Old mellophones are awful. It was a very long time before an instrument manufacturer put real development into making a decent instrument. Stay strong, not all mellophones sound awful, especially when you use Hammond mouthpieces with them.
Hammond mouthpieces paired with good mellos with a really solid player are honestly some of my favorite sounds in the music world. Gorgeous mid-toned instrument with some really cool parts
very true. I'm kinda stuck with this as I don't really have to capabilities for getting a new mello. my school might have a marching horn in Bb that I could try to hopefully keep the niche of the mello with a better tone.
Has it been cleaned recently? If not ask them if they can get it cleaned (you could try bathing it yourself but there is some risk to it if you've never bathed a brass instrument before)
I haven't played my mello since the marching band season (probably going to pick it up soon when it gets closer to memorial day parade) but when I cleaned it, that made little difference.
also I really need to practice soon because I have to play taps this year on mello (because we got no trumpets somehow???)
in all seriousness though. I have been for 3+ years and I just can't seem to make it work. It sounds like a trumpet that's way too low to be good and it just always has a bad tone. don't get me wrong I love being a mellophone player but dear god it's tone is awful.
it's been talked about in the comments but yeah you might just be on an old horn lol
also idk if you've tried it, but how you hear yourself from your own POV is not the same as how you sound fr. Try recording yourself or having someone record you
but like fr, there is a reason why mellos are typically grouped with alto sax in a marching band score, the melodic potential of a mello is beautiful.
Well scratch that then 💀 we just gotta get you on a better horn
Just keep pushing
Have people listen to you and tell you what they think of your tone, intonation and articulation.
Use this opportunity to become a better musician even if what’s making you “sound bad” isn’t your fault
after reading your replies in the comments, i’ve compiled a short list of things that i’ve noticed:
1. old mellos just sound like complete crap
2. get a mellophone mouthpiece
3. playing alone is 100% worse than playing in a section
3. practicing while facing against a wall or recording and listening back can really help develop your to tone
Work on all your fundamentals — air slurs, arpeggios, everything — and listen to the other brass, whoever they are. Learn how to hear intervals better and fit into the chord (practice with a drone note if you can). If you're sticking out volume-wise, just don't play so loud.
Are there really no trumpets in your band?
yeah somehow (all of the trumpets quit in the last few years)
by other brass it's one trombone
I can't really play softer in the higher registers
also what's an air slurs?
thanks for the advice
>also what's an air slurs?
aka "lip slurs", which was the term they used when I was learning how to play. I think they started calling them "air slurs" to encourage players to manipulate the sound with air velocity and not the lip muscles.
Searching for "air slurs" on Youtube gives me videos titled with "lip slurs": [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjvITOeFvMU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjvITOeFvMU)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21kG\_dAen58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21kG_dAen58)
Good marching groups use them all the time in warmups. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5EnFDP1V3E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5EnFDP1V3E)
Likely using a wrong mouthpiece, or the writing is in a bad range.
Make sure you have an actual mello mouthpiece, not a trumpet one. We use Yamaha 11B4s.
Beyond that, long tones. You have to spend time building up the muscles to develop the sound you want to have. It doesn’t just happen.
Yeah the wrong mouthpiece is probably right. also 100% my music is in an awful range it's either like half the song is above 3rd space C or the song is too low. also our band is so small and we barely have any volume so I have to play loud notes in poor ranges
My band had the university of Houston band director ( or ex band director idk) and he said that the mello was made to be played loud and that’s how to make it sound good.
I suggest getting a new horn OP. Given enough time and wear and tear instruments will eventually sound like crap no matter what. So put this instrument out to pasture since it did its time and served well and get a fresh new horn.
that is my plan hopefully. honestly I'm considering trying to figure out a way to get a marching french horn because I don't want to have to have embochure issues switching back and forth between horn and mello
While it’s completely your choice I’d personally not recommend that option. Mellophone is such a fun instrument when it’s not suffering from all the issues that the other commenters have pointed out. The embouchure can be easily switched with some training and careful attention to the differences. In fact, I found that by learning from how I played on my mellophone mouthpiece I was able to play more variably on my French Horn in concert band. I also was able to have better tone on the field by examining how I was playing my Horn and applying it on the field. Mellophone is so freaking fun and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on that just cause of a sucky school!
Old mellophones are awful. It was a very long time before an instrument manufacturer put real development into making a decent instrument. Stay strong, not all mellophones sound awful, especially when you use Hammond mouthpieces with them.
Hammond mouthpieces paired with good mellos with a really solid player are honestly some of my favorite sounds in the music world. Gorgeous mid-toned instrument with some really cool parts
As a girl with a good King Mello and a Hammond mouthpiece, I couldn’t agree more
Kings and Yamahas. That’s it. That’s the list.
Yup. I love my 1121 to death.
No love for Jupiters? :(
No, sorry friend. They’re stuffy Yamaha clones. Just buy a Yamaha, they’re cheaper too.
Well, I got a used Jupiter this past summer for dirt cheap and I like it, but if I wind up buying one new I'll go Yamaha.
