Topic: umm, marching band? (Read 6597 times)

TheMike · « **on:** 03 May 2006, 15:50 »

so i've been recruited to join marching band next year, but sadly i only play bass, guitar, and ukulele, so i need to learn a new instrument. the only instruments i've been instructed not to learn are string instruments and the saxophone since there a million sax and string players.

what instrument should i learn, and why? i know nothing on this subject, so please tell me what instruments there are that can be so much fun to play. what instruments do you folks play, what is the learning cruve like on them?

KharBevNor · « **Reply #1 on:** 03 May 2006, 15:57 »

...Why are you joining a marching band if you can't play a marching band instrument?

Er, those big drums.

Also, learn to, like, MARCH. I did CCF, I've lived in military barracks for a few days, and marched to breakfast at 6am every morning, and fuck if every marching band I have ever seen doesn't make me want to turn into an instant drill seargeant.

TheMike · « **Reply #2 on:** 03 May 2006, 18:05 »

i already already have an ear, sense of melody, and if my string instrument ability proves anything it proves i have the ability to learn fast and stay disciplined. i also really enjoy playing music, i want to expand my musical tools, and its more college app padding.

the fact is that i've already decided i'm going to do it, so i don't need anyone to try to dissuade me. and as i forgot to mention, there are also way too many drummers since back in elementary school when kids chose isntruments to learn they all chose drums thinking it was the coolest/easiest one.

greenMonkey · « **Reply #3 on:** 03 May 2006, 18:21 »

I play trumpet, it'll be me first year in my school's marching band next year. It sounds like you're pretty set on not playing percussion, so your only other real option is wind instruments. Among these you've got woodwinds (sax, clarinet, and flute would be the ones typically found in a marching band) and brass (trumpet, trombone, mellophone [sort of like the marching version of a french horn] and sousaphone [tuba]). Because I'm a brass player, I have to caution you that it takes time to build up the lip strength needed to play the instrument at a high level. I personally would love to learn saxophone, but you've already said you don't want to play it.

Lines · « **Reply #4 on:** 03 May 2006, 18:27 »

i started to learn mellophone and it wasn't that ard when you got the keys figured out. but then again, i sounded like a dying moose because i played violin, not mellophone. so if you're going for dying moose, pick mellophone.

there was an electric guitar in a band that came to one of the home games in high school. he just stood near the drum majors with an amp and played.

what about xylaphone or something? anything percussion related would probably be the easiest for you to pick up, just because you don't have to learn all the breathing stuff and keys and whatnot.

qtownstegy · « **Reply #5 on:** 03 May 2006, 19:04 »

I was a percussionist in high school, and would recommend it. Drummers are the badasses and the girls find it sexy.

You definately need to learn to march in step and on beat, otherwise you will look like a complete retard.

timehat · « **Reply #6 on:** 04 May 2006, 14:57 »

Quote from: iamyourpirate

i started to learn mellophone and it wasn't that ard when you got the keys figured out. but then again, i sounded like a dying moose because i played violin, not mellophone. so if you're going for dying moose, pick mellophone.

there was an electric guitar in a band that came to one of the home games in high school. he just stood near the drum majors with an amp and played.

what about xylaphone or something? anything percussion related would probably be the easiest for you to pick up, just because you don't have to learn all the breathing stuff and keys and whatnot.

I played a Mellotron in my high school marching band. Our band director was Robert Fripp.

StrikeThePostman · « **Reply #7 on:** 04 May 2006, 16:40 »

Since you've got a good sense about music, I'd go for playing in the pit (marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, etc). It's best for those people who know how to listen well (since the pit stands at the front of the field and doesn't march). Each of those instruments is fairly easy to learn, and they're all fun.

Panbombadil · « **Reply #8 on:** 04 May 2006, 18:02 »

Play the bassoon. If that's even applicable to marching band...

But yeah, I played the bassoon for 2 months in junior high for an instrument swap. Awesome two months. I mean who wouldn't want to play a duck?

Cernunnos · « **Reply #9 on:** 04 May 2006, 18:35 »

trombone. nowz. best instrument ever.

