How to get a better sound on mellophone

What a full mellophone sound is, and the steady air, relaxed playing, long tones, and lip slurs that let you play loud without blasting.

A good mellophone sound is full and clear, with a center you can hear at every volume. Marching band asks you to play loud, and loud playing is where many mellophone sounds turn harsh. This guide covers steady air, staying relaxed, long tones, lip slurs, and how to play loud with a sound you'd want to hear. The notes are written for a mellophone in F, and they sound a perfect 5th lower.

Sound falls apart when you play loud? Jump there

What a good mellophone sound is

Tap a sound to hear it

Computer-generated examples

These computer-made examples all aim for G on the 2nd line (written G4, which sounds concert C4 on a mellophone in F). Clear: in tune. Airy (fuzzy): in tune, with a hiss of air. Pinched: a little sharp. Wavering: goes up and down in pitch and volume.

Tap each sound. Beginners often make sounds like the last three. Each description lists things to check, but a sound like one of these can have more than one cause.

Mellophone sounds are often described as somewhere between trumpet and French horn. Sections differ: some aim for a darker sound, some a brighter one. Listen to recordings of marching band and drum corps mellophone sections, and ask your director what sound your section wants.

Three things are easy to mix up. Volume is how loud you play. Tone is the quality of the sound: clear, airy, pinched. Projection is how well the sound reaches the audience, which also depends on where the bell points. You can play loud with a poor tone, and a clear tone with the bell pointed at the audience often carries better than a forced one.

Steady air

Tap a sound to hear it

Computer-generated examples

These computer-made examples all aim for G on the 2nd line (written G4, which sounds concert C4 on a mellophone in F). Even: in tune. Wavering: goes up and down in pitch and volume.

Computer-made examples of an even note and a wavering one. In real playing, a wavering sound can come from uneven air, a moving jaw, or both.

Take a comfortable, full breath. Let your ribs and stomach area expand, and keep your neck and shoulders relaxed.
Breathe and play in one motion, in tempo, moving straight from the breath into the note.
Keep the air moving in one smooth stream. Listen for a clear, even sound.
Keep it going to the end of every note. A fading end can sound like you ran out of air.

Stay relaxed

Throat open, like saying "oh."
Light mouthpiece pressure. Pressing hard for loud or high notes can pinch the sound and tire your lips.
Relaxed shoulders and arms. Let your left hand take the horn's weight.

Long tones

Tap a note to hear it

Written pitch: the G on the 2nd line sounds concert C4. Four beats each at 60 beats per minute. Play them soft, then medium, then loud, and listen for the same clear tone at each volume.

Play with a drone. Mellophone is in F: written G sounds concert C, so pick C for the G.
Check with the tuner. Choose Horn / mello under "Show notes for" to see the written note. Watch whether the needle stays steady through the whole note.

Lip slurs

Tap a note to hear it

Tongue only the first note of each measure. Keep the same valves down until the barline.

Playing loud without blasting

Aim for a loud note that sounds like a bigger version of your soft one, with the same clear center. When the sound turns harsh and buzzy ("blatty"), back off a little until it's clear again, and check for tension.

When it gets loud and…	Check first	Then try
Harsh or blatty	Are you past the loudest you can play with a clear sound? Is your throat tight?	Back off to your loudest clear sound. Open the throat, then build up again.
Sharp	Are you pressing harder or pinching your lips as you get louder?	Lighten the pressure, then check with a tuner at full volume.
Notes crack	Did you hear the note first? Are you pressing or tightening as you get louder?	Listen to the note, then play it at a medium volume before you get louder.
Runs out of air	Are your breaths short or late?	Take a full breath, and plan extra breaths.

Crescendo drill: hold one note for 8 beats, from soft to loud and back. Stop at the point where the sound starts to change.
Record yourself from across a room or a field. Up close, you hear your sound differently from the audience.

Try it: what would you check first?

1.Your loud notes sound like a buzzer.

2.You're in tune at medium volume, but in loud parts you go sharp and feel the rim pressing into your lips.

A 10-minute tone routine

1 minute: breathing in tempo. Breathe in for 4 counts and blow out for 8. Take a comfortable breath, not the biggest one you can, and rest between rounds.
1 minute: mouthpiece buzzing and slow sirens (optional).
3 minutes: long tones, soft then loud, listening for the same clear tone.
2 minutes: lip slurs, slow and smooth.
3 minutes: a phrase from your show, at the volume you'll play it, with your best sound.

Brass Trainer: mellophone

Play the Note, one clean start at a time

Tuner

Check tuning at full volume

Drone

Written G is concert C

Practice thisBrass Trainer: slides and valves

Play notes and check your tuning

From Band Trainer · bandtrainer.net/guides/better-mellophone-sound