Introduction to the Mellophone

Every marching band season, new players are introduced to the enigma that is the mellophone. In this video, I give you an introduction to the mellophone and some tips on how to get started playing it. Especially if you are a horn player.
Virtual lessons available: jsquaredmpc.com/lessons

[@savannahhunt4591]

your videos are extremely helpful i went from being one of the worst players in my band to not one of the worst thanks to your scale videos thanks !

[@jsquaredhorn]

🙌🏾 That’s awesome! I’m glad my videos helped!

[@qwiklok]

Nothing can replace the glorious sound of a well played horn. It's hard to get, but when you do, oh my . . . .

[@jasonbentley3989]

The electric guitar of the brass world. Band director switched me to Mello freshman year.. Thirty some-odd years, loads of drum corps seasons, and a thousand or so marching band drills written later, and I'm still glad about it. Also, great advice about avoiding mouthpiece adapters.

[@jsquaredhorn]

Electric guitar… great analogy! I will be using that one, thanks! Lol Thank you for your comment! Always good to hear from another old head.

[@barrel9158]

My band director makes every mellophone use an adaptor

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Because the Mellophone has a Mellow sound it also works great for Jazz, Don Elliot was one of those guys.

[@collin9324]

My biggest piece of advice is to practice the French horn during marching band because if you do not, then you’ll find going back to the horn a lot harder once concert season starts. But marching band should be first priority and you should get that music memorized and sounding good before you practice a ton on the horn

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Jaime Jamison I use a French Horn Mouthpiece w/ an Adapter but I had to sand the mouthpiece down a little bit to remove the sharp edges.

[@EllieS-go3hf]

This helps so much!! I start band camp soon but I haven’t been playing the horn nearly as long as everyone in my grade and up 😂 thankfully, I learn instruments pretty quickly but now I have to suddenly switch and that caused me to panic. So this helped me chill out, thank you!

[@jsquaredhorn]

You’re welcome! Have fun at band camp!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

I do prefer using a French Horn Mouthpiece w/ an Adapter on the Mellophone but my particular French Horn Mouthpiece is actually a little bit thicker so I wouldn't split my lip.

[@djchicken1936]

Hey Jamie! I got a Mellophone for marching season but I need help! Could you explain in detail how fo toungue on Mellophone? Also some tips on buzzing and playing high notes as well? If so, it would really be helpful. Also I ask if you could make some Mellophone videos to go along with you French Horn ones, because I know thaf I'm not the only one who need help with the Mello. 🎺💛

[@jsquaredhorn]

Hi! I will be making some mellophone videos in the next few weeks. Thank you for the suggestions!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Wait a minute did you know there are Marching French Horns? They often bend the Leadpipe at a Slight Angle to allow you to use the same embouchure

[@QuietWyatt2005]

Only the Kanstul has a bent lead pipe, the reason we use Mellos over Marching French Horns is for projection, weight and cost to manufacture

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@QuietWyatt2005 Yamaha makes Marching French Horns but they have a little bit larger mouthpiece.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

There are Marching French Horns (Both F and Bb) that take standard French Horn Mouthpieces

[@JustClaude13]

My mellophone is played like a French horn with piston valves. It's also circular. Back in the good old days, all mellophones were built like that. Pubic schools used them as cheaper French horns.

[@QuietWyatt2005]

Concert Mellophones and Marching Mellos are different shapes

[@ashoftheyear]

i started on mello i love it so much :3

[@alexanderhamilton5838]

yay! glad you made a mello video!!

[@jsquaredhorn]

Thank you!!!

[@LawrenceStroman]

Heeeeey! The mouthpiece battle revived. I was definitely passionate about that.

[@jsquaredhorn]

Hey Lawrence! It can be a surprisingly polarizing subject, lol.

[@cagedguitarist1208]

I’m a saxophone but I wanna march dci so desperately. I will continue saxophone in jazz, but I’m going to try my best to purchase a mellophone and learn!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Also I play Celtic Mellophone.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

If you can compare the Mellophone Mouthpiece (basically an Alto Horn Mouthpiece) to the French Horn Mouthpiece and adapter you can get 2 different sounds.

[@zeenohaquo7970]

Great vid. is the mellophone also "in F" transposition like the French Horn? I like the "mellowed trumpet" sound of this instrument.

