Alto Bugle Comparison (feat. MEEHAPHONE)

[@golfhack3581]

Very interesting comparisons you made Tiffany. Thank you. I'm an old guy of 76 who still plays euphonium but I remember playing a 'G' bugle back in '66-'67 in the USAF Keesler Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (the bugles got some credit back then🙄). It was 2 valves (1 piston with right thumb and 1 rotor played with left index finger). Not sure but think the bugles were Olds. Loved your playing in the Christmas Multirack. Wow!!!

[@taylormanning2709]

That Dynasty 3 Valve is an amazing sound.

[@SamuelPlaysBrass]

Never in my life have I ever paid the alto bugle any mind, and still I found myself sitting down and watching through this entire video. Fascinating stuff. My question is whether there might be any way of having the Kanstul 175 modified such that it has a tuning slide that's in tune with the CKB 6 and a separate, shorter one that brings the Denis Wick up to pitch. I imagine it would be tremendously useful to be able to combine both sounds. It probably would be a sizeable endeavor/investment, though.

[@Finetales]

I thought about that, but the tuning slide is very short! There's not much room to cut it down any more. I suspect you would have to put on an entirely new tunable leadpipe for it to work, and at that point you might as well just get a different instrument.

[@ferox965]

I started on mellophone (valve and rotor) in 1987-got the 2 valve a few months later-and switched to lead soprano the next year. I still have my ancient 2 valve soprano. It's an Ultratone 2.

[@njmaugbill]

The olds Ultratone were the top of the line horn. I Played on one through the 80s.!

[@robertpirtle2285]

Blue Devils sold the Meehaphones they had left to a Senior Corps, but they were allegedly lost by the shipper. So, there’s a box somewhere of 10 or more!

[@Finetales]

Wouldn't that be a crazy thing to find! My meehaphone's case is stamped for the Mighty St. Joe's Alumni corps, so at least that one did get in the hands of a senior corps.

[@bobbypirtle4472]

@@Finetales i❤

[@HallyPorter]

I swear on some 50's and 60's recordings there are glissandos- making me wonder if the valve-trigger models had enough range to do a glissando. You know it's kind crazy but I think I prefer your tone and valve articulation of the Dynasty to the flugel horn. I'm probably biased but am unfamiliar with that horn, with looks like a kid-sibling of a baritone bugle. Hearing it, I can't imagine why they don't make them for modern corps- they have a lovely physicality to them with no compromise in sound and probably excellent projection.

[@sashakindel3600]

What was the point of the "only two valves allowed" rule in the first place?

[@Finetales]

DCI was (and still is) very slow to deviate from tradition. Drum and bugle corps in the United States started with actual valveless G bugles, then a single valve, then piston/rotor, 2 pistons, 3 pistons, and finally allowing keys other than G. Each addition of a new feature took a long time to ratify because there has always been lots of resistance to any sort of change in the activity. It's funny because nowadays the traditionalists will bleat on about how modern DCI isn't "real" drum corps, but the era they see as "real" drum corps was seen as not "real" drum corps from the traditionalists back then. It never changes.

[@sashakindel3600]

@@Finetales From a musical perspective, it's strange to think about the reasoning behind adding valves one at a time rather than approaching it as a binary choice between no valves on the one hand and however many valves are necessary to be chromatic on the other.

[@jeffmitchell9139]

@@sashakindel3600 The first valve in D was added to the G bugle in a horizontal position to be hidden from view to maintain the look of the M1892 Field Trumpet that was the common instrument back then. In addition, the valve was not allowed to move. There was a lock to prevent the valve from moving. So corps played with choirs either playing the G or D harmonic series.

[@nice2yeetyou193]

Have you seen patterson hornwork's hornette looks very cool and would fit in your collection but more for a concert setting

[@portalmaster3183]

MEEHAPHONE 😫😫😫

[@jasonbuckingham4913]

Another common name for the Meeaphone is the EGOPHONE. No kidding. The pitch on those were horrendous.

[@Finetales]

If you want to skip straight to hearing all of these instruments back to back, head to 30:40! You can find even more information on each of these bugles on my website: - Meehaphone: tiffanyjohns.com/blog/meehaphone (including a bunch of audio clips!) - Dynasty and Kanstul alto bugles: tiffanyjohns.com/blog/alto-bugle - All brass articles: tiffanyjohns.com/articles Thanks for watching!

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

If you ever willing to part ways with the Meehaphone, please let me know. I played that with the 1991 BD. Love to have that in my G Bulge collection.

[@Finetales]

Ahh, I actually recently sold it! As cool as it was, it wasn't very practical for my needs with only 2 valves. I've been interested in trying your 3-valve riff on the meehaphone in F, actually, along with your other horns. At the very least I know what parts Kanstul used to make the meehaphones and plan to eventually get a new one (with at least 3 valves) made from parts.

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

@@Finetales Bummer. I really wanted that meehaphone in my archive. Well, if you’re ever in S Cal, hit me up. My operation is small but unique. The Bb soprano is very popular. The F Meehaphone production was suspended since Kanstul is gone. I’m trying to start again with a factory in Asia, but the original prototype is still here.

[@dumpicus_maximus]

Thank you so much for doing this! but damn, those horns all need to get some baths.... (especially the Dynasty, nickel plate hides oil and grime well)

[@Finetales]

The Dynasty is actually chrome plated...and I would like to get that removed at some point lol.

[@dumpicus_maximus]

@@Finetales It's chromed? ugh, that's nasty Silver or brass are the only real options

[@BretNewtonComposer]

The Dynasty III is what you played on Symphony 3, right?

[@Finetales]

Correct!

[@victormunroe2418]

It seems to be some sort of alto brass

[@Finetales]

🤔🤔