» Mello Tone

Okay, mellophones are played by a wide variety of players. The usual are trumpet or french horn players, and there is a wide variety of tones producable by those two. Does anyone have any ideas on the kind of tone that a mellophone should produce?

Should it lean more towards the sound of a trumpet or the sound of a french horn? Or should the tone be unique and mellow all by itself?

From what I know, it's supposed to be a unique sound of its own. It is a different instrument from trumpet and horn. However, it does have some similarities to both. A good mellophone tone should have the clarity of a good trumpet tone combined with the presence and body of a good horn tone. It's kind of hard to describe in words I guess.

This is a sample of one of the people I'd consider to have good tone quality on mello, Kelly, one of Crown's soloists for the past couple years. It's not the best recording quality, and it is the first run-through they did of Wild Horses, so it's not the perfect example, but it's an idea:

Tone Quality Clip

On a related note, I'd put you fairly high up there on having good tone quality, Alex. Then again, I can only hear it, I can't reproduce it

Personally and from my instruction i would have to lean more towards the mello alto sound of the french horn, but the mello's tone is going to be unique because it's simply not a french horn. I feel you shoud stay away fromt he trumpet side of the tone because this leads to bright crass sheet metal tone. That or lazer tone

It really depends on the writing and what the arranger wants. Many brass arrangers use the mellophone's higher range to create a trumpet 3 or 4 part. Then they would typically want a brighter tone to match the timbre of the trumpet. However, some arrangers, with whom I agree, don't write too high for the mellophone and use it as an intermediate voice between the low trumpets and baritones filling in a more alto/sometimes high tenor part. I agree with this method of thinking because the mellophone in this range produces a more pleasing sound to my ear. (closer to that of the "real" horn)

but... to each his own

I have come t o learn that it is based on writing and arranging, but most of the time a mellophone is supposed to sound like a higher voiced baritone.

I dunno . . . having played one for close to 10 years, I'd have to say that it's supposed to sound like . . . well, like a mellophone. Trying to label it as like a trumpet or like a baritone, or like anything other than a mellophone robs the instrument of its characteristic sound and makes the player attempt to change his sound to reflect that. That's like telling a flute player to make it sound like an oboe. You might get a more nasal sound out of the flute, but it won't be a flute's characteristic sound any longer.

Excellent point John!

Similarly, I hold to the notion that arrangers and composers (and not just in drum corps, but throughout the musical world) have fallen into a bad habit. They use instruments in ways that cause confusion among players. While trumpets can have several different timbres, those who are unfamiliar with the instruments often write parts for them that cause the tone to be required to change (and this happens for many instruments . . . mellophone is the one most familiar to us in drum corps). So, yes, different compositions and arrangements may call for a different tone to come from an instrument, but that's not good arranging/writing.

I don't mean to confuse changing the tone with changing the timbre, or restricting effects (like the horse's whiny in Sleigh Ride, or the striking of a stringed instruments's strings with the back of the bow), but rather when an arranger intentionally writes a mellophone book (not a phrase or short excerpt, but a whole book) treating the instrument as a 4 trumpet, or even a lead Baritone. That can cause problems in the embouchures of players, and leads to the general confusion we have that give rise to threads like this one. There's a reason that composers actually invented their own instruments for hundreds of years. There was a tone they wanted, and it wasn't natural for any existing instruments. If you want a bright alto voice, write for flugel.

So, simply put, my philosophy is to treat the drum corps brass ensemble like what it is, a choir. Your trumpets are your soprano voice, your mellophones are an alto/1st tenor, the baritones are a 2nd tenor/baritone, the euphonium is a more solid baritone, and the tuba as the bass voice (treated like a Bass-baritone voice, not a choral bass). You will ocassionally see composers write for alto and soprano in unison, but you never see a decent composer in his right mind writing alto parts that are ridiculous in range, they'll generally drop it at the octave. If you treat the instruments as you would the human voice, you won't have to worry about treating the instruments incorrectly, or requiring the players to use a tone uncharacteristic of the instrument. In short, here's my general arranging philosophy:

• Leads/1st Trumpets - 1st Soprano. They have the entire range of the instrument, though they sound best in the mid to upper range. Never write low parts for them unless they are doubling one or both of the other two trumpets.
• 2nd & 3rd Trumpets - 2nd Soprano. They have the low to mid range of the instrument covered very solidly, and they are often used in unison (either rhythmically or harmonically) with the Leads/1sts. They will ocassionally take on a lower role, but only when looking for a particular timbre.
• Mellophones - Alto/1st Tenor. While they often split on fuller/louder chords into an Alto I/Alto II (Alto/Tenor I) arrangement, they are just as likely to be in unison with each other. When looking for a softer or more gentle setting, their timbre and tone on the low to mid treble range is essential (in this case they would be comparable to the Tenor I section of an all-male chorus). If there is a need for the upper register to sing out, doubling at the octave between Mello I & II will cause the upper octave to sound much louder and fuller, however, if the ensemble is capable of it, a unison upper range is just as good. Be wary with parts that require too bright of a tone to blend with the trumpets, and if this cannot be avoided, make the passage as short as possible.
• Baritones - Tenor II/Baritone I. They provide support for the melody, though they can also take the melody depending on the range and style of writing. It's fairly hard to write a baritone part that's bad for the players' tone. One will often see different arrangers taking their 1st Baritones up into the stratosphere (high Bb range), but on the field, the tone comes across as thin, strained, and just not good in an ensemble setting. While the upper range may be used in solos or small ensembles, as a section, I tend to restrict the baritones to the upper G and lower.
• Euphoniums - Baritone. While they have the same range in all praticality as the baritones, I treat the euphonium as a lower baritone voice for most writing. They will be in unison with the baritones if there's a single line, and this does not do any harm to any voice in the range. If there is an important melody which is split in harmony (though with similar rhythm) within the barieuphs, I'll give the melody to the euphs as they have a richer, fuller sound. On the same token, I often use the euphs to bolster a tuba part at the octave when that extra bass presence is needed. Next to mellophones, the euphoniums are the most useful instrument in multiple situations.
• Tubas - Bass-baritone. While this doesn't exist in the choral setting as a voice, the tubas play the role of a solid, large, low bass voice in a choir. They can be used in their upper register, but when getting to terribly high, I find the tone much more pleasant if you just leave the tubas out and let the euphonium cover the part. Either way, tubas are generally just fun to write for . . . they're just BA in general.

Tell us something we don't know!

http://mellocast.com/

They discuss how the mellophone should sound in several episodes, and there's a lot of good information there.

Personally, I think it should sound more french horn like. Probably my favorite mellophone sound is Phantom's (after switch to F). I really love the tone they put out in Canon (03). I also love the sound they had on the runs in firebird this year. Lastly, I've really started to like the sound of the G mellos. It's a really unique sound. When you get a chance, listen to SCV's 92 show. The mellophone book is really BA, and the sound is great.

I think it is a tone all it self but it should resemble what Nex said in the beginning of this. The clarity of trumpet with the body of a horn. It makes sense though. But really aim for the french horn sound. If anyone's looking for someone to listen to for tone, I suggest Barry Tuckwell.