Looking for Advice on Which Bugle Calls to Use

[swilliams]

2 hours ago, Thunderbird said:

@swilliams  Does your son still want to be Bugler?  The SPL can appoint more than one Bugler, if he wants to.

No, sadly.  He stopped as soon as his six months was up - a year and a half ago.  He played at one of the Camporees with much encouragement (force? lol) from me, but he never really got comfortable playing in front of people.  He still loves band, where he's one of three dozen kids up there performing, and trombone is still his instrument of choice, but he will pick up the trumpet from time to time just to mess around.  I don't think he could hit that high G now.  Use it, or lose it.

Edited January 8, 2020 by swilliams

[SSScout]

Way to open an old thread.

Last weekend, MBCollege in Elkton MD.  Ten would-be buglers. All said they played in the school band, all brass players. One said she (!) "used" to play trumpet in the band, and thought she might sign up again when her schedule "allows"  No future Wynton Marsalis' but everyone has promise.  I could not in good conscience pass anyone, more's the pity, but since this Council schedules (!!) TWO weekends a month apart, I encouraged and instructed everyone, and I know with some practice, everyone of them can do it.  Nice philosophical discussion with a senior, nascent Eagle....  Five, maybe six notes in the scale, ya gotta be able to hit all of them. 

Of note : Two young women !  

[qwazse]

8 minutes ago, SSScout said:

...  I could not in good conscience pass anyone, more's the pity, but since this Council schedules (!!) TWO weekends a month apart, I encouraged and instructed everyone, and I know with some practice, everyone of them can do it.  ...

Bugling seems to have the same problem as pull-ups. Really hard to increase your count if you only practice on weekends.

It seems that there should be a way to sync this with personal management or personal fitness.

@SSScout, I think you should write a scouter's guide to skills acquisition. Call it How to Get There from Here.

[mrkstvns]

On 1/26/2018 at 1:01 PM, SSScout said:

Well, Bugler is a PoR in everything save Eagle, I think that's right.  Ask him , if he would serve.   Bugling Merit Badge is fairly simple for a brass player.  One more roundel on the sash, eh?

Fairly simple, eh?

My son was a troop bugler for a while and the only calls he ever played were "Taps" and "Reveille".  I'll bet 90%+ of scouts have never heard any of those other myriad calls required by the merit badge.  (I never have either).  I think there's a reason why Bugling is the least earned merit badge in scouting, and esoteric calls is that reason. 

Note: that isn't a criticism of Bugling merit badge. Quite the opposite.  It's good that there are still some merit badges that can't be earned by simply being present in a classroom for an insignificant classroom activity. When something requires effort, it has value to the scout.

[SSScout]

1 hour ago, mrkstvns said:

Note: that isn't a criticism of Bugling merit badge. Quite the opposite.  It's good that there are still some merit badges that can't be earned by simply being present in a classroom for an insignificant classroom activity. When something requires effort, it has value to the scout.

Oh, it definitely has other value.  Scoutcamp will often pay you more if you are a Bugler.  Bugles Across America is a clearing house for Buglers needed for ceremonies (taps over veteran's burials, for instance) where there is an honorarium paid.  Local notoriety can lead to being asked to play at various ceremonies.  Being able to play "open valve"  leads to greater skill on your original (trumpet? cornet? trombone? baritone?)  instrument.  I played for my Wood Badge course , and I had folks thank me directly for playing "Tatoo"   in the evening.  Taps , it seems, was expected.  

[swilliams]

19 hours ago, SSScout said:

Oh, it definitely has other value.  Scoutcamp will often pay you more if you are a Bugler.  Bugles Across America is a clearing house for Buglers needed for ceremonies (taps over veteran's burials, for instance) where there is an honorarium paid.  Local notoriety can lead to being asked to play at various ceremonies.  Being able to play "open valve"  leads to greater skill on your original (trumpet? cornet? trombone? baritone?)  instrument.  I played for my Wood Badge course , and I had folks thank me directly for playing "Tatoo"   in the evening.  Taps , it seems, was expected.  

What is "Tatoo"?  Do you have sheet music?  Bugleson (or maybe we should just refer to him as Scoutson, now that he's not really bugling anymore) felt that Taps was too melancholy.  Maybe our new bugler could use it as a replacement.

[MikeS72]

3 hours ago, swilliams said:

What is "Tatoo"?

 

[mrkstvns]

Good sounding call....what would it be used for?

[MikeS72]

 

10 minutes ago, mrkstvns said:

Good sounding call....what would it be used for?

More common in Britain than US military.  Basically a return to quarters, get quiet, 15 minutes until lights out call.  I am more partial to Taps, myself.

[SSScout]

I am sure the chart exists but  I learned it by listening :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7w_ZqF2wpU  and  from Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion. :  

Because of the limited range and at the Bugler's discretion, such can be played "businesslike"  (get it over with, time to go home) or can be made as evocative and thoughtful as the player is capable of.  Quick and dirty, or displaying the talent . Melancholy?  Absolutely.  Nothing wrong with that , appropriately so.  

I  remind my "students"  that Buglers are musicians too.  AND,,,, they are learning a "foreign language", it communicates ideas, emotions.   How conversant can one become in this "language"?    

Echo it thru the woods some time and listen . . .