[@jsquaredhorn]

Thanks! Yes, the mellophone is also in F.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@jsquaredhorn Same Key and you can use a French horn mouthpiece with an adapter on that instrument so that you don't have to switch between mouthpieces also if you Hold the Mellophone at a slight angle then the French horn mouthpiece and adapter will work again

[@maddy8124]

Oh awesome!! I’m a current mellophone player at NSU

[@jsquaredhorn]

Behold! 💚💛✊🏾

[@jsquaredhorn]

Behold! 💚💛✊🏾

[@OtterSauce_]

I'm a clarinet player and I was handed a mellophone because I tried french horn once... Help me pls

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Jaime Jamison I suggest you try the Patterson Mello Leadpipe which allows for a Normal French Horn Mouthpiece & I prefer that over a Mellophone Mouthpiece as the Mellophone is an Octave above the French Horn.

[@BJK-hp1bk]

Hey! I'm a trumpet player that will likely be playing mellophone this year for marching. I was wondering, how different is the mellophone compared to trumpet?

[@jsquaredhorn]

The main difference is the pitch and the size, especially the size of the bell. Fingerings are the same. It’s a very easy transition. You’ll do great!

[@madlyawww]

Mello and trumpet are very easy to go between. At Troopers, we have people switch between them all the time.

[@jayjay2.084]

Does moz have good mellophones. The ones on Amazon

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

The Mellophone is indeed at the same Pitch as the Descant Horn which is an Octave above a Normal French Horn.

[@Derpkips31415]

replying for my future's sake-- I thought I was going crazy thinking my French Horn in F is an octave lower than my mates' mellophones.

[@elliemaria601]

Is mellophone a good instrument to learn for marching when you are transitioning from oboe

[@jsquaredhorn]

Mellophone is an awesome choice for oboe players for marching band. I know quite a few oboe players that marched mellophone (one of them is a middle school band director I work with).

[@RockWolf2010]

I had a question about my telephone you see I've been using a French horn since the beginning of the semester and here recently I've been getting a real vibrate effect when I use it when my use my trumpet mouthpiece it doesn't use makes a sound in my play my French horn mouthpiece on my French horn when I march with it it doesn't make the sound so do you think it would be a problem with my telephone or just my embouchure

[@navygurl4182]

What is a good mellophone beginners book

[@Sweetbabyraysbarbecue]

My mello has a thumb ring on the slide that my left hand goes on. When do I use that slide?

[@SpicyInvalid]

I have a mellophone! I'm not in middle or high school. I am a thirty-five year old male. Can you make more videos on how to play and technique? Also, I have a beginners book for a french horn, can I use that to learn? Or do I need a special book for Mellophone?

[@jsquaredhorn]

Thanks for commenting! I will definitely be making more mellophone videos this spring. As far as a book goes, you should use a beginning trumpet book. The mellophone range and fingerings are the same as trumpet, just in a different pitch (meaning, a C played on the trumpet does not sound the same as a C played on the mellophone). So, you will be able to play everything in a trumpet book. The fingerings for french horn are different.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

I'd imagine that if the French Horn Mouthpiece Adapter for Mellophone was bent at a 45 Degree Angle you wouldn't have split your lip in the 1st place

[@ghost_deaths1]

My band instructor has me using a French horn mouthpiece bc the school won’t provide him with one and the whole band is using his personal mouthpieces

[@jsquaredhorn]

That's interesting. I wonder what happened to the mouthpieces that came with the instrument. Although, if the mellophones have been around for a few year, the mouthpieces could be anywhere. Like I said, it's not impossible to march with a horn mouthpiece, it just makes things a little different.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@jsquaredhorn Yes and the French Horn Mouthpiece and adapter have the advantage of being able to have the embouchure stay put when switching between the 2 horns. I have to be rather careful so I don't split my lip.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Yes and an adapter

[@djchicken1936]

Hey Jamie! I play Clarinet for band but I want to play Clarinet for Concert band and Mello for marching band. Any tips? Can you also post mellophone tutorial videos?

