taking a poll-Bugling

[Gold Winger]

A piper plays the bagpipes.

[Stosh]

I'm thinking either the piper is the guy who plays the bag-pipes, or they really mean fifer, the guy who plays a fife. And for those who know the effectiveness of communication prior to walkie-talkies, the fife was better at long range communication than was the bugle. On the opening day of Gettysburg, Gen. Buford was tenuously holding a cavalry skirmish line against massing Confederate infantry. The Iron Brigade at the head of the relief column was coming to their assistance crossing over Seminary Ridge and the commander, knowing drums and bugle sound would not carry the distance and be drowned out by the din of battle, ordered the fifers to play "The Campbells are Coming" and Buford hearing it knew relief was on it's way.

 

For those who commented about my suggestion on standing next to an adult, if that's the way they are teaching it, then that's the way the boys will learn it.

 

The bugler is a position of responsibility which means he's responsible for communication and communications is a two-way street. If he is not teaching what the bugle calls mean, he is wasting his time and not fulfilling his responsibility.

 

I have had experience with this process over the past 10 years. My venturing crew boys understand bugle calls for more than just reveille and taps. As a matter of fact they know the drum calls, they know the difference between cavalry, artillery and infantry calls and when the bugle call is meant for them and not someone else. They march by the bugle, fight by the bugle and skirmish by the bugle, and they didn't have some adult standing around telling them what the call meant they learned it so the command structure could communicate with them.

 

This bugler stuff is meant as a military form of communication. If your bugler is standing on the other end of camp, can he communicate with your unit, especially those who aren't standing next to an adult? If not, just have the adults tell the boys what they need to do like they're doing anyway and forget the bugle. Like any other POR it should be functional, not ceremonial as is the case with most buglers I have heard.

 

Stosh

[jtswestark]

Ahhh... I would think bagpipes would be a bit wieldy for most campouts? I can't believe they are very cheap, I can just imagine them getting damaged on a typical campout! ouch!

 

Stosh - your Scouts 'fight by the bugle and skirmish by the bugle'? What an interesting unit you must have.

 

JTS

[Gold Winger]

Stosth is an advisor for a unit that re-enacts battles from the War of Northern Aggression.

[gwd-scouter]

We have two buglers - younger son and his friend. Not officially holding the title as a POR, but both play trumpet in marching band. They both play the trumpet like a bugle, not using the valves. Echo taps is lovely. Younger son has earned the bugling merit badge and played the various calls while working on staff last summer at camp. He is interested in playing at our upcoming district camporee since we've never had a bugler at one. Hope those in charge say yes.

[Stosh]

The only problem with modern buglers is that no one at the camporees will know what the bugle calls mean and thus the functionality will be limited to ceremonial reveille and taps. Maybe if every unit had a bugler that didn't have a bugle, at least he could teach the boys what the general calls meant when they hear them. Unfortunately any boy that wants to learn bugling will need a week or two to do so. The old BSA bugle manual assumed the boy could not play but could learn in a very short period of time (5-Minutes).

 

Our modern ceremonial expectations make it almost impossible for any boy to want to play the bugle because it has become something that most professionals would need to practice up on to be able to do. A poorly played bugle is still better than none, but that standard isn't adhered to much in our modern society.

 

By the way, "Taps" is played on a bugle, taps after "Lights Out" is played on a drum, thus the name taps. Prior to the late 1800's, "Lights Out" was the final bugle call of the day but the first communications and last were on the drums.

 

If a few more BSA members could actually play the bugle maybe the WWII veterans would get something better than recorded music at their funerals. I have often heard the comment that a bugle poorly played is still better than a recording.

 

Like any other POR, the position is as important as the unit makes it. Any bugler in my unit will have it on a sling over his shoulder as part of his uniform in like manner to the patrol flags of the PL's. If I'm going to be camping my patrols 100' apart, I'm going to need a functional bugler to communicate with them.

 

Stosh

[Gold Winger]

"If a few more BSA members could actually play the bugle maybe the WWII veterans would get something better than recorded music at their funerals."

 

I went to a vets funeral in February and they Army provided two soldiers to fold and present the flag and a bugler who lurked in the trees and played taps.

[SSScout]

"...fight and skirmish by the bugle,,,"

Yeah, I've known some buglers that might elicit that response

Scouting loses a little of it's traditions each time we forget what we remember of our time as a Scout (? remember to forget? ah, you know what I mean).