Lines · « **Reply #10 on:** 04 May 2006, 18:52 »

Quote from: Cernunnos

trombone. nowz. best instrument ever.

ooo! especially if you do suicides! [it's this thing trombones do which is every other person bends over as the ones next to them swing their instrament to the side and lather rinse repeat. it's especially awesome when someone forgets what to do and gets whacked in the face.]

qtownstegy · « **Reply #11 on:** 04 May 2006, 20:58 »

I really don't think that's a selling point.

Hat · « **Reply #12 on:** 05 May 2006, 00:32 »

I'd recommend the trumpet, because it is pretty easy to learn as long as you can tolerate the fact that your cheeks will hurt like fuck after any decent practice session.

AceGun · « **Reply #13 on:** 05 May 2006, 10:51 »

I marched in the percussion section. That was a lot of fun, especially if you've already go a good understanding of melody, etc. it's a good way to expand your musical knowledge. Learning to focus on rhythm can be a good thing.

If you really don't want to do percussion, I'd say trombone. Because you can then make children laugh by calling yourself a tromboner.

Lines · « **Reply #14 on:** 05 May 2006, 11:19 »

heh, tromboner. and sexamaphone. either one, though sax is insane because there are a shitload of keys.

Nemba · « **Reply #15 on:** 07 May 2006, 02:30 »

The trombone is deceptively difficult, especially to get decent tone on, but it's a cool fucking instrument if you can play it reasonably. So I say trombone.

Kai · « **Reply #16 on:** 07 May 2006, 10:12 »

Quote from: timehat

I played a Mellotron in my high school marching band. Our band director was Robert Fripp.

I'm pretty sure you're my hero.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #17 on:** 07 May 2006, 14:51 »

KING CRIMSON > YOU

TheMike · « **Reply #18 on:** 07 May 2006, 15:28 »

TUBA. ok, so, i chose tuba. i'm the tuba ~~geek~~ rock star.

but damn if that instrument doesn't sound wicked feckin' awesome, ked.

Rubby · « **Reply #19 on:** 07 May 2006, 18:31 »

Trombone scares the shit out of me. I mean what, do you just hope and pray that you know the instrument well enough to place the slide in the right position to play the note you want to play? It seems so random. I played alto sax in high school band. God was that a fun instrument. I soooo wish I had one again.

Cernunnos · « **Reply #20 on:** 07 May 2006, 19:10 »

insolence! teh 7r0mb0n3 pwnz j00!!! seriously, though. trombone isn't that hard. it's not an easy instrument to learn, but it didn't give me any trouble. the slide is broken down into 7 positions... most of which can be related to some "landmark", as it were, on the instrument. 1 is at the top, easy enough. three and four are at opposite sides of the bell... you get the idea. and now i am rambling. what i am trying to say is, no musical instrument needs to be intimidating. in my experience playing the thing, i have been aptly rewarded for all the effort i have put into the instrument. tubas are pretty sweet too, though. it just depends how much you want to do with it. but this you must know: brass is brash, powerful and awesome. you really couldn't go wrong with anything in that section.

Symp · « **Reply #21 on:** 07 May 2006, 20:32 »

Yay, a tread about marching band. I've been in my high school school marching band for 3 years, and will be the woodwind captain for my 4th and last year of it. Man, I'll miss doing it after I graduate.

Now, about instruments, although I'm decidedly not the best musician, I can give some pointers. For starters, pick something you think you may like playing. This may sound obvious, but some people pick the "cool" instruments because they think they are "cool" (dumbasses). Most of the time this results in them hating their instrument.

Or you can do what I did and never play the same instrument year to year. I just stayed within the clarinet group from 7th-10th, played bass/alto/regular clarinet, and then this year switched to tenor sax. Saxes are quite awesome in my opinion, and it was much easier to play than the clarinet for me. Which brings me to my next point: if you really, really don't like the instrument you chose, or suck at it, switch to something else. It doesn't have to be radical, as most band people I know can go from their "main" instrument to anything else in that group (trumpt -> tuba) with almost no difficulty. I suck at playing regular clarinet, but am decent/good on a bass clarinet, and pretty good on a tenor sax. Just try instruments to you find what works.

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Author Topic: umm, marching band? (Read 6597 times)

TheMike

TheMike

timehat

StrikeThePostman

Panbombadil

AceGun

Nemba

TheMike