[@jsquaredhorn]

Hi! I have many mellophone friends that come from the clarinet section. My number 1 tip to get started would be to get a mellophone mouthpiece and start learning how to buzz. I would love to post some mellophone tutorials, but I have to borrow one from a school because I don't own one. With it being marching season, they're a little harder for me to borrow. But, now that I've been asked to make some, I'll work to find one that I can borrow and make a few videos for you.

[@djchicken1936]

@@jsquaredhorn Thanks so much! That'd be so appreciated

[@djchicken1936]

@@jsquaredhorn Do you know anywhere I could get a good and decently cheap Mello?

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@djchicken1936 I do not. Does the school provide one for you? You’re probably never going to play a mellophone outside of marching band.

[@djchicken1936]

@@jsquaredhorn I think they do provide mellos

[@matthewprescott9524]

Can you use a trumpet mouth piece for mellophone?

[@jjcooltrumpetgoat6660]

What is the name brand for a Mellophone Mouthpiece?

[@guitarmansegovia]

Hammond Design’s mello pieces are widely sought after. They were tested well in drum corps, and designed with a balance in mind between how hornists play, but keeping that nice bright bugle-like sound. The section I taught last marching season played on his 6MP, and sound amazing, and it was unanimously decided that they loved them better than the stock Jupiter mouthpieces that came with their horns (Jupiter 7BM)

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@guitarmansegovia Actually the Jupiter mouthpieces have been updated

[@guitarmansegovia]

@@RockStarOscarStern634 hmm…I know they had the 7BM and 7CH (horn hybrid). Nice they’re being encouraged to continue to innovate.

[@robertadinolfi4217]

I used to take Trumpet lessons with a musician named Maxine Fields Knepper. Google her. She would love your post.

[@anitahaslam2302]

Thanks Jaime, You were my go-to video when I started teaching myself horn. Now I have started fluegelhorn. How similar is that to mellophone playing?

[@jsquaredhorn]

Flugelhorn is kind of similar to the mellophone. The flugelhorn is a little smaller and it’s in B flat like a trumpet. But, to me, they do have the potential to have a similar mellow sound, although flugelhorns are more used for jazz and mellophones are made more for outside. Good luck with learning the flugelhorn. How is your horn playing these days? Thanks so much for watching my videos!

[@anitahaslam2302]

@@jsquaredhorn You are the best! Thanks for answering my question. I have found an excellent horn teacher and am making some progress. It is a difficult instrument. With the fluegelhorn you learn the fingering and you get the note. Seems like magic after the horn.

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@anitahaslam2302 definitely, easier than the horn! I’m glad you were able to find a great teacher. It’s so worth it once you get it.

[@Lesliestevens92.1fm]

I purchased a melophone online from a music store and they sent a trumpet mouthpiece with it which is a 7C. Is that the correct mouthpiece for a mellophone and can I use it? Or is there a specific mouthpiece they make for mellophones I should probably purchase?

[@jsquaredhorn]

While you can use the trumpet mouthpiece with the mellophone, I recommend a mellophone mouthpiece. With the trumpet one, the sound will be brighter. The mellophone mouthpiece will give you the darker more mellow tone. Here’s one you can try: www.musicarts.com/blessing-mellophone-mouthpiece-main0025042

[@Lesliestevens92.1fm]

@@jsquaredhorn thank you for the information!!!

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@Lesliestevens92.1fm you’re welcome!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@jsquaredhorn A 3rd option a French Horn Mouthpiece and Adapter. 4th option the Alto Horn Mouth because it's kinda a Marching Alto Horn

[@Lazyeggcake]

I'm a trumpet player that's playing Mello for marching season. Do the fingerings change if the Mello is in the key of F?

[@jsquaredhorn]

Welcome to the mellophone family! The fingerings are the same as trumpet. The notes just don’t sound the same. For example, F is first for both. But F is B flat concert on the mello and E flat concert on the trumpet. Have a great season!

[@anjawaage2559]

Odd question but I’m actually switching from flute to Mellophone would there be any advice you could give going from a woodwind to a brass instrument. I do also play saxophone if there are more helpful tips there

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@anjawaage2559 it’s not an odd question, at all. I switched from flute to horn, so I understand. Start with buzzing on your mouthpiece and learning the fingerings. What type of mouthpiece are you using for your mellophone? A mellophone mouthpiece, trumpet mouthpiece or French horn mouthpiece with adapter?