 

A half way good bugler can actually do a good turn by being available to outfits like the American Legion or Vets of Foriegn Wars. The DoD often has a hard time providing a human bugler for ceremonies and interments, hence the obiquious CD or tape player.

 

Bugler, Play for me a simple melody:

 

Won't you play some simple melody

Like my mother sang to me

One with a good old-fashioned harmony

Play some simple melody

 

 

Musical demon, set your honey a-dreamin', won't you play me some rag

Just change that classical nag to some sweet beautiful drag

If you will play from a copy of a tune that is choppy you'll get all my applause

And that is simply because I wanna listen to rag

 

{Verse 3A}

Play for me

That good old-fashioned harmony

Oh, won't you play for me

a simple melody

 

 

Play from a copy of a tune that is choppy

You'll get all of my applause because

I wanna rag it

Ragtime melody

 

 

[shortridge]

Bugles Across America is searching for volunteers to play Taps at military funerals - could be a great opportunity to make the position more meaningful, and provide a needed service besides:

 

"Bugler Volunteers can be male or female. They can play a traditional bugle with no valves, or they can perform the ceremony on a Trumpet, Cornet, Flugelhorn, or a 1, 2 or 3 valved bugle. The bugler can be of any age as long as they can play the 24 notes of Taps with an ease and style that will do honor to both the Veterans, their families, and the burial detail performing the service."

 

http://xeml.buglesacrossamerica.org/

 

Reference on the shortage of buglers at military funerals:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/07/shortage-of-bug.html

 

====

 

At a summer camp I staffed, we had a bugler for a couple years, but he got promoted up the ranks to program director and couldn't do it anymore. We also had a small cannon, but it got canned when it sort of blew up and burned the trading post manager's leg.

[Mr. Boyce]

As a scout, we never had a bugler and only heard bugles at summer camp.

 

I have to say, they really ADD TO THE EXPERIENCE a great deal. It's a very distinctive thing.

[hot_foot_eagle]

As a former bugler myself, I'm sad to see the tradition going by the wayside.

 

We have several potential buglers in my troop. I'm hoping that one or more will take up the challenge.

 

Incidentally, most bugle calls are available on the web in musical notation and as .mp3

[scottteng]

We now have a troop bugler a lapsed middle school trumpet player. Wakes em up in the AM and puts em to bed at night. I have heard that the honorarium for a military funeral is $75 to the bugler (this being Florida there are plenty of these) but my very lazy son will still not learn how to play taps. The new bugler is his best bud in the troop and regular tent partner. We do tend to overleadership the run of the mill POR's. They are just that a position with a responsibility to the troop. Be it wake up calls, merit badge books for the next guy, understandable "church" services, or a scrap book with photos.

[Beavah]

Yah, I can't say enough about Buglers Across America and encouragin' your young scout musicians who can play Taps well to volunteer.

 

Means da world to the family of a service member called home. To be honest, havin' participated with youth in many of these, I think havin' a lad in a scout uniform play taps is far more moving than even a regular military bugler. Just feels to everyone like it's the next generation honoring the fallen for the gift of Liberty.

 

I rarely see a dry eye in da field.

 

Beavah

 

[Cubmaster Mike]

Bugling was my very first merit badge earned. My counselor made us play all the calls from memory and play them WELL. At our Courts of Honor, we had a bugler as part of the ceremony. I also served at summer camp as a bugler for the camp for several weeks over the years.

 

Position of Responsibility? you bet. At camp, I had to be up early and down to the assembly meadow to blow reveille in the morning, to the colors, all mess calls, retreat, tattoo, taps, etc. Camp time was based upon the bugle calls.

 

Fast forward from the 70s and early 80s to 2008-

 

Camporee does not have a bugler. COHs don't have a bugler. Troops don't have a bugler. Camps play an audio tape, not a live bugle.

 

In the last four years, the only live bugle I have heard is at Woodbadge and NCS.

 

I am a Bugling MB Counselor now. I own two trumpets and two bugles and have not had a single taker.

 

I miss this part of Scouting. My kids hear bugles play Taps at Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies and I'm bummed that they are starting to associate it with someone dying and not as a meaningful ceremonial device.

 

Uz2b, any music store or repair shop can fix that bugle. My trumpets and bugles have been soldered repeatedly due to fumble fingers.

 

Now how about a forum on the relative merits of a Bb bugle verses a C or F bugle?

 

CMM

[Cubmaster Mike]

Forgot to mention- I also blow a mean duck call. :-)

CMM