so..I'm looking for a euphonium......

[Posaune2]

I had my lesson yesterday, and in this lesson my teacher and we had "the big talk". Yes, we talked about me getting a better euphonium. I am currently playing on my school's Yamaha 321 (four vlave, non-compensating, small bore). Here is my dilema: I want a Willson 2900, he wants me to get a Yamaha 642 or a Hirsbrunner (didn't specify model).

Here is my question (for the euphers):
out of the Willson 2900, Yamaha 642, and (a) Hirsbrunner, what do you perform on/ suggest?

I am looking for a euphonium I can go to college with (performance major) and spend a great deal of my teaching/performing life with (hopefully...).

I am about to risk getting flamed off this board with my very first post, but here goes anyway......

Why not look into buying a horn similar to what your teacher plays - something like an Edwards, or a Bach, or a Shires etc etc.

When I was a sophomore in HS, a teacher, to whom I am forever indebted, pointed out to me that no matter how talented I was, if I stuck with euphonium, my options would be extremely limited. I loved, (and still love) playing the euphonium, but I took his advice, bought a trombone, and have never looked back. Five years later, I started earning my living on trombone, and I can’t imagine a more enjoyable career. (My mother has only recently forgiven me for becoming a trombonist however. She still much prefers my euphonium playing to my trombone playing.)

Euphonium is a beautiful instrument, but then so are the cornet, flügelhorn, and oboe d’amore. Nobody majors in those instruments in college because in order to get the opportunity to play them in the best professional situations, you must be able to play their more mainstream brothers and sisters.

By all means, continue to study and play your euphonium, but if you haven’t already, start taking trombone lessons. Your musical options will be expanded greatly if you master the trombone, and as a bonus, playing the trombone should improve your euphonium playing too.


Eric Carlson, 2nd Trombone & euphonium
Philadelphia Orchestra

[ufoneum]

So, the horns... right?!?

[SqueakyOnion]

I actually had the same dilema when I was applying for what colleges and degree programs I was going to do. I really want to do euphonium performance, but I know there aren't a lot of jobs out there for euphonium players, and everyone I talked to told me I should be an education major...except I don't ever want to be a teacher beyond private lessons.

In any case, my solution was the get into another business to make a living: instrument repair. Apparently, it takes about a 1-year course at one of the few colleges that offer it, and then some years spent apprenticing at a shop. I intend on going to a 4-year college/conservatory for euphonium performance, and then working on becoming a repairman. And once I have a steady job, maybe work towards a masters...

So, "go for all your hopes and dreams" of being a euphonium performer! ...but have a back-up plan

[Ryan_Beucke]

I just heard Jason Ham, the euphonium player in the West Point band, play in a recital, and he is an absolute virtuoso. The West Point band is not considered one of the "premiere" bands...so this tells me that the competition is extremely stiff for all existing euphonium jobs (jobs which only exist in the military band genre/sector).

I studied with Jason a bit over the summer, he's a monster player and a great guy to boot.

euphba, if you're going to buy a horn used, just make sure you can play it first and make sure it's not bad. We can all debate the differences of all of the horns, and yes you should try a bunch and choose which is better for you, but Brian Bowman is going to sound like Brian Bowman on a Willson, a Yamaha, a Hirsbrunner, a Besson, etc...

Any one of these pro level horns is going to give you what you need to succeed.

[Lew]

I am about to risk getting flamed off this board with my very first post, but here goes anyway......

Why not look into buying a horn similar to what your teacher plays - something like an Edwards, or a Bach, or a Shires etc etc.

When I was a sophomore in HS, a teacher, to whom I am forever indebted, pointed out to me that no matter how talented I was, if I stuck with euphonium, my options would be extremely limited. I loved, (and still love) playing the euphonium, but I took his advice, bought a trombone, and have never looked back. Five years later, I started earning my living on trombone, and I can’t imagine a more enjoyable career. (My mother has only recently forgiven me for becoming a trombonist however. She still much prefers my euphonium playing to my trombone playing.)

Euphonium is a beautiful instrument, but then so are the cornet, flügelhorn, and oboe d’amore. Nobody majors in those instruments in college because in order to get the opportunity to play them in the best professional situations, you must be able to play their more mainstream brothers and sisters.

By all means, continue to study and play your euphonium, but if you haven’t already, start taking trombone lessons. Your musical options will be expanded greatly if you master the trombone, and as a bonus, playing the trombone should improve your euphonium playing too.


Eric Carlson, 2nd Trombone & euphonium
Philadelphia Orchestra

I think that this is a great point. And I do understand this statement too.

