Contras

[Chuck(G)]

<img src="http://www.xs4all.nl/~cderksen/images/S ... "width=300>

1898...

Yeah, but how do you get past the glass to play the *%^!@ thing?

[windshieldbug]

Some sousaphones are really good playing instruments, some are horribly out of tune. (usually you can't pull slides on American sousa's, a big draw back I think)

I would propose that if you could make upright bells, then you could add first valve triggers, or at least modify the body so that the first slide would be reachable, AND STILL SAVE MONEY!

[LoyalTubist]

When I was in high school, I lived in a community that was mostly low income, about 85% Latin American (Mexican heritage), and we had a great high school with a great band. Our band director knew the district couldn't afford to buy everything, so we had some of the most unusual fund raising projects.

The best one was soda pop bottles. Remember those. Yes, I know there are a couple of places in the country that still have them and here in California we pay deposits on aluminum cans and plastic bottles. 30-40 years ago, you could get a nickel on small bottles and a dime on the big ones (20-30 ounces--there were no two or three liter ones at that time.) About two or three times a month, usually after school, we would go around and collect soda pop bottles from the city.

With the proceeds from those bottles we were able to take a trip to Europe in 1973, buy a new set of sousaphones, buy some unusual woodwind instruments, trumpets of varying tonalities, and fix the upright tubas and recording basses the band already owned.

The band director that is in that school now has stated publicly that he blames the puniness of the band and the poor equipment on the lack of funding from the district.

My experience tells me, if you get something for free, you don't appreciate it. If you work for it, if you earn it, you appreciate it, and you do a better job.

That's my 2,500 Vietnamese dong worth.

[hurricane_harry]

i have went back and forth for about three years from contra in the summer and plastic sousaphone in the winter, and for marching a field show using drum corps style music using drum corps style marching and using a drill writer that also writes for drum corps (like most BOA bands) i personally believe that you should use the horn designed for the activity, i was able to outplay the rest of the tuba and baritone section when my sousaphone broke and had to use a convertable tuba during rehersal. anyday of the week i would use a contra-style tuba over a sousaphone, i'de like to see many of the drum corps bashers on this board to really try marching with one, when properly used contra-style tubas alow the player to play better because it is for the marching style

[Leland]

In case nobody bothered to read my earlier links:
http://www.chisham.com/tips/bbs/nov1999 ... 17525.html

In answer to the question, "What is better for marching band?", I wrote:
"It depends --

"Field drill style:
Lots of sliding, sideways movement, running: contra
Back & forth, blocks, step-2, etc.: sousie

"Street marching:
Sousaphone: just wear it, many visuals also available;
Contra: carry it (learn best techniques), other, but fewer, visuals available

"Reading music:
Sheet music: doesn't matter
Flip folders: Sousaphone, by far
Memorized music: doesn't matter

"Playing comfort: For me, contra (a properly-designed one, 4/4 or bigger) is much more comfortable -- breathing is much more natural with my arms up near a trumpet-style position than down low as with a sousaphone. BUT -- it does take some time to find that comfort zone. However, it's really as simple as making a habit of fundamentally correct posture.

"Marching comfort: doesn't matter. I've seen players of all sizes do great with both, and I've seen players of all sizes have a hell of a time with both.

"Visual presentation: doesn't matter; only as good as the players -- or more specifically, how well the players are taught. Other than that, personal preference is the determining factor.

"Sound, from the stands' perspective: Doesn't matter. The best MT's and sousies both sound really similar. However, there are many crap MT's still being built that just don't contribute to the ensemble, and although there are also crap sousies, they're more rare (IMO, there are a lot of average sousies, and only a few good models).

"What would I buy? It depends."

[ken k]

In fact, if I were a band director, I'd seriously look at buying sousaphones and having upright bells made for indoor use.

I actually have done this. The upright bell from an older model King 2341 fits on the king sousaphone collar. It also makes them lighter and the balance is much better. You can use a sousa bell on the 2341 too if you want a bell front tuba. It is a little bit different than the actual forward facing 2341 bell. The sousa bell points more forward where the 2341 tuba forward bell is more up on a slight angle, but they work just fine. the pitch is a little different but I forget which way it goes.

ken k

[LoyalTubist]

The newly designed 2341s don't have detachable bells.

[tubatooter1940]

We did a halftime show in high school that featured two sousaphone players dancing a softshoe to "Tea for Two". It was outrageous watching two small guys with two big Conn sousies spin and high kick like chorus girls.
That comic effect would not have been possible with contras.

[Leland]

P.S. BUGLE BARITONES ARE SUPERIOR TO BELL FRONT MARCHING BARITONES IN EVERY WAY!

Why? Because bugles are in G and Marching Baritones are in Bb?

(While I'm on it, a bugle euphonium is better than a bugle baritone IN EVERY WAY!)

I think he meant the trumpet-style baritone/euphoniums versus the upright bent-bell "marching" American barieuphs...

[windshieldbug]

CONTRAS ARE TITS!

... on a bull!?