However, we have managed to save weight in the piston cluster body and through elimination of unnecessary or redundant braces, so the Balu Mellophone only weighs a negligible 4 oz. One would expect that due to extra tubing, the Balu Mellophone would be substantially heavier. The Balu Mellophone is a very balanced instrument.Students will not have to learn a new set of fingerings, for the Balu Mellophone is essentially a horn in F, an already familiar concept.This not only allows players to play a wider range of repertoire, but also will change how music is written for mid-voice brass instruments, for the now-complete range increases the versatility a hundredfold.Furthermore, we have fixed the anxiety caused by the limited range of a mellophone by constructing this instrument in F, with the entire range of a french horn.The option to choose which leadpipe to use gives players the ability to play this new instrument with the correct embouchure.one with the measurements of the typical mellophone leadpipe, for those players that prefer use of a trumpet/mello mouthpiece.
Additionally, a horn student playing the mellophone will have to learn mellophone fingerings, further complicating the learning process.īoth of the above issues, however, pale in comparison to the fact that the mellophone is notorious for its lack of middle and low range, limiting its application as a mid-voice instrument. This is extremely detrimental to the learning process, for the student now has to juggle two separate embouchures, neither of which is improving anymore due to the constant back-and-forth between mello and horn playing. Horn students going from 8th to 9th grade are now having to play the mellophone in marching band, changing their embouchure completely at a key time in the development of the embouchure. This is especially a problem in the transitional period for band students going from middle school to high school. The second issue is caused by the adapter for the horn mouthpiece, which, while it does allow the player to maintain their established embouchure, results in terrible intonation due to the sudden change in diameter within the intake, causing instability in pitch and center of the sound. The first issue is detrimental to the player’s established embouchure, and the main reason many horn players dread playing the mellophone. The problem resides in either having to use a mellophone mouthpiece OR a french horn mouthpiece with an adapter. It is well-known that the mellophone is a problematic instrument to play as a horn player in a marching band setting. Stay tuned for more updates over time, as Valhalla Brass will create and produce each instrument one at a time, starting with a revolutionary new mellophone that will change the way brass bands sound.
Balu Musik is proud to present a new brass company, Valhalla Brass, which aims to provide a quality line of brass instruments for both students and professionals alike.