Music Forum / Instrument.

eh. i had it for percussion in band. it's just a cheap bell kit on a walker. wish i had crotales like glenn kotche.

...

air concept is not the same for horn and mello.
in case you weren't aware, they're different instruments ._. breathe-dah doesn't apply quite the same to everything.

that said, my problem is almost assuredly the mouthpiece- i've been playing a Yamaha MP14F4, which is more like a flugel/cornet mouthpiece. well, pretty much IS one, actually. so after all the band practices with mello embouchure my horn tone quality is different.

First of all, yes. Air, for the most part, is generally the same. And yes, beyond the fact that mellophone and horn are in the same key and have unique tone colours, there are no similarities. (Especially since mellophones were only invented for drum corps.) Over thinking your horn will get you nowhere. The "breathe-dah" method really does work. But regardless of any differences, you should be playing each how it best fits that particular horn. Don't change both techniques to be somewhere in the middle, because that's going to sound like shit either way.

The tried and true mouthpeice for a mello is the mello 6. Yamaha still makes them, but surf the DCP Brass forum for more details on that. They have a mello mouthpeice thread pop up every few weeks.

I'm using this kit for two gigs:



The bass drum is a friend's. He picked it and a matching floor tom up for $50. Using it mostly for looks. Same with the cymbal heights. I reheaded my kit with coated g2 Evans and when the set's together it looks really nice--sounds good too.

So you need to play keyboards, drums and bells within the span of the gig I'm guessing?

Ride6

correct!

is that bell rack.. on .. a walker?

correct!

New horn. Yamaha Xeno 8335RGS

Reversed lead pipe, extra tasty. I could go for a larger bore than .459, but it's plenty loud enough. (I played on a .468 Dynasty last year, and that bitch could do some damage)

oooh, xeno. insert scientology pun here. What are you doing mouthpiece-wise?

Personally, I'm a big fan of the 1 1/2C, but Cadets are using some 3C yamaha equivelent. So, 3C it is for a while.

(also, that is the Cadets' horn. Is GMen on yamaha's, too?)

Edited by Midnight Aurora, 11 February 2008 - 10:34 PM.

we're still on dynasty- not sure what the sops are using. I kinda wish we were on yamaha just because that's what I've been used to playing, though.

we're still on dynasty- not sure what the sops are using. I kinda wish we were on yamaha just because that's what I've been used to playing, though.

I played on the new model Dynastys the last couple years, and they're pretty nice horns. I wouldn't play one for anything indoors, but 50 ft from the stands, they sound just fine. The mellos are better than the older model (circa 2002-3) yamahas, and their new large bore trumpets are fucking godly. The low brass is all pretty solid, and the tubas are some of the best marching tubas out there.

Everyone knocks Dynasty, but every corps that won last year, (DCI div I, II, II, DCA open and class A) all used them.

I think this right here sums up the nature of mellophone.

Bach 3C $32.00 plus tax TRUMPET
Bach 5G $40.00 plus tax BARITONE
Bach 5G large shank $42.00 plus tax EUPHONIUM
Conn Helleberg 120S $52.00 plus tax TUBA
MELLOS - YOU ARE FINE FOR NOW

[i.e. playing whatever we have]
presently I'm on the 14F4 that came with my Yamaha 203. Most of the mellos are on the piece that came with the dynastys, but one is on a trumpet 3C and a few of the Florida folks are on IYM's.

Keith (brass cap. head) keeps referencing a mysterious "Mello 7" mouthpiece- I'm 98% sure he means Mello 6. I was going to mention that I didn't think there was such a thing as a Mello 7, but I checked, and apparently there is. Bach, as it were- and with trumpets/baris on bach, there's some chance he might actually be talking about it.

Edited by ][ntamin22, 13 February 2008 - 12:46 AM.

every company makes a bunch of mouthpeices nobody will ever use. Schilke has a bunch of trumpet peices that are almost as big as smaller trombones mouthpeices. It's quite possible some of the other mouthpeices designed for mello are the biggest peices of shit ever invented.

That said, good luck with these mello 7's. I know mello 6's are the standard, but DCP is so full of shit, who would ever know? I hear the custom ones Cavies use are amazing.

cavies are on IYMs unless something has changed recently.
I'd like to try one if at all possible... we'll see.

[URL=http://imageshack.us]

My Fender Stratocaster, and my amp. My dog is not an insturment, although she likes to sing when I play. Frankly, she sucks.

It's not much, but it does me good, and with it I can play:

Iron Man by Black Sabbath
Electric Funeral by Black Sabbath
Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple
Turbo Lover by Judas Priest
Personal Reaper (written by me) by Blak Smith (my half-band, as we have no vocals and no bass)

Edited by Xin, 07 April 2008 - 04:21 PM.

I have a fender strat as well, bass (not sure what kind), ovation acoustic, epiphone dot, and a pos guitar sitting out in the garage that I use as a prop occasionally. For amps, I have a fender g deck, fender champion 300, digitech pedal which i sometimes connect to my stereo, and guitarport. I share these with my dad, though I usually end up with the stratocaster and 300 in my room while my dad keeps the epiphone and g deck. I also play violin can't remember what kind nor would any of you know what I was talking about I doubt. Maybe Ill post pictures when Im less lazy.

gross, ovation.... my friend had one, still does. our band always gave him shit and he finally came to and realized it doesn't sound good (compared to guitars without a plastic back).

xin, whenever you get something more than a practice amp, make sure it's not solid state. those are a lot cheaper, however don't sound as good compared to tube amps. worth the extra money.

Edited by penguinBOB, 07 April 2008 - 06:19 PM.

i could fit that amplifier in my pocket.


ps stratocasters are hideous.

FYI: That's a starcaster and is made out such utter shit for wood that's it not worth upgrading any of the hardware or electronics...

There are some very pretty strats out there: that is not one of them.

Personally I mainly play the modded Fender Tele I posted on the first page... Most of my other guitars are also posted somewhere in this thread.

The only recent addition to my gear is an Electro-Harmonix Holy Stain petal: godly reverb and some other alternate effects that are pretty nice too...

Ride6