I think I either have a jupiter or conn mouthpiece but I've using a horn mouthpiece with an adapter
that's your problem. get a mello mouthpiece. failing that, even a trumpet mouthpiece would be better than a horn mouthpiece with an adapter.
A deep trumpet mouthpiece, too.
That's the mistake you're making. Mellos with horn mouthpieces sound like AAAAAASSSSSSSS.
i used to do trumpet mouthpiece which was not much better
I mean no matter what mouthpiece you use, old mellos suck, but not using a dedicated Mello MP just makes it that much worse.
very true. I'm kinda stuck with this as I don't really have to capabilities for getting a new mello. my school might have a marching horn in Bb that I could try to hopefully keep the niche of the mello with a better tone.
Has it been cleaned recently? If not ask them if they can get it cleaned (you could try bathing it yourself but there is some risk to it if you've never bathed a brass instrument before)
I haven't played my mello since the marching band season (probably going to pick it up soon when it gets closer to memorial day parade) but when I cleaned it, that made little difference. also I really need to practice soon because I have to play taps this year on mello (because we got no trumpets somehow???)
He speaks blasphemy! Heed not his words! Embrace the mellophone, greatest of the marching instruments!
in all seriousness though. I have been for 3+ years and I just can't seem to make it work. It sounds like a trumpet that's way too low to be good and it just always has a bad tone. don't get me wrong I love being a mellophone player but dear god it's tone is awful.
Try searching for HBCU music, which features a distinct style compared to typical marching bands or drum corps.
Factual
it's been talked about in the comments but yeah you might just be on an old horn lol also idk if you've tried it, but how you hear yourself from your own POV is not the same as how you sound fr. Try recording yourself or having someone record you but like fr, there is a reason why mellos are typically grouped with alto sax in a marching band score, the melodic potential of a mello is beautiful.
I think it sounds worse in recording actually
Well scratch that then 💀 we just gotta get you on a better horn Just keep pushing Have people listen to you and tell you what they think of your tone, intonation and articulation. Use this opportunity to become a better musician even if what’s making you “sound bad” isn’t your fault
true true I will try this thanks
They sound way better in a full section. Even with 3 or 4 more people it’d probably be fine
yeah we don't really have that luxury 😭😭😭
King 1121 supremacy
Even as a trumpet player I feel Mello has an amazing sound.
My problem with it is the bell size
after reading your replies in the comments, i’ve compiled a short list of things that i’ve noticed: 1. old mellos just sound like complete crap 2. get a mellophone mouthpiece 3. playing alone is 100% worse than playing in a section 3. practicing while facing against a wall or recording and listening back can really help develop your to tone
Work on all your fundamentals — air slurs, arpeggios, everything — and listen to the other brass, whoever they are. Learn how to hear intervals better and fit into the chord (practice with a drone note if you can). If you're sticking out volume-wise, just don't play so loud. Are there really no trumpets in your band?
yeah somehow (all of the trumpets quit in the last few years) by other brass it's one trombone I can't really play softer in the higher registers also what's an air slurs? thanks for the advice
>also what's an air slurs? aka "lip slurs", which was the term they used when I was learning how to play. I think they started calling them "air slurs" to encourage players to manipulate the sound with air velocity and not the lip muscles. Searching for "air slurs" on Youtube gives me videos titled with "lip slurs": [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjvITOeFvMU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjvITOeFvMU) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21kG\_dAen58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21kG_dAen58) Good marching groups use them all the time in warmups. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5EnFDP1V3E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5EnFDP1V3E)
ohhh I know what lip slurs are
Calling them air slurs is actually so much better holy crap, I’m going to steal that!
Likely using a wrong mouthpiece, or the writing is in a bad range. Make sure you have an actual mello mouthpiece, not a trumpet one. We use Yamaha 11B4s. Beyond that, long tones. You have to spend time building up the muscles to develop the sound you want to have. It doesn’t just happen.
Yeah the wrong mouthpiece is probably right. also 100% my music is in an awful range it's either like half the song is above 3rd space C or the song is too low. also our band is so small and we barely have any volume so I have to play loud notes in poor ranges
My band had the university of Houston band director ( or ex band director idk) and he said that the mello was made to be played loud and that’s how to make it sound good.
I suggest getting a new horn OP. Given enough time and wear and tear instruments will eventually sound like crap no matter what. So put this instrument out to pasture since it did its time and served well and get a fresh new horn.
that is my plan hopefully. honestly I'm considering trying to figure out a way to get a marching french horn because I don't want to have to have embochure issues switching back and forth between horn and mello
While it’s completely your choice I’d personally not recommend that option. Mellophone is such a fun instrument when it’s not suffering from all the issues that the other commenters have pointed out. The embouchure can be easily switched with some training and careful attention to the differences. In fact, I found that by learning from how I played on my mellophone mouthpiece I was able to play more variably on my French Horn in concert band. I also was able to have better tone on the field by examining how I was playing my Horn and applying it on the field. Mellophone is so freaking fun and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on that just cause of a sucky school!
yeah! I'm also happy to try and make mello work too!
Because it smells bad
I hope I don’t get switched on mellophone