[@anjawaage2559]

Thank you! I’m using a trumpet mouthpiece

[@jsquaredhorn]

Ok. It’s not going to be a hard switch. Find some trumpet videos on how to buzz. It’s very similar to a flute embouchure. Be sure to use lots of air when playing. Don’t rush the high notes, they will come easier as your embouchure gets stronger. Have fun!

[@anjawaage2559]

Thank you so much!!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

The Mellophone is essentially a Marching F Alto Horn and it takes a Standard Alto Horn Mouthpiece.

[@jsquaredhorn]

Or, the mellophone is a mellophone and takes a mellophone mouthpiece 😊 www.musicarts.com/yamaha-ymp-204m-series-marching-f-mellophone-main0135490#!#full-description

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@jsquaredhorn It's essentially an F Alto Horn that you hold like a Trumpet. You can also use a French Horn Mouthpiece and Mouthpiece adapter so that the embouchure stays put, but keep in mind that adapter would have to be bent at a 45 degree angle so you can use the same embouchure.

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@RockStarOscarStern634 the angle of the Mellophone is why I recommend a mellophone mouthpiece. Most band directors want their instrumentalists to have their instrument either parallel to the ground or with a slight angle up.

[@Bittersweet_zi]

When I first began to play the mellophone, I used a trumpet mouthpiece, but I found it easier to use the French horns with the adapter. But for the first time, I used the appropriate mouth piece and it's like I'm learning to play the instrument all over again. It sucks😂😭

[@jsquaredhorn]

😂 Don’t worry. It won’t take long to get used to it.

[@guitarmansegovia]

I harp on students over the wrong mouthpiece for mello. Worst I saw with a student: 7C trumpet mouthpiece. Yuck. I set the whole section up with Hammond Design 6MP mouthpieces.

[@guitarmansegovia]

For the record, I myself play on a B-flat marching French horn (erroneously lumped as a mello, but is tapered more like a concert horn, complete with taking a horn mouthpiece natively).

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@guitarmansegovia I’ve seen those, but I’ve never played on one. How do you like it?

[@guitarmansegovia]

@@jsquaredhorn I personally prefer it to mello, though it’s a bit more challenging to play (basically the B-flat side of a double), but it was the first marching horn I played on before I moved to a school that used mellos. I play a King 1122, with a Hammond Design custom horn mouthpiece.

[@QuietWyatt2005]

Hey the Thumbnail features a B fiat Marching French Horn

[@bobjacobson858]

I'm not a horn or mellophone player, but I enjoyed your interesting video, largely because I've taken up trombone and trumpet this past year. However, I was slightly disappointed in one thing--I was hoping something would be said about the 'traditional' (AKA classic or concert) mellophone. Back in December 1961, a few months after starting playing clarinet, I and a couple others participated in a Christmas recital, and one of the other participants was announced as playing a mellophone, which to me looked like a [French] horn (although I've read that this instrument is actually sort of a 'mirror image' of the horn). I just wonder if that instrument is essentially 'extinct' some 60 years later. [Since my original posting here, I have obtained a 1924 Conn "French horn alto" which is essentially a type of classic mellophone.) FWIW it was interesting to hear your comments about mouthpieces, as I like to experiment with them (having bought a few EastRock mouthpieces off eBay). I found that a horn mouthpiece allows one to play higher notes on a trombone (but limits the low range); a trumpet mouthpiece has similar results with a more piercing (trumpet-like) sound. The horn mouthpiece on a trumpet allows me a similar range as the trumpet mouthpiece, but a subdued sound as expected. A tuba mouthpiece attached to a trombone only allow a few very poor quality low notes (and not the full, clear pedal tones I was seeking), and the trombone mouthpiece gave similar results with the trumpet. I used plastic tubing to connect the tuba mouthpiece to the trombone, the trumpet and trombone mouthpieces are interchangeable, and the horn mouthpiece must be held tightly against the trumpet and trombone due to the smaller diameter of the shank. (I wonder what a horn would sound like if coupled with either a trumpet or a trombone mouthpiece!) In summary, it appears that small mouthpieces can be coupled with larger instruments, but the reverse is not true. Of course I understood what you said about a horn mouthpiece not being suitable for use with a 'modern' mellophone.

