MarimbasaurusRex Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 (edited) The homogenized drum corps "sound" that G bugles produced is no longer there. If all the horns are in Bb, it's just as homogenized as if they are all in G. But, naturally, if G horns are not there, the sound of G horns won't be there either. there's no magic that makes a certain key louder. Not magic, but physics. All other factors being equal, the larger horn is louder. That's an undeniable law of physics, illustrated most obviously by the number of trumpets it takes to balance a tuba. A G horn is slightly larger than an identical horn in Bb. It's doubtful that anyone would hear a volume difference between individual horns, but when multiplied by 60-70 it's obvious. The difference I find most disappointing about Bb horns is that the sound seems to sit on the field rather than driving up into the stands. Noticed a post in another thread about a guy getting his face blown off standing 10 feet in front of a corps and going nuts while the rest of the audience golf clapped politely, unmoved. The sound is very powerful up close, but at 40 yards it doesn't project. Traditionally, a Bb concert horn is not supposed to project. It's designed to sit in a balance with string instruments, flutes and clarinets in a chamber. Different keys are good for different things and composers have known this for centuries. The Bb sound has definitely gotten stronger the last two years and I hope they can improve in the future. But, it will never match the sound of a larger horn. It's not physically possible. _______ Why do I always think of more to say after hitting the post button? Along the same lines, the difference between a Bb tuba and an identical G tuba is greater than the difference between a Bb trumpet and it's G counterpart. The size of instruments in relation to pitch is exponential. This is hard to see when a horn is all curled up, but it's obvious on marimba resonators or organ pipes. The difference between a G5 and a Bb5 might be a fraction of an inch, but the difference between GG and BBb is several inches. So, Bb trumpets are more similar to G sopranos than Bb euphs are to G euphs, contributing to the feeling that the low brass doesn't balance the trumpets as well in Bb compared to G with the same instrumentation. The lower you go, the more the apparent the difference of key. Edited July 7, 2006 by MarimbasaurusRex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro767 Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 From recordings I've seen and heard, SCV has a tremendous low brass section this year, they definitely make their presence known. When I think SCV this year, I wouldn't think top-heavy at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bari-Player Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I will now assimilate Hrothgar15 into the Cavaliers-Borg. You are now number 57857891 of 578511871478 Congradulations. Welcome to the dark side. (Seriously though you know you want to be the borg). For other great chords check out Southwind 00 at the end of Legends of the Fall. Amazing. Great work by Nick Williams who is now at SCV... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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