It plays at horn pitch, so it is a horn. (Horns play in their upper register and retain a low register, compared to mellophones, which play the same pitch in a different tessitura, in the low fingered range of the instrument.) You can tell at sight just due to the length of the slides. A marching french horn has twice the length of tubing as a marching mellophone. Marching french horns are by far superior sonically and educationally. If a program can maintain good horn players, the Bb instrument represents the "high side" of the double horn at the same pitch and fingering and develops the horn players through the summer. However most programs do not recruit adequately for the horn, so they must siphon off trumpet and baritone players and for this purpose alone (imo) the mellophone has become the de facto alto... an alto with "trumpet fingerings" means you can pull in reinforcements more easily. But now your horn section has to adopt a new embouchure and new fingerings, so you make your concert horn players worse by dividing their efforts. This conundrum is really why we have a mellophone. Before we had "marching mellophones", the original "mellophones" were shaped like horns, and designed so cornettists could play horn parts incognito. The entire concept is a stopgap. I think from a musical perspective, you should either be using alto trumpets... to bridge between the soprano trumpets and trombones with a uniform sound, or, if you want your altos to fill the role of the horn, then make them horns. I guess I'll file this under... "things I never realized I was so opinionated about" 😅
Yes, I agree completely. Some people argue that this is a Mellophone but I agree with you that it is more like a French horn. And it plays more like a French horn too. Thank you for all the information you shared and for your interest and input. I really appreciate that. And thank you for watching.
I intend to seriously disagree with you on most of these points. Firstly, I do agree it as a horn. Not because of where it plays or what it stands in, but simply because of the bell flare, and the taper of the entire instrument. I do not believe the mellophone hurts horn player capabilities. As someone who had to learn mellophone basically twice, when I picked up the mellophone for the first time in the years, or ever, learning or relearning the embouchure helped me realize bad habits in my horn embouchure. I think that alone makes it worthwhile - it forces your players to reevaluate themselves and for you to reevaluate them. Secondly, mellophones can preserve several of the sonic qualities of a flugelhorn or aggressive French horn. and since they stand in something other than b-flat, they have really cool color. That makes them create a more nuanced timbre. they also, because they stand higher, tend to have a much more useful set of partials. The partials are very convenient for the range we play in, and they're not so dense so as to make runs difficult and treacherous. And runs are one of the main roles delegated to the mellophone in the marching brass world. also, marching horns are a pain in the ass to march. they provide very very little benefit to over a traditional mellophone, are often more difficult to play and more headache inducing for hornists, and the mouthpiece creates additional and unnecessary headaches that the mellophone mouthpiece resolves
Additionally: if you've ever been to a drum corps camp, you can hear a difference in tone quality between horn and trumpet players on mellophones. trumpet players are not used to that level of lip engagement in the mouthpiece, and so the "reinforcements" often sound worse than other musicians. because the mouthpiece used by mellophones is not a trumpet mouthpiece. it is a flugelhorn mouthpiece. most trumpet players are not well versed in flugelhorn also, the concert mellophone was not a way to allow cornets to double on alto parts. really, it was an evolution of the alto horn- it was a circular alto version of the alto horn, making it effectively a budget french horn. I found an old JW pepper catalog from about 1901, and French horns cost nearly $100 to $200 more per model. that made a big deal for bands because typically bands were the ones who purchased instruments. That's why an older catalogs you'll see recommendations for the exact instrumentation required based on the amount of players you had if you have a source for your suggestion that the concert mellophone was derived for cornetists, I would love to see it. otherwise, the evidence points to the contrary
Yes, you are correct. You can play this horn either right handed or left handed. They were made in such a way so all the extra trumpet players could play the horn parts if they needed them in a marching band. Thank you so much for watching.
How does playing French horn compare to playing the trumpet as far as difficulty level is concerned? Is it easy to switch back and forth? Where and how exactly does the bell detach? So many questions. 🙉🙊 I never heard this Wagner piece, so my scout and I are definitely getting a classical music education and appreciation out of it this year. 😆
The French horn is really the hardest brass instrument to play. But technically this is not a real French horn. So it is somewhat easier to play then a French horn. What makes the French horn so difficult to play is that the pitches of each note are much closer together and harder to pick out because of the way the instrument is constructed. So it is more difficult for each note to slot in the proper place. And it is rather easy to switch back-and-forth from this instrument to Trumpet. As a matter of fact this has an adapter for a French horn mouthpiece which is what I am using. I could take that out and use a trumpet mouthpiece. Many times in marching bands they have too many trumpet players so they stick some of the trumpet players on marching French horns. And they can use Trumpet mouthpieces on the instruments. The bell detaches where you see the ring around the bell. It actually unscrews. They do this so that the case is much smaller to store the instrument. Richard Wagner is a very famous German classical composer. I really love a lot of his music. This piece of music that I played is from one of his operas. I am very glad that this has been educational for you and your scout. Thank you so much for watching.