[@kristian_courville]

Hey the 'mellophone' you think looked like a french horn might've been a mellophonium, I'd check it out

[@bobjacobson858]

@@kristian_courville I checked it, and the mellophonium pictures I saw showed the bell as being in line with the mouthpiece and lead pipe, with a circular coil of tubing in between. Here's a video showing the "French horn" type of mellophone. In addition, there is a video (whose address I can't locate, because it wasn't on KZbin) showing a man playing this type that was manufactured in 1913. Thus, I suspect this type of mellophone is a rather old-fashioned type. The one I saw in 1961 may have been a few decades old.

[@veiledzorba]

@@bobjacobson858 You saw the "classic" or "concert" mellophone which is indeed essentially obsolete/extinct. Its the same horn acoustically as the Marching mellophone that's common now, but intended for concert bands as an easier to play substitute for the French Horn.

[@bobjacobson858]

@@veiledzorba Thanks for this additional information. A couple months ago I bought one of these old horns (Conn New Wonder, made in 1924) for $50 with the original case but no mouthpiece, so I'm using the French horn mouthpiece I already had. The original Conn advertisement referred to this as a 'French horn alto' while a similar instrument on the page was called a mellophone. It sounds essentially like a French horn, and seems very easy to play--I get the impression that just by putting it to my lips it just about plays itself, being easier to play than the tuba-shaped Conn 14-C alto horn I also have. I'm having a lot of fun playing this Eb mellophone, although it's more difficult to play the lower notes than those on the alto horn (pitched in F, although extenders can bring it down to Eb if I can get the tuning slides moving). I've been told that French horns are difficult to play, and I suspect it's because the music written for them requires the use of high partials. When people think of my instrument as a French horn, I point out that I have the mirror image of that instrument, and with piston valves rather than rotary valves, and pitched differently. (None of my instruments has rotary valves.) I've seen the mellophonium and the double-belled euphonium advertised, but now having 10 brass instruments (although I guess the mellophone is actually nickel/silver!) I figured there's no point spending the money for these two 'curiosities' that don't really provide useful functional additions to what I already have. In addition to this instrument bought via eBay but picked up in person, the seller had several other instruments sitting around that he was willing to sell for $20 each to get rid of them due to his failing health, so I bought three cornets of different makes (to see how different they are from my trumpet), and although they sound different from the trumpet and from each other, I'm not certain I can discern the difference between the trumpet and cornet, but the latter seems to have better weight distribution when holding it, so I'm happy with it. BTW, I also now have a Conn 20-J recording tuba whose sound I love, although it's the only one for which I have take a minute to get oriented (i.e., get my lips loosened up) to play while the other instruments I can play almost instantly after finding the respective pitch in each case.

[@veiledzorba]

@@bobjacobson858 I actually have a Conn Mellophone from 1911, also called a "French Horn Alto" although its just another Mellophone. Funny thing - I also bought a Cornet - a King Cleveland Superior for $3.25 - then proceeded to dump about $200 into it. Its now worth about $75... I have a couple of videos about them on my so-called "channel".

[@zachshorts]

Okay so what if my band directors gave us trumpet mouth pieces for our mellophones..

[@jsquaredhorn]

@@zachshorts it’s fine. Lots of people use trumpet mouthpieces.

[@fairq6063]

Hi, just got here. W instrument, bye. On a good note, I have decided to stay because there is only up.

[@ariesferrante4971]

I play bari sax but my band lacks french horn/mello players and the director is getting worried that they won’t have a mello that actually tries. And then there is me forced to play a instrument I haven’t even held

[@jsquaredhorn]

It can definitely be frustrating to be moved to an instrument you’ve never played before. I’ve played in mellophone sections with people that play bassoon, oboe and in college, even the piccolo section leader did a season on mellophone. Honestly, I’d much rather carry a mellophone than a bari sax! The bari is so much heavier, lol. Welcome to the mellophone! It seems that your director thinks that you can handle it. That’s a good thing.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

It's not really heavy so it's easy

[@voiceofreason9238]

Your photoshopped thumbnail shows you with a French horn in one hand and a bell front marching French horn in the other. You can tell by the tubing. A mellophone has much less tubing.