Introducing The Mellophone

My Dear Brother Trent. Mark here. I know that you put up this mellophone video way back in 2015: when we were both young. I just simply want you to know how much I do deeply appreciate your plethora of brass musical instruments. By the way I would probably be older than your grandfather. You may remember me was the whacko weirdo who ofttimes writes to you in early Middle English, Frisian or Faroese, (the Faroe Islands you will remember are 123.6 kilometers due East of Tasmania. I may be the only other hominid on earth that has most unfortunately managed to collect more musical instruments than you; and that is something that of which I am quite ashamed, and humbled, almost to the point of begging for the mercie of the courte. Most unfortunately, I too have managed to get myself into quite the mess perhaps a decade or two ago when I became the belated possessor of a Blessing Artist Model Marching F mellophone. Serial number 296,444 places that after 1980. The inner spiritual turmoil that until this very day perplexes my soul was/is WHY would anyone design, let alone actually buy this instrument? I believe I purchased mine for 6 ruppies, Indian. The vendor actual paid ME 759 ruppies to take the instrument from him (something to do with a “family curse” or some such thing). But the shipping from Hydrabad to my remote private island locate due East of Tasmania actually cost me Ruppies 765 so at the end I actually only paid Rs 6/ for the item. Can you please HELP me. It plays rather well, and surprising has the original Blessing mouthpiece. All four slides move freely and the valves (as expected) are in excellent shape. Of course ALL mellophone valves are ALWAYS in very good shape, even the prototype model dated to 1,723 B.C. found by the noted Latvian oceanographer Professor Dr. Istwan Eglis Levitz Hatoriieq in 569 meters of water buried under 268 cm of silt just off the south east coast of the Greek Island of Santorini (aka Thera). The reason that the valves are always in excellent shape despite their antiquity was/is of course because no one actually ever plays more than three bars before they return it to the case for permanent internment. In fact, I am the designated courier from the court of the leader of an obscure tribe of Mongolian horse trainers from Ulan Bator which I will officially present to you in public as soon as I hitch I ride on a two man kayak from my remote island to Tasmania ( but due to the monsoon season it will be at least four month’s ere the winds are fair. I shall then rent a jet ski and beach in Southern Australia where I will hitch a ride to the nearest bush airport to bum a ride to Christ Church. From their I will trek on foot to your hut. Fear not you will receive fair warning before my arrival. I shall use the bush plane’s radio to forward my estimated year of arrival to the Christ Church aero drome tower. Your 3 min 4 second now immortal mellophone recording of “Believe Me of All of Those Endearing Young Charms” made number two of the 2016 hit parade at Radio Ulan Bator for almost the entire winter season. Unfortunately your performance of the world’s longest song title was bested in the first day of the sixth month of the following years Cimbasso solo by the noted Sicilian brass master Maestro Signore Giacomo Gigolo Giaccometti’s rendition of the more recently written piece of music entitled “Would You Believe Me of All of Those Endearing Young Charms” which was written and published by the noted Irish poetaster and hymn writer/vaudevillian Mikey Monbatten Mauro Mohammed Moore in 1912. As you are now quite aware Mr. M.M.M.M.Moore was the great grandson of Thomas Moore, who publish his song in 1808 if my memory still serves me. Poor M x 4 Moore was only slightly injured while single handledly taking out a machine gun nest in the ill fated battle of Gallipoli a couple of years later. (Luckily he was safely taken off the battlefield by two Kiwi army medics both of whom were promptly demoted one rank for their actions. But we’ll leave that episode for another epistle. By the way, Brother Trent, now that I have this Blessing (poor choice for a name) Mellophone, what shall I do with it? By the way, when I do finally arrive at your hut in your village you will most please that I managed to find a two man hand powered leather organ bellows fabricated in Bratislava, present day Slovakia in 1753. I was donated to me by Dr Anton Hrabnicky, musicologist and mayor of the fair city when he realized that I was going to visit you in your tiny remote village on the top of a perhaps extinct volcano in Neuva Zeelandia. He too watched your recent YouTube major production where you referenced your gigantic lego set of organ pipe paraphernalia. So you see Brother Trent you have indeed been deemed world famous. But I still don’t know why I ever answered the heartbreaking pleas of Swami Rama Chandra Narayan to mercifully remove the mellophone from his household. At any rate, I hope to see you soon at the Mongolian Consulate outdoor yurt in Christ Church to formally present you with your well deserved accolade. (What exactly IS an “accolade”?). Until later! May the winds be fair and the camels well watered, and may your “Wall of Many Things” never tarnish or have their valves or slides seize up. Most Sincerely Yours, Brother mark f Founder, CEO, COO and Second Janitor of the 448th Division of the Trent Hamilton Fan Club and Iron Ingot Foundry

In America, marching bands are In almost every high school, so mellophones are extremely common

Here in the US they're everywhere.

there's a reason that the mellophone sounds the way it does. it is one of the most specifically designed instruments. it only does one job and it does it very well. it's meant to be played in sections of 5+. if it were to sound like a euphonium or trumpet it would get lost in the sound. marching bands and drum corps use them for a complete color change. and they perform best when playing parts in chords like augmented 5th and things like that. I'll also post a link. they're not generally used as a solo instrument and they really fill a hole in a band.

What the fuck am I doing? I have to work In the morning. I don't even own an instrument.

>150 New Zealand Dollars >1000+ US Dollars >35 British Pence I love you

I've heard that Mellophones come from a special place called Mellophonia

I played a mellophone in US Drum Corps. It's a wonderful instrument that complements the sopranos (trumpets) and bridges the gap between their bright, piercing sound and the warmer, lower sound of the baritone and euphonium. Look up up any Drum Corps International video if your interested. The overall sound is simply unreal. I suggest anything from the late 90's/early 2000's when all of the horns were still in the key of G.

Okay I'm going to point out. Mellophones are mostly in F, you use them for marching. I feel like this particular horn was $100 for a reason. If you go out and play a King Yamaha or even Jupiter mellophone you would change your mind. There's multiple Drum Corp videos of mellophone lines. This shows what they are used for. In all its the particular horn not the not horn family.

It's about 75 US dollars. Dang, you got that cheap.

"E flat or if"

Yeah, My marching band uses exclusively mellos to take the part of French Horns. We group them in with saxes though.

Try seeing the drum major with that bell 😂😭

The mellophone was forged in hell to mess with horn players

I've played many in the key of F. But we always used a french horn mouth piece not a trumpet mouthpiece, like you have on it.

Mellophones are the most frequent instruments in 6A high school marching bands in Oklahoma. I've seen a band with 34 mellophones.

They're actually a great source of color in drum corps, and have some of the coolest sounding horn rips, but they can have a beautiful, dark tone for solos. If you want, Trent, be sure to check out some current DCI videos (full shows or headcams)

When I played the E flat mellophone in a marching band in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada during the 1950s into the sixties my horn had a different configuration than this one. It was curved like a french horn … but in the opposite direction. So the bell was on the left and the piston style valves were operated by the right hand. It was an oddball instrument but I really liked it. It even attracted the interest of Queen Elizabeth when we played for her during her visit to Saskatoon in 1961. She approached me and asked me what was that unusual instrument I was playing. That lady really reached the far corners of the commonwealth.RIP QE II.

That's a clarinet

This was always my favorite brass instrument when I was in marching band. Its capable of doing trumpet pieces and softer sounding music as well. Sounds so majestic especially when you're in the stands.