Switching to mellophone from trumpet or French horn

Mellophone is the horn of the marching band. It usually plays the French horn part, but it's held like a big trumpet with the bell pointing forward, so the sound goes out toward the audience. Many mellophone players switch from trumpet or horn for marching season. This guide covers what changes and what stays the same.

The examples are for a mellophone in F, the usual marching mellophone. Notes are written the way they appear in your part, and they sound a perfect 5th lower: the G on the 2nd line (written G4) sounds concert C4.

What a mellophone is

A mellophone is pitched in F, like a French horn, and reads the same written notes for most of a horn part. It doesn't reach the horn's lowest notes. It has trumpet-style valves played with the right hand, a forward-facing bell, and no hand in the bell.

What carries over: reading the part, rhythm, your ear, breathing, and much of how you make a sound. What you practice on the new instrument: holding it, the mouthpiece, the sound you're aiming for, and, if you play horn, the new fingerings.

Coming from trumpet

• Same fingerings for these notes. A written C below the staff is open, D is 1-3, E is 1-2: just like trumpet. The mellophone fingering chart shows the rest of the range.
• Lower sound. The same written note sounds a perfect 4th lower than on a B♭ trumpet. That's normal.
• Less locked in. The notes use the same partials as trumpet, but many players find they feel looser, so it's easier to land a little off center. Listen to the note before you play.
• A different sound. The mouthpiece and tubing are bigger. Listen to mellophone players and aim for the sound your section wants, rather than a trumpet sound.

Coming from French horn

• Same pitch, new fingerings. A written note sounds the same as on horn. But the fingerings are trumpet fingerings. D below the staff is 1-3, not 1; E on the 1st line is 1-2, not open.
• Switch hands. The right hand plays the valves. The left hand holds the horn.
• Notes farther apart. Mellophone plays the same written notes on lower partials than horn, so the notes on one fingering are farther apart. Many horn players find them easier to center.
• No hand in the bell. The bell points forward and open, so the sound is brighter and more direct than on horn.
• Practice the new fingerings first. Drill them in Brass Trainer before rehearsal, so old horn fingerings don't sneak in.

Mouthpieces

• A mellophone mouthpiece usually has a rim close to trumpet size and a deeper cup. Many bands ask for one, but models differ, and the best fit depends on your mellophone, your face, and your band.
• Trumpet players may find the rim familiar. The deeper cup changes the feel and the sound.
• Horn players sometimes use their horn mouthpiece with an adapter. It feels familiar, but notes can be harder to center on some mellophones. Ask your director which mouthpiece to use.

Holding the mellophone

• Left hand holds the weight, wrapped around the valve casing or the leadpipe.
• Right hand plays the valves, fingertips on the valve buttons, thumb under the leadpipe.
• Bell level, straight ahead. Bring the horn to your face; don't drop your head to it.

Same fingerings as trumpet

Finding your first notes

• Start on open G (2nd line). Listen to it first: tap it above, hum it, or play concert C4 (middle C) on the piano tool. Then play it.
• Then open C below the staff, then F, E, and D.
• Check with a tuner. On the tuner, choose Horn / mello under "Show notes for" to see written notes: the G on the 2nd line shows as G4. On Concert pitch it shows C4.
• Let the microphone check. In Play the Note, Brass Trainer tells you whether your pitch matches the note or a neighbor.

Your first week

Here's a sample week. Move on when the step before feels comfortable, however long that takes.