I do own a trombone, but I would never be able to be sucessful on it. I can't pretend to like it enough to be sucessful. Somehow, I dislike everything about the trombone. I have really tried to pretend to like the trombone, but my preffered double is the tuba. There is a lot I don't want to have to explain, I just refuse to play that instrument. Good suggestion, it just doesn't work for me, sorry

There are lots of ways to make a living in music. Other than military bands (which is a very honorable calling, but also very competitive and not for everybody) playing euphonium is probably among the least likely way to do so. I can't understand why anyone in the US would major in euphonium performance in college.

If you are determined to do so, make sure that you not only graduate as an outstanding player, but with a detailed and comprehensive knowledge of every aspect of music. I'm not advocating Music Ed as a "fall back" position. I think that, unlike Mr. Holland, people who fall back on a music education career are doing themselves and their students a disservice. But, if you're going to spend the money on four years of college, it should provide a lot more than 4 years of perfecting playing euphonium.

[Dean]

I just heard Jason Ham, the euphonium player in the West Point band, play in a recital, and he is an absolute virtuoso. The West Point band is not considered one of the "premiere" bands...so this tells me that the competition is extremely stiff for all existing euphonium jobs (jobs which only exist in the military band genre/sector).

West Point band is indeed an Army premier band:

http://www.goarmy.com/band/special_army_bands.jsp

[JTJ]

For what it is worth, Jason Ham plays a Yamaha 842.

"I just heard Jason Ham, the euphonium player in the West Point band, play in a recital, and he is an absolute virtuoso." Bloke

Jason also has a fine essay up on his web site about the value of the brass band movement in producing the finest euphonium players, and the finest brass players in general.

http://www.jasondham.com/cgi-bin/master ... rclass.asp

It answers the question: "Does the brass band inspire the world's best euphonium soloists?" Well worth reading, and reflecting upon. Our finest euphonium talent generally goes into a service band or gets a teaching position, and is never heard from again.

My hat is off to Jason for breaking the mold.

[Rick F]

One of the biggest tones I've heard on euphonium was on a Willson 2900 by Carlyle Webber (Willson performing artist) who played in the US Army Field Band for 24 years. He's retired from the Army now and lives in South Florida teaching and performing. Carlyle has a gorgeous sound... but would probably sound good on a garden hose and funnel.

I couldn't afford a Willson so settled on a Yamaha-641 euph some years ago. The 641 was the predecessor of the 642. Good horn, but I don't think the lower register speaks as easily as it does on the 642. The 641 does have a 'one-piece' bell construction so the sound won't break up when playing fff. Klaus, who used to post frequently on this forum, still raves about the 641.

[Dean]

If you can get a variety of horns there, at the school with you, try doing a blind test.

You teacher, and perhaps some others with some ears, can listen to you, while you try out horns. Memorize a few passages from a few pieces. Make sure some are melodic, some technical. Make sure all of them together cover the full range of the horn.

Then, blindfold yourself, play the passages, and THEN see what you and your listeners think about the horns. This will eliminate any bias you have for some brands... Record this test if you can, and listen to yourself. Do all this, and pick one (if you can), beore you allow yourself to know which horn is which.

I am not saying you are hung up on a particular brand, I am just saying you may have predispositions ABOUT a certain brand. I know I still do. I just EXPECT certain characteristics from certain brand horns. This will remove any bias, and you just play, and think about the playing afterwords!

Good luck!!

[prototypedenNIS]

You're lucky enough to be able to sit down and try them in a store in the area, even if you need paperwork.

I couldn't really comparison shop when I got my horn. I had played on many old Boosey's and Bessons (as well as some terrible Yammies/Amti/Cerveny's) through Cadets.

I was interested in Miraphone, MW, Besson for new ones... nobody had any in stock. They certainly wouldn't order them so that I could try them. If they were going to order them, it would be because I put a downpayment on it.

The national chains weren't of much use either.

[prototypedenNIS]

yeah... I was looking at a Miraphone.
The other euph player here got a MW. Seems to be pretty good.

[Ryan_Beucke]

WWBW can send you instruments (charged on a credit card) and you have some time to try them and send back whatever you want. Then you're only out shipping. But considering how close you are, I would try as hard as I could to take a day and get down to WWBW. If you're spending this much money, it's worth it.

I was pretty impressed with the MW and Miraphone euphs that I played at NERTEC, if they were cheaper then I would say they were a godd deal.

And the handbrace on the 642 is really akward...not sure why they don't move it the same way every other horn has it.