All of these horns that I demonstrate are part of my personal collection. I have been collecting and restoring horns for over 15 years. Many of these horns I have found on eBay. Some I find from private collectors and from Facebook Trumpet groups. Thank you very much for watching and thank you for your interest.
No, I really do not play any woodwind instruments. This channel is just dedicated to brass instruments from the past. Mostly the high brass instruments.
Is there a Horn adapter at the end of the leadpipe or was it actually built like that? Because it looks like it was originally meant for a trumpet shank.
Yes, there is a French horn adapter at the end of the lead pipe that can be removed. I am using a French horn mouthpiece in that adapter. I could have used a trumpet mouthpiece instead but I get a better tone with the French horn mouthpiece. Thank you very much for your interest and thank you for watching.
You are very welcome. Thank you very much for watching. I’m very glad you enjoyed it. This is a good quality instrument. There are not really any issues with tuning on this horn. It plays very well in tune.
Yes, it would be quite difficult to try to put my hand in the bell. It is meant for marching in a marching band. So of course they want it to be heard and as loud as possible. Thank you very much for watching.
That’s gotta be the most ridiculous looking horn I’ve ever seen, I need to find one so bad. Doesn’t sound too bad either, a bit different from a mellophone.
Yes, I agree with you about that, ha ha. It is a funny looking and unique for sure. And it actually plays really great. I see these on eBay every now and then. You should be able to pick one up for not too much. Good luck.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
It is absolutely wild to see how far marching instruments have come. Thank you for making this video!
I love your profile picture :3
@@thewooddove2 tyy!
Your pfp is adorable!
You are very welcome. I am very glad that you enjoyed watching the video. Yes, marching band instruments have certainly come along way.
It plays at horn pitch, so it is a horn. (Horns play in their upper register and retain a low register, compared to mellophones, which play the same pitch in a different tessitura, in the low fingered range of the instrument.) You can tell at sight just due to the length of the slides. A marching french horn has twice the length of tubing as a marching mellophone.
Marching french horns are by far superior sonically and educationally. If a program can maintain good horn players, the Bb instrument represents the "high side" of the double horn at the same pitch and fingering and develops the horn players through the summer. However most programs do not recruit adequately for the horn, so they must siphon off trumpet and baritone players and for this purpose alone (imo) the mellophone has become the de facto alto... an alto with "trumpet fingerings" means you can pull in reinforcements more easily. But now your horn section has to adopt a new embouchure and new fingerings, so you make your concert horn players worse by dividing their efforts.
This conundrum is really why we have a mellophone. Before we had "marching mellophones", the original "mellophones" were shaped like horns, and designed so cornettists could play horn parts incognito. The entire concept is a stopgap.
I think from a musical perspective, you should either be using alto trumpets... to bridge between the soprano trumpets and trombones with a uniform sound, or, if you want your altos to fill the role of the horn, then make them horns.
I guess I'll file this under... "things I never realized I was so opinionated about" 😅
Yes, I agree completely. Some people argue that this is a Mellophone but I agree with you that it is more like a French horn. And it plays more like a French horn too. Thank you for all the information you shared and for your interest and input. I really appreciate that. And thank you for watching.
I intend to seriously disagree with you on most of these points.
Firstly, I do agree it as a horn. Not because of where it plays or what it stands in, but simply because of the bell flare, and the taper of the entire instrument.
I do not believe the mellophone hurts horn player capabilities. As someone who had to learn mellophone basically twice, when I picked up the mellophone for the first time in the years, or ever, learning or relearning the embouchure helped me realize bad habits in my horn embouchure. I think that alone makes it worthwhile - it forces your players to reevaluate themselves and for you to reevaluate them.
Secondly, mellophones can preserve several of the sonic qualities of a flugelhorn or aggressive French horn. and since they stand in something other than b-flat, they have really cool color. That makes them create a more nuanced timbre. they also, because they stand higher, tend to have a much more useful set of partials. The partials are very convenient for the range we play in, and they're not so dense so as to make runs difficult and treacherous. And runs are one of the main roles delegated to the mellophone in the marching brass world.
also, marching horns are a pain in the ass to march. they provide very very little benefit to over a traditional mellophone, are often more difficult to play and more headache inducing for hornists, and the mouthpiece creates additional and unnecessary headaches that the mellophone mouthpiece resolves
Additionally: if you've ever been to a drum corps camp, you can hear a difference in tone quality between horn and trumpet players on mellophones. trumpet players are not used to that level of lip engagement in the mouthpiece, and so the "reinforcements" often sound worse than other musicians. because the mouthpiece used by mellophones is not a trumpet mouthpiece. it is a flugelhorn mouthpiece. most trumpet players are not well versed in flugelhorn
also, the concert mellophone was not a way to allow cornets to double on alto parts.
