Post-uploading notes: 1.) I forgot to mention why the valve slides are all pulled out - the positions are appropriate for the E-flat slide. 2.) Miraphone's instrument is called a "konzert horn", not a waldhorn.
Very informative and to the point! I am looking for a vintage mouthpiece like that to use with my 1917 Conn "French Horn Alto" 6E. For now, I use a Bach Mellophone mouthpiece, but would prefer a true vintage mouthpiece.
I'm a young mellophone player, not one of these, of course, I'm in marching band and plan to join drum corps (I've auditioned for The Academy this past year). I was wondering how similar the modern marching mellophone mouthpiece is to this, your description seems to match what I have, I'd describe it like a rounder trumpet lead piece.
I'd be interested to try a new mouthpiece with this, partially because the shank probably fits better. The mouthpiece I was gifted has a weird shank size, in between trumpet and cornet, and wasn't made by the same company. Every now and then I look around for an original Olds mellophone mouthpiece, but I have yet to find one for sale. From what little I know of mellophone mouthpieces, modern ones look a bit more like trumpet mouthpieces than this one does, but that's just from the outside.
@@ParkingWithoutTheA I have used a modern marching mellophone, I can confirm its mouthpiece has the same shank as a trumpet. You can use a trumpet mouthpiece in a modern mello, and some folks prefer to, but it didn't feel right to me. Hope you find what you're looking for! Alto brass instruments are so fun!
Thrift stores are terrible places to look for musical instruments; I got very lucky in finding this at a local shop. I'd recommend starting with eBay to see what the market looks like. I've seen this model of mellophone come up for sale occasionally, but Conn Pan-Americans seem decent based on what I've seen and heard.
All I meant by that is that trumpets aren't particularly "blendy" instruments. Alto and bass trumpets are actually more blendy than "normal" trumpets, so perhaps my comment was unwarranted, but they aren't far off from valved tenor and alto trombones. I would love it if there were more valved alto trombones in existence. I tried a Conn valved alto a friend lent me and it was amazing. Check out my videos with it for what it sounds like.
@@ParkingWithoutTheA Thanks for the reply. I'm currently studying Shostakovich symphony 1 which uses an alto trumpet for the 3rd part and thought it blended fine in chords and octaves. Even had more of a "ballsy" sound than a regular trumpet in the same register. I think it's a shame they are not more utilized. The bass trumpet just does not have the same sound to my ear.
@@itznoxy7193 I got to play alto trumpet for a concert featuring Rachmaninoff's 3rd Symphony, which has an alto trumpet part for 3rd trumpet, and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, which has the 4th trumpet double on alto. I loved playing it, and saw its potential as a bridge/reinforcement between trumpets, trombones and horns. I wish they weren't so scarce and expensive.
Nice video! Couldn’t quite catch the engraving on the mouthpiece-is it an All-Star Alto? I’ve been thinking of getting one for my alto-ish needs. They reportedly have a very wide ID around .850” that sounds appealing to me.
think of it more like if someone took an alto-pitched flugelhorn and wrapped it to look like a horn. Most of the time the French horn (main orchestral horn) hangs out in the alto range, high in the partials, but can go lower than a normal 3-valve brass instrument. This horn is in the partials most valved brass hangs out in but pitched alto, and sonically can fit into a French horn role (if you squint your ears).
You are asking if it is pitched in Eb Alto. The answer is yes. To keep it simple, refer to the fundamental pitches by their names and corresponding numbers. Concert French Horns are usually pitched in Double F or FF Contra-Alto. You can call it FF Bass. Same pitch, different name. It is doubled, because it is the second Concert F pitch below Middle C. And it is Contra-Alto (1 octave below Alto) because it is exactly one octave lower than F Alto. Some people incorrectly call it "low F". That pitch is numbered F-1. When you say low this or high that, people get confused. Use the correct name or number for the pitch. This is Eb Alto or Eb-2.
There are so many different brass instruments throughout history, and frequently very little information, so don't worry about it. For this instrument, it's easier to think of it like a low trumpet shaped in a hoop with an unnecessarily large bell.
Post-uploading notes:
1.) I forgot to mention why the valve slides are all pulled out - the positions are appropriate for the E-flat slide.
2.) Miraphone's instrument is called a "konzert horn", not a waldhorn.
Very informative and to the point!
I am looking for a vintage mouthpiece like that to use with my 1917 Conn "French Horn Alto" 6E. For now, I use a Bach Mellophone mouthpiece, but would prefer a true vintage mouthpiece.
