Marching brass
These adapted instruments are employed by a number of ensemble types, ranging from high school marching bands to drum and bugle corps.
The drum and bugle corps activity has been a driving force of innovation behind the creation of marching brass instruments for many decades.
[1] All these are descended from the old United States Army G major "straight" (valveless) standard bugles adopted in 1892 Army-wide.
The primary difference between a G trumpet and a G piccolo soprano is the throat of the bell and the bore size.
In early corps, the soprano was pitched either in G or F (F being attained by a long tuning slide) to allow a split ensemble to play simple melodies across the group.
The first design change was to add an additional loop of tubing to lower the soprano to the key of D via a locking piston valve tucked horizontally under the handhold.
Through the 1940s and 1950s, corps experimented with sanding down the tuning slide to be as quick and smooth in operation as a trombone slide, to allow quick changes in tuning to reach notes within overtone series of the keys of F# and F. Combined with the piston valve, this allowed for notes within the overtone series of D♭ and C. Many bugles were modified with a ring to allow the left hand to actuate the slip-slide tuning slide.
The rotary valve was actuated by the left hand, and featured a length of tubing that lowered the pitch by either a half-step (F#) or a whole-step (F).
Corps featured sopranos with both slides to allow for the greatest choice of available notes, however these instruments were still non-chromatic.
In the late 1970s, DCI's rules congress allowed for the soprano to be designed similarly to a trumpet, with two vertical piston valves.
By 1990, DCI approved the use of three valve sopranos in the North American circuit, thus ending the era of non-chromatic bugles.
Sopranos are still manufactured by one company, which also still produces a two valve custom version for The Commandant's Own United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps.
The Herald Soprano bugle was an instrument prepared by DEG Music Products for various small ensembles and corps.
Eventually the wrap of the mellophone was compacted more into a soprano shape, with accommodations made for the much larger bell.
The mellophone quickly became a popular alto voice due to its tone quality and ease of playing, especially compared to the French horn bugle.
Mellophones were often featured in highly talented corps as voices that often soared above soprano parts at large impact points.
Bore size is typically between .468"-.470" The French horn bugle, often called a "Frenchie," was first designed in a G and D single piston configuration in the early 1940s.
The Frenchie became popular due to the overtone series allowing many more notes than other bugles could play.
The low alto has a range identical to the baritone bugle, but is designed primarily to be played in the middle to upper registers, using its extended length to give a more horn-like sound to the mid voice.
These instruments were the same bore size and length as a soprano bugle, however they featured a larger bell and could be played with an alto horn mouthpiece.
The Herald Baritone Bugle was an instrument prepared by DEG Music Products for various special ensembles and corps.
This instrument features a standard bore baritone valve section, removable bell, and banner hooks.
Other features include a more open wrap and slightly larger bell to increase the presence of the instrument.
Most Euphonium Bugles accept a large shank mouthpiece, however in the 1980s and early 1990s, DEG Music Products commissioned Willson Brass of Switzerland to design a Euphonium bugle, and their design used a medium shank mouthpiece that is not regularly seen in the United States.
This was quickly replaced with a shoulder carried variant a full octave lower than the baritone voice.
A talented musician may be able to play lower than G0 utilizing the pedal range of the bugle, but these notes would be felt more than heard due to the limitations of the human ear.
