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Thread: Bell direction up/forward???

  1. #1

    Bell direction up/forward???

    Did I miss the vote? Why do the euphonium manufactures make the bell facing up and not forward any more? Is it a cheaper thing to do without the bell bend forward? Did you pros lobby the mfg.to do it bell up? Does it make any difference? The trumpet and trombone get to face forward and blast the guy in front why can't the euphs also? Hey, I got all the questions. Does anyone have some answers? I am really looking forward to many responses. Hurrah, euphs!!!! (I know, I am a old goat Conn man with the bell forward)


  2. Bell direction up/forward???

    One of the reasons for bell up is that it actually sounds better. The Euph has more complex overtones in its sound than trombone or trumpet. As a harmony instrument, the euphonium is designed for a pitch in the vocal baritone/tenor range, that "fills up" a space and blends well. Since higher pitches are more directional by nature, pointing up causes one to hear reflected or radiated sound rather than direct sound. By having the higher overtones point up, one hears a "mellower" sound from the euph than if the bell points forward. The bell front (for both euph and tuba) was a product of marching bands and outdoor concerts before the days of electronic amplification. Note that almost all English style euphs and most older (pre-1920) American baritones had upright bells. I have both for my old Conn 24-I/25-I CONNstellation. The difference in sound when I switch bells is noticeable.

    Doug
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  3. #3

    Bell direction up/forward???

    Doug is right on when he talks about a euphonium filling up a space. I'm playing in a church group that, these days, typically consists of three or four trumpets and me. The trumpets may get to face forward, but even in a relatively large church sanctuary, I have no trouble at all being heard.

    Frank
    Frank Manola

    Pan American Eb, Meinl Weston 20, Wessex "Solo" EEb, King 2341 tubas
    Besson New Standard, TE 1150 compensating euphs
    Park Street Brass
    Old South UMC Brass & Organ, Reading MA
    Wakefield Retired Men's Club Band
    Windjammers Unlimited

  4. #4

    Bell direction up/forward???

    I can't stand the direct sound you get in front of a bell-forward euphonium or tuba.

    Interestingly enough, though, Adolph Sax's first saxhorns were all bell-up instruments but when he went back and designed the ill-fated saxhorn nouveau family, his second stab at it (my belief is that he wanted to design something new just because everyone was ignoring his patents on the original saxhorns), he made them bell-forward.

    --
    Barry

  5. Bell direction up/forward???

    The forward facing bell has an advantage when playing outdoors. The traditional bell-front American euphoniums were primarily dual-purpose horns that could serve as both marching and concert instruments. Most bell front horns have bells that still project the sound at an upward angle, so in a large hall they will still give you the benefits of reflected sound. In a smaller hall, the upright bells definitely have an advantage. I love to play in a church sanctuary with a high ceiling and preferably more length than width. A euphonium really shines in that setting.

  6. #6

    Bell direction up/forward???

    A bell-front design can have advantages in some situations. However, unless you sit so your bell is pointing forward (i.e. in the middle of a band, and not on the end of a curved setup) the bell may only point toward half of the audience.

    In the Coast Guard Band we went to a semi-circle setup. At the time, Denis Winter was my partner and he was using his Conn Constellation with an upright bell. However, his bell pointed to his left, while my Besson pointed to my right.

    When the section was on the audience's right side of the setup, you could hear Denis more clearly than you could hear me. But when we used a setup that put us on the other side, it was the opposite.

    So...

    1) bell orientation makes a difference

    and

    2) no matter which way your bell points, it won't be pointed at the audience in every situation.

    Also, the euphonium is intended to be an indirect sound. An upright bell helps that.

    The times I wished I had an aimable bell was when we played on high school stages that had rows of short curtains above the band, running sideways (they ran between the rows of lights). The sound would go straight up into those "baffles" and never come back!

    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  7. Bell direction up/forward???

    forward is definitely better for outside terms but up is way better indoors, in my marching band practices inside i'd much rather play with my bell up than the old conn 14I the school gives me for marching. it would be alot easier if euphs were sold with 2 bells or a semi-tipped bell


  8. #8

    Bell direction up/forward???

    The euphonium and tuba for that matter sounds a lot better with upright bells. They're not meant to be heard directly.

    It seems like every year when I play for the Pre Tree portion of my church Singing Christmas presentations, I have to give the sound guys a 2 minute crash course of why you don't my bell facing directly at the audience in the sanctuary or if you want to mike me, mike me indirectly (eg. use the mikes in the Tree structure itself) and have the piano (which is situated on the main level of the sanctuary but some 10 feet away from me) sound go through the monitors as normal.

    With half of the brass band instruments having upright bells (alto [tenor ] horn, baritone, euphonium, tubas) , this also could explain how the chair set up in brass bands is different then a concert band

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