@@SamuelPlaysBrass yeah, my junior high is from the 60s and all the mellos are blessing bm100s from when it opened. I used one for most of last year but then I found my 201 for under 300 and decided to get it. Best investment of my life
I remember using a mellophone to double a horn part in my high school pit last year. I think it might've been the YMP-204MS. I loved playing it but it drank over 10fl. oz. of valve oil through the 3 month season.
Hi, i'm searching for a Bb mellophone ( maybe it's called Baritone mellophone), i do not mean the "marching baritone". Does It exist? Can you recommend some good beginner models? Im a trumpeter
Have you ever tried one of the Venture custom mello mouthpieces? I was never a fan big fan of the Yamaha mello mouthpiece and others with a similar ID. I always thought they were too small and too bright. I have the Venture MD1 which is much wider and deeper than any other mello mouthpiece I've ever come across. They do have less extreme sizes available as well and even though they're a little pricey, it might be worth a look. The MD1 has a much richer and darker sound but it can still be pushed to get that iconic, robust mello sound. Although it does take a lot more air to get there.
I haven’t had the chance to try anything from Vennture. That’s a good idea in theory, and if I desire a darker sound from a mellophone for close-mic recording I sometimes use a Blessing copy of a Denis Wick 5 alto horn mouthpiece.
I play on a Jupiter JMP1000MS for our marching band and my section leader plays on this Yamaha horn (albeit in silver plate) and compared to my Jupiter it plays like a dream. Great video as always Sam!
Great to know-I’ve never played a Jupiter mello before! Hope you get to be section leader and play that Yamaha someday! Thanks for your kind words too :)
I agree with your comments on intonation. There are random notes on the horn that are squirrely and not in tune without adjustments (like the concert Bb, ironic for a marching instrument). This model is still the gold standard as far as mellos go, but I'm looking forward to seeing future models be more in tune with themselves.
The concert Bb you’re referring to is a written F, which is one of the most likely notes to be sharp on any brass instrument, from Bb trumpet to Eb, from flugelhorn to euphonium to indeed mellophone. That’s almost an inevitability if you don’t pull the 1st slide. But it is a little frustrating how combos like 1+2 and 2+3 don’t seem to get along, which is an issue that comes up most in sharp keys.
In the brass band, they tune often on that middle C and indeed it's very often sharp by nature. So what follows next is a middle C in tune but many other notes too low. I tune in between the g (bit too low) and the c and if it's worth it, I take the c then with 2-3@@SamuelPlaysBrass
Amazing video, I have been trying to tell people to stray away from horn mouthpieces vs mellophone mouthpieces. Does the statement actually hold water about being flat in the higher register on horn mouthpieces?
Thanks Joe! Yes, every time I’ve tried to use any horn mouthpiece on any mellophone, the notes above the staff have clocked in at close to a quarter tone flat, especially around high C.
Mellophones are the bestophones, I march Mello and you can hear me and 1 other Mello out of 150 people, we need new mello's all lost their plating, dented, missing parts, ect.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass thanks, this year we are doing a "black out" halftime show of back in black, paint it black, and welcome to my black parade. Sadly we didn't get the solo in black parade
Say, that thing is in the key of F, so, does it have the length of an F French horn OR a discant F French Horn ( same as an F in trumpet)? Asking for a friend.
Good question. It is a single-length instrument like the trumpet or descant horn. Double-length mellophones like the traditional F horn are very rare. I’ve only heard of a couple in existence, usually made on special order by marching makers such as DEG Dynasty or Kanstul.
4:35 The loudest mellophone (or substitute) is the Getzen Frumpet… which is unfortunate, because from experience, it’s absolutely horrid in any other category. In regards to tone, I find the conn mellophonium 16E to sound the prettiest, if you can find one. I tried my college’s YMP-201M, it plays good, but the Conn 132E (king stencil) had its third valve wrapped in a way that lets me brace my pinky in a good spot and plays just as well.
You found the Frumpet of all infernal things to be the alto brass instrument capable of the greatest decibel output? I must have played a VERY different one from you. The one I got for $100 and that has sat around virtually unused in my closet has a dull, soft, lifeless tone that is patently lacking in volume, particularly when working outside the confines of the treble staff. I've never gotten to try either of the Conns you described. I recently played an Olds Ambassador mellophonium, though, and found that my impressions were very much "meh." B-grade alto brass instrument tone quality and C-grade intonation.
@@SamuelPlaysBrass The frumpet I got for $85 from a school system feels kinda tight and there isn't too much behind the bell, but the mello convert I had try it said he could tell a lot comes out of the bell for the effort he puts in. It is one of two instruments I've made my own ears hurt with. I bought it for pep band for volume purposes, and I probably won't end up using it, because the tone is genuinely bad, and my endurance is horrible on a french horn mouthpiece as a trombonist. It's so horrible that sticking a trumpet mouthpiece in a valve trombone and praying is a better bet.
