Buglers

[Venividi]

Had one once. He asked to be bugler. But once he had the position, no one could convince him to actually play. My suspicion was that he was either afraid of being teased, or he was unwilling to commit the time to learn and practice the calls. I think probably the later.

[Stosh]

Or, it's a boy that thinks bugler POR is a blow-off and figures to wear the patch and not do the job. I hope the issue comes up at his BOR.

[jtswestark]

Oh yes, there WILL be lots of whooping and hollering when an inadvertent squawk or screech slips out during reveille. Kid has to be able to laugh at himself!

[RememberSchiff]

Even F-Troop had Bugler Dobbs.

[OldGreyEagle]

And who knew Dobbs would become the father of a Teenage Werewolf!

[drhink]

It seems bugling at scout events has gone the way of the sock garter. I still have my nickle plated Rexcraft "Official BSA" bugle along with a Rexcraft brass army "beater" I carried on camp outs as a youth. I don't play them very often any longer, but I won't part with them. Too much sentimental value. There always seem to be scout and army bugles for sale on EBay, so if you can get one in decent shape for say under $50, maybe invest in one for your troop and see if there's any takers to borrow it. I'd avoid some of the newer cheap bugles from China and India - I've heard nothing but bad things about them, like being wildly out of tune between notes. The old "US Regulation" army bugles made in USA are usually a lot less money than the Rexcraft are going for these days, and are pretty close in quality. Just try to find one that doesn't have too many dents and a bell that doesn't look like a taco. Some small dents are inevitable and OK. Many of the army bugles don't have a tuning slide, which is only an issue if you plan on playing in unison with another bugler. Just one less thing to maintain, in my opinion. Once you get a good used bugle, go to a music store and get a trumpet snake brush. Soak the bugle in a tub of warm mildly soapy water and thoroughly scrub the insides with the snake brush. If the brass is severely tarnished, you can soak the bugle in a dilute ammonia solution (1:10 ammonia to water) for 10-15 minutes then scrub the inside with the brush and the outside with a microfiber cloth. If the outside is still badly tarnished, you can try scrubbing with a cloth using a paste of salt and lemon juice. Don't use steel wool or anything abrasive. Thoroughly rinse and dry before using. Brasso at this point can improve the shine and prevent tarnishing, but I don't like the smell it imparts.

 

There's such a shortage of buglers that funeral homes have resorted to playing recordings of taps at military funerals. That's just wrong. Get a boy to learn to play taps if nothing else.