea now since the season already started.

[pito'evil]

Have her try to stick with the Bari. I played trombone for years and had trouble learning/remembering the fingerings when I started Bari. And knowing the slide positions doesn't help at all when you play Bari. My first year playing Bari I ended up reading the fingering marks on the music instead of the notes which might be frowned on in some corps.

Feel free to IM or have her email me.

PS - Any reason why a trombone instead of a baritone? *shaking head*

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the advice guys.

QUICK (semi-insulting) UPDATE:

So I found out a little bit more about the conversation between her and her prof.

Apparently and I QUOTE He prof told her not to learn to play Mellophone or Baritone because "those are NOT real instruments and only drum corps use them." Of course he said this BEFORE she told him why she wanted to learn to play brass

Oh and one more thing (and this is what got my goad) Contrabasses are NOT REAL horns! :o

[pito'evil]

here's another tip....get a different teacher...if i was told on the first day of class to go rent/buy a horn, i wouldn't have the great career in music that i already have....i'm sure the school (even a college) has a couple of horns that she could just borrow one.  My advice would be have her check out a smaller, maybe even charter corps....usually you'll get at least a couple of folks who have never touched a horn, and they'll teach you....i suppose bad idea now since the season already started.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From what I hear, the school has a few WW to rent out (big classical school) but no brass. As a matter of fact she's the ONLY begining brass player. (the combine begining WW, Brass, perc and strings into one class)

[JimF-LowBari]

When I started 800 (OK, 40) years ago, the parents did the "Rent to Own" bit directly with a local music store. The school district recommended the store and brought the parents and store representative together. Can she check with a local public school and see how their students get instruments?

Wonder what someone who plays a band baritone would feel about the "baritones are not real instruments" remark? Geesh, two of our HS band bari players started on trumpet in 4th grade and switched to bari in 5th grade because they had problems with the small mouthpiece size (they already knew the fingerings).

[pito'evil]

Well she was able to find a trombone for $20/mo for rent. My corp director offered to get her a bari to use but the teacher finally said the TRUE reason why mello's and bari's are not real horns...

Turns out he won't teach her because he CAN'T teach her! He dosen't know how!

Gotta love "classicly trained" folks!

[oldschoolVK]

I have a friend that marched a year in Sr. Corps in the Honor Guard. She's only 19 and she wants to do at least one year in Jr's. So she's decided to learn brass and has signed up for the beginners class at out local CC.

Before the class, I told her that most DC beginners start out on baritone. I also suggested that maybe French horn/mellophone would be an option. So anyways today was her first day of class and she tells me that the professor told her to go rent or buy a trombone and to come back Monday

I'm a drum guy (pit to be exact) so I have NO clue if this was a good thing or not. Is it possible for trombone players to easily transfer over to (I think it would be) baritone? Or should she ask her professor to instruction on a different horn? I can't see someone who's just starting out and wanting to march corp learning to play on a horn that's not allowed in the sport.

Please help me! I don't want her wasting her time or money!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Forget all that stress. Tell her to show up, display a great attitude, march like a pro and be receptive to their teaching style. They'll recognize the qualities they are require and would probably be patient with the slide-to-valve learning curve.

Good Luck!