Yamaha still makes concert mellophones! But they only sell them in Japan.
I'm a young mellophone player, not one of these, of course, I'm in marching band and plan to join drum corps (I've auditioned for The Academy this past year). I was wondering how similar the modern marching mellophone mouthpiece is to this, your description seems to match what I have, I'd describe it like a rounder trumpet lead piece.
I'd be interested to try a new mouthpiece with this, partially because the shank probably fits better. The mouthpiece I was gifted has a weird shank size, in between trumpet and cornet, and wasn't made by the same company. Every now and then I look around for an original Olds mellophone mouthpiece, but I have yet to find one for sale. From what little I know of mellophone mouthpieces, modern ones look a bit more like trumpet mouthpieces than this one does, but that's just from the outside.
@@ParkingWithoutTheA I have used a modern marching mellophone, I can confirm its mouthpiece has the same shank as a trumpet. You can use a trumpet mouthpiece in a modern mello, and some folks prefer to, but it didn't feel right to me. Hope you find what you're looking for! Alto brass instruments are so fun!
This was super interesting, do you think it would be better to look for one in thrift shops or online?
Thrift stores are terrible places to look for musical instruments; I got very lucky in finding this at a local shop. I'd recommend starting with eBay to see what the market looks like. I've seen this model of mellophone come up for sale occasionally, but Conn Pan-Americans seem decent based on what I've seen and heard.
I have a CG CONN 14E Eb/F Mellophone , LADY FACE , fun for brass bands. Listen to Don Elliott, His album, "Mellophone"
Thanks for the Don Elliott tip! Looks like he used the Olds model with a rotary valve to switch keys.
Can you expand on what you were saying about the alto trumpet not being good? Why is it not?
All I meant by that is that trumpets aren't particularly "blendy" instruments. Alto and bass trumpets are actually more blendy than "normal" trumpets, so perhaps my comment was unwarranted, but they aren't far off from valved tenor and alto trombones. I would love it if there were more valved alto trombones in existence. I tried a Conn valved alto a friend lent me and it was amazing. Check out my videos with it for what it sounds like.
@@ParkingWithoutTheA Thanks for the reply. I'm currently studying Shostakovich symphony 1 which uses an alto trumpet for the 3rd part and thought it blended fine in chords and octaves. Even had more of a "ballsy" sound than a regular trumpet in the same register. I think it's a shame they are not more utilized. The bass trumpet just does not have the same sound to my ear.
@@itznoxy7193 I got to play alto trumpet for a concert featuring Rachmaninoff's 3rd Symphony, which has an alto trumpet part for 3rd trumpet, and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, which has the 4th trumpet double on alto. I loved playing it, and saw its potential as a bridge/reinforcement between trumpets, trombones and horns. I wish they weren't so scarce and expensive.
Nice video! Couldn’t quite catch the engraving on the mouthpiece-is it an All-Star Alto? I’ve been thinking of getting one for my alto-ish needs. They reportedly have a very wide ID around .850” that sounds appealing to me.
Thanks! The mouthpiece has no markings except for "MELLO".
Is this similar to a High F, or E flat, French Horn?
think of it more like if someone took an alto-pitched flugelhorn and wrapped it to look like a horn. Most of the time the French horn (main orchestral horn) hangs out in the alto range, high in the partials, but can go lower than a normal 3-valve brass instrument. This horn is in the partials most valved brass hangs out in but pitched alto, and sonically can fit into a French horn role (if you squint your ears).
You are asking if it is pitched in Eb Alto. The answer is yes. To keep it simple, refer to the fundamental pitches by their names and corresponding numbers. Concert French Horns are usually pitched in Double F or FF Contra-Alto. You can call it FF Bass. Same pitch, different name. It is doubled, because it is the second Concert F pitch below Middle C. And it is Contra-Alto (1 octave below Alto) because it is exactly one octave lower than F Alto. Some people incorrectly call it "low F". That pitch is numbered F-1. When you say low this or high that, people get confused. Use the correct name or number for the pitch. This is Eb Alto or Eb-2.
As a French Horn Player I Am Super Confused On What This Is
There are so many different brass instruments throughout history, and frequently very little information, so don't worry about it. For this instrument, it's easier to think of it like a low trumpet shaped in a hoop with an unnecessarily large bell.
Many French Hornists received their initial training on a concert mellophone - I did.