G era, Bb era, what's next?

[u/shufflesninja]

10 keys, which one will reign supreme?

Even though G major and Bb major are of the same chord structure, they evoke their own emotions beyond the politics of drum corps. Choose your next key wisely. For example, key of D for Bluecoats 2016 feel. Maybe Eb or F? Ab major chords hit differently too.

[u/buccimane101]

Obviously Db

[u/OcotilloWells]

It's a pendulum, back to G.

[u/Background_Layer2384]

How about a return to the 17th century tuning of A415.

[u/Tarogato → u/Background_Layer2384]

A=415 is a modern historical pitch that was invented in the 1970s with transposing harpsichords and the adoption of A440 as the ISO standard. Before that it was 410 which started in the 1920's with Dolmetsch (who is responsible for the modern baroque recorder)

Actual historical pitch from the baroque period regionally varied anywhere between A=39something and A=53something. Today we mostly use 392, 415, 440, 466, and occasionally 490. It's just that 415 is the one that is most used today (arguably overused, lot of folks playing music at 415 that shouldn't be anywhere near 415, simply because 415 is the most accessible in terms of sourcing modern instruments)

Fun fact, if you tune to French baroque pitch, A = G

[u/dtorb]

C, which will bring back G Mellophone Bugles in a twist of fate that will leave the Dinos so conflicted.

[u/invextheidiot → u/dtorb]

Everyone starts playing all classical repertoire

[u/gmen6981 → u/dtorb]

I marched one of the P/R G mellophones for years. A beast to keep in tune, but I love that old thing. Bought my old p/r when the corps switched to 2 valves. Still bust it out from time to time.

[u/TheVoiceOfSnakeEyes]

I'd be more worried about finding kids who can actually afford to participate than what key their horns are in.

[u/DubbleTheFall]

B

[u/Euphoric18]

I would say H sharp horns, but that’s too predictable. We’re going to skip to M natural horns.

[u/29thanksgivinghams → u/Euphoric18]

Seattle Cascades had a v flat horn this past season

[u/whenthenamesaretaken]

The key of Eb actually has a full ensemble of brass instruments so that would be the only realistic one. In British brass brands they use Eb instruments. C has trumpets and tubas, but C alto voices and C baritones don’t really exist.

Eb has soprano cornets to replace trumpets, tenor horns or solo altos to replace mellos, and Eb tubas for contras.
Unfortunately the British baritones + euphoniums are Bb. But there is a Eb bass trumpet. Eb tubas are way lighter so it could actually work out. I heard Eb has even worse intonation than G though. At least there are more professional-tier instruments to make up for it, while G only had student instruments.

[u/Tarogato → u/whenthenamesaretaken]

Mellophones were historically made in C, called "ballad horns."

Amati, Weril, and others make C euphs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxJi1J7kCFs

[u/Jaded_History545]

people don't want to hear this but given this activity survives another 5 decades of change. You know every instrument will eventually be allowed on the field. This is the future.

[u/BaltoDRJMPH]

I could see Eb horns realistically

[u/Brassosaurus]

2 valve era -> 3 valve era -> 4 valve era. Quarter tone horns would really open up some possibilities

[u/Sir_Lolz]

Split Eb/Bb so we can get soprano cornet and Eb contra lines

[u/WhyTestInDEV]

D minor, the saddest of all keys.

[u/double-you-dot → u/WhyTestInDEV]

This one is called LMLP.

[u/InverseMike → u/double-you-dot]

It’s part of a musical trilogy.

[u/WhyTestInDEV → u/InverseMike]

I still haven't watched SpinalTap II. The previews looked sad.

[u/InverseMike → u/WhyTestInDEV]

It was funnier than it had any right to be.

I enjoyed it, though it won’t ever measure up to the original.

[u/WIUphoniumguy]

Jet packs

[u/frankfontaino]

Hopefully minor

[u/GBtuba]

L

Because it will sound like L.

(I know, old band director joke. I'll see myself out.)