really, it was an evolution of the alto horn- it was a circular alto version of the alto horn, making it effectively a budget french horn. I found an old JW pepper catalog from about 1901, and French horns cost nearly $100 to $200 more per model. that made a big deal for bands because typically bands were the ones who purchased instruments. That's why an older catalogs you'll see recommendations for the exact instrumentation required based on the amount of players you had
if you have a source for your suggestion that the concert mellophone was derived for cornetists, I would love to see it. otherwise, the evidence points to the contrary
Siegfrieds Hornruf aus den Nibelungen. Großartig🎺
Yes, you’ve got that correct. That is the piece I am playing. Thank you very much for watching. Glad you enjoyed it.
magnifique ça!!! il a vraiment la sonorité d'un cor et d'une trompette en même temps!
Thank you very much. I really appreciate that. Thank you very much for watching. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Great dynamics here !
Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed watching the video.
Karl was the "Real Deal" ! Turns out that was just one of many gigs !
OK, I see. Very cool.
Looks like this one can be played right-handed or left. A horn player or a cornet player would be comfortable with it.
Yes, you are correct. You can play this horn either right handed or left handed. They were made in such a way so all the extra trumpet players could play the horn parts if they needed them in a marching band. Thank you so much for watching.
How does playing French horn compare to playing the trumpet as far as difficulty level is concerned? Is it easy to switch back and forth? Where and how exactly does the bell detach? So many questions. 🙉🙊
I never heard this Wagner piece, so my scout and I are definitely getting a classical music education and appreciation out of it this year. 😆
The French horn is really the hardest brass instrument to play. But technically this is not a real French horn. So it is somewhat easier to play then a French horn. What makes the French horn so difficult to play is that the pitches of each note are much closer together and harder to pick out because of the way the instrument is constructed. So it is more difficult for each note to slot in the proper place. And it is rather easy to switch back-and-forth from this instrument to Trumpet. As a matter of fact this has an adapter for a French horn mouthpiece which is what I am using. I could take that out and use a trumpet mouthpiece. Many times in marching bands they have too many trumpet players so they stick some of the trumpet players on marching French horns. And they can use Trumpet mouthpieces on the instruments. The bell detaches where you see the ring around the bell. It actually unscrews. They do this so that the case is much smaller to store the instrument. Richard Wagner is a very famous German classical composer. I really love a lot of his music. This piece of music that I played is from one of his operas. I am very glad that this has been educational for you and your scout. Thank you so much for watching.
WHERE DO YOU GET ALL OF THESE!?! Are they personal horns that were passed as heirlooms or did you buy them or just landed them?
All of these horns that I demonstrate are part of my personal collection. I have been collecting and restoring horns for over 15 years. Many of these horns I have found on eBay. Some I find from private collectors and from Facebook Trumpet groups. Thank you very much for watching and thank you for your interest.
Oh thats crazy haha I love it
Thank you very much. I’m glad you enjoyed watching the video.
Do you have any woodwind instrument
No, I really do not play any woodwind instruments. This channel is just dedicated to brass instruments from the past. Mostly the high brass instruments.
@@brassfromthepast5149 ok do you have any tuba like insturments other than the lituus
Is there a Horn adapter at the end of the leadpipe or was it actually built like that? Because it looks like it was originally meant for a trumpet shank.
Yes, there is a French horn adapter at the end of the lead pipe that can be removed. I am using a French horn mouthpiece in that adapter. I could have used a trumpet mouthpiece instead but I get a better tone with the French horn mouthpiece. Thank you very much for your interest and thank you for watching.
Thank you for the video! How would you describe the quality of the instrument and are there any problems with tuning?
You are very welcome. Thank you very much for watching. I’m very glad you enjoyed it. This is a good quality instrument. There are not really any issues with tuning on this horn. It plays very well in tune.
Is it easier to play in tune than the Frumpet?
Yes, quite a bit easier. And it has a much larger range. Thanks so much for watching.
With this instrument it is not possible to play with the hand in the bell, a caracteristic of the french horn. Yet, a nice instrument for hunting.
Yes, it would be quite difficult to try to put my hand in the bell. It is meant for marching in a marching band. So of course they want it to be heard and as loud as possible. Thank you very much for watching.
Yes, this model fixes that problem with the standard french horn.
That’s gotta be the most ridiculous looking horn I’ve ever seen, I need to find one so bad. Doesn’t sound too bad either, a bit different from a mellophone.
Yes, I agree with you about that, ha ha. It is a funny looking and unique for sure. And it actually plays really great. I see these on eBay every now and then. You should be able to pick one up for not too much. Good luck.
“Where would you like the bell?”
Please block the drum major, they are ugly
🤣🤣. Thanks for watching!
What an ugly looking thing. But it does have a big sound.
You are right, it is not the prettiest horn around. But it definitely has an interesting configuration. Glad you enjoy watching the video.