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Heaviest instruments CARRIED? Drums AND brass


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After reading a related topic about the weight of contras, I'm curious to know how the different drums and brass instruments rank in weight, just the CARRIED INSTRUMENTS. Anyone know off the top of their head?

I know bass drums come in different sizes, and that the weight can vary by manufacturer, but I imagine it might go something like this...

Bass 5

Tenors

Contra

Bass 4

Bass 3

Bass 2

Bass 1

Euphonium

Baritone

French Horn

Mellophone

Flugelhorn

Sops

I guess it also might depend on what year we're talking about, since bass drums and marching tenors seem to have gotten smaller over the years (although we seem to keep adding another tenor every so many years - some are up to six, no?).

Thoughts?

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Cymbals, what?

Sorry Dominique! No disrespect intended! Your instrument may not be as heavy as some, but you all sure do move that weight around! Much love for corps who still put marching cymbal lines out there (I think some corps just put them in the pit.)

How would you rank cymbals in such a list?

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Speaking for myself, having carried a 32" bass, full size yamaha tenors, a Dynasty soprano, and various cymbals in my marching career, I would say 20" ZMAC cymbals have been the most physically difficult. With the other instruments, the harness distributes the weigh over your whole torso as well as keeps it in one place. With cyms, it's all tearing at your shoulders, and it's constantly moving. Just holding the cymbals up at vertical is actually less difficult than having to spin up and down to different position, which is what cym lines do. Also, unlike horns, your hands are independant. Even with a Euph, you have both hands holding up 1 single weight. But cyms, each arm has it's own weight and you can't let the cyms touch each other.

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I don't know how I'd rank much of your list, but a King K-90 contra weighs in at 26 pounds. I marched one for a while and never had much of a problem except for the soreness where it rested on my left shoulder.

Contra was much easier to carry than baritone, to me anyway.

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I don't know how I'd rank much of your list, but a King K-90 contra weighs in at 26 pounds. I marched one for a while and never had much of a problem except for the soreness where it rested on my left shoulder.

Contra was much easier to carry than baritone, to me anyway.

Not sure what a set of Yamaha, Dynasty or Pearl tenors weight now (even with one or two spock drums), but I know they're lighter than the tenor trio I carried in VK from 71-73.

1973VKTenors.jpg

Me John Mike

These things weighed in at 65#. Notice the lack of straps and how low we could carry them compared to contemporary ones from Ludwig or Slingerland. These were one-off prototypes from Rogers. They never went into production.

Garry

Edited by CrunchyTenor
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Even with a Euph, you have both hands holding up 1 single weight.

not if you are holding it correctly.

you SHOULD be holding it all with your left hand.. your right hand (actually not even your hand.. just your fingertips) rest on the valves, pushing them down. your right hand should not be holding the horn at all. but that goes the same for a euph, bari, sop,.. i mean.. trumpet.. mello..

one thing about carrying a horn, versus a cymbal (of course i never played cymbals, and yes id agree with what you said about them) but.. having all that weight in front of you, where you dont move your arms at all.. really builds up the lactic acid... and that makes it even worse.

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No contest - Marching Tympani. You had to be Godszilla to carry one of those babies. And of course the biggest guy always got the smallest one.

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How about one of those 32 inch marching tympani ? b**bs

Ask anyone who marched with one of these beauties using straps and playing it two feet from your face (eg. SCV-early 70's) no harness !!

A chiropractors dream !!! :grouphug:

Edited by ODBC
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