Heaviest instruments CARRIED? Drums AND brass

[vibraphonusrex]

Not really with the marching timpani. I marched a 29" timpano and my vibraphone was WAY heavier than that. It bent the T-bar harness in half and I had to fabricate a harness in my basement from an old fiberglass tenor harness and a specially forged steel T-bar. That, and I had to wear a lumbar brace the second year because my back was wrecked. Somehow, I still managed to look like I was having fun out on the field, (as indeed I was). In fact, the xylophone was worse than a timpano in the weight department.

Bob Blomberg

Geneseo Knights, '79-'83

Kilties, '01-'02, '04-'05

Bridgemen, '06

[Storkysr]

Any marching snare is WAY heavier than a soprano or mellophone, to say nothing of it's accumulative effect on the back over 30 years.

[Vanguard07]

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

I can't imagine why....

[Bob984]

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?

The Blue Devils original "North Drum" Triples, and Spirit's marching double side/flip keyboard were the heaviest instruments I have ever tried.....you have also forgotten marching timpani......I am sure alot of people with bad backs now who used to lug around a 29"......I saw a photo of a guy from 27th wearing "marching chimes".....PAIN!

GB

[SDBassCreature]

Well I can't really speak for any other instruments except for bass and cymbals. But on the cymbals you build arm muscles FAST, or you don't make it. In 2004 I marched a both 18'' and 20'' Zildjian A Customs and they were no treat. Now for anyone who knows me, they know I'm not that big of a guy so I've only marched (on the field) basses 2 + 3. In a parade on the other hand...lets just say on the 4th of July the bass drums had a little fun :P . Those bottom drums are HEAVY and over a period of time they just keep getting heavier. So they rank right up there with contras and tenors!

[PhantomR]

if we mean since the begining of time, marching tymps.

For the love of God, anyone who carried those around... you are real men.

~>conner

[SF2K4]

This is kind of a bad question... because how do you define "heavy?" By weight alone, I'm sure percussion instruments of the largest sizes win 100%... however, those are carried with the shoulders, and soreness aside, I'd much rather have my shoulder and back holding up something than simply my forearms, which is why I vote for the Euphonium.

[ApocalypseTissue]

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.

Yep,

Holding a Euph is a #####, no lie, you hold it with your left hand, your right hand only presses the valves. If you try to hold it with both, you won't get correct pressure on the valves at correct angles.

I think during wintercamps in drum corps, or sectionals, the euphonium is possibly the most painful to hold.

[flashofthunder]

I think the award goes to the man who marched chimes for the 27th Lancers in the 70's. Good god! I can only imagine the tan lines he had at the end of the season.

For anyone who says that all the weight of a baritone or euphonium should be held with the left hand, I expect they either were in high brass or did a #### of a lot more work than they needed to. Except for playing runs, or other segments which required a lot of finger dexterity, I always had the weight about 3/5 left hand, 2/5 right hand. When it got to the faster parts, I would move the weight to my left hand, but for anything else, the weight was distributed. Every tech or caption head I've ever talked to says that holding all the weight with just the left hand is simply impractical.

In short, all low brass sucks to hold.

I've never marched percussion, so I can't speak for that, but cymbals and tenors seem like they would have a difficult time.

[PioSop06]

Well I can't really speak for any other instruments except for bass and cymbals. But on the cymbals you build arm muscles FAST, or you don't make it. In 2004 I marched a both 18'' and 20'' Zildjian A Customs and they were no treat. Now for anyone who knows me, they know I'm not that big of a guy so I've only marched (on the field) basses 2 + 3. In a parade on the other hand...lets just say on the 4th of July the bass drums had a little fun :P . Those bottom drums are HEAVY and over a period of time they just keep getting heavier. So they rank right up there with contras and tenors!

Man, ya'll should've done that at all the parades, the cadence sounded awesome like that, lol.