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Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 16:48:10 -0700
From: Grant Green
Subject: Re: [CB] helicon cases
>I absolutely LOVE the sousaphone case that SKB makes. I wonder how much it
>would cost to have them custom build a helicon case (they probably would not
>be interested in even speaking with individuals).According to the FAQ on their website, they don't make custom cases.
See http://www.skbcases.com/company/faq.html.Oh well...
Grant
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green http://www.contrabass.com
Professional Fool -> http://www.mp3.com/ProFools
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---------------------------------------------------------From: "Peter Boris Koval"
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 09:47:28 -0300
Subject: Re: [CB] Contrabass sarrusophone FS
> There is a Gautrot Eb contrabass sarrusophone for sale right now on eBay
> (http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1449633003).
> Looks a lot like mine, but with a better finish. I'd guess that this
> model was made later than mine (maybe 1925) as it has rollers on the
> little finger keys (although for some reason it appears not to have
> the RH1 high D alternate key).Hi, Grant,
The high D alternate key is present on this instrument--like the Conn model,
it is operated by the right thumb and is situated on the rear. What is
unusual is that there are only two register vents, instead of the three
usually provided (it is similar to my Gautrot Eb contrabass sarrusophone
made between 1865 and 1868 with only two register vents). This would tend to
indicate a relatively early model, in spite of the rollers on the pinky keys
(which might have been inserted later?).
Regards,
Peter Koval
---------------------------------------------------------
From: Louis Rugani
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 09:22:43 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: [CB] HeliconsVery glad to see these great gruntirons are still available.
There's an Eb helicon on display at Mike Bjorn's Clothing & Museum in
downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was a former Boy Scout Band horn, and in
the 40s and 50s, (I played it in the late 50s), with the CYO Band.(True history: the instrument's name derives from its players, who
always would say "I cant figure how the helicon transport this thing."Regards....
Lou
~~~~~~~~~~~~ =96=3D[=95]=3D=96 ~~~~~~~~~~~~The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity.
Robert Anthony---------------------------------------------------------
From: Heliconman
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 14:24:18 EDT
Subject: Re: [CB] Helicons
In a message dated 7/25/01 10:23:12 AM Eastern Daylight Time, X779 writes:
> Very glad to see these great gruntirons are still available.
Yup! They pop up fairly frequently. There's one for sale at Rayburn's Music in Boston next to Symphony Hall that's been there a loooooong time. Rayburn's has a bad habit of jacking the price up right through the roof. Consequently they have a great variety of over-priced horns that nobody wants to go bankrupt over. I go in once in a while to harass them about it.
> There's an Eb helicon on display at Mike Bjorn's Clothing & Museum in
> downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was a former Boy Scout Band horn, and in
> the 40s and 50s, (I played it in the late 50s), with the CYO Band.That's GREAT! I wish there had been a Boy Scout Band when I was coming up through the ranks! But I suppose that's expected behavior in good old Kenosha!
> (True history: the instrument's name derives from its players, who
> always would say "I cant figure how the helicon transport this thing."That's "Lou History"! I frequently take my helicon on the busses, subways and trains around Boston without much trouble if you take care not to bump the valves, neck and exposed tuning slides. I feel like all I need right now is a light weight padded jacket with maybe a hard shell over the valve stems and neck. And you'd still be able to put it over your shoulder to carry. And I'd like to think the horn is named for the mountain from which the muses got their inspiration, Mount Helicon.
> Regards....
> Lou
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~ =E2=80=93=3D[=E2=80=A2]=3D=E2=80=93 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity.
> =E2=80=93 Robert Anthony
>
The opposite of War isn't Peace, it's Creativity.Cheers!
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 12:14:25 -0700
From: David Richoux
Subject: Re: [CB] Heliconsheliconman wrote: (and please, everybody - PLAIN TEXT ONLY - NO HTML!)
<snip>
And I'd like to think the horn is named for the mountain from which the muses got
their inspiration, Mount Helicon.this is something i sent to the TubaEuph list a while back after a question
about the origin of heliconsdave Richoux
------------------------------
somebody wrote:
> But basically, the helicon (named after Greek for "snail"?) dates from about 1848 and was developed for marching.A bit further back than that, by a few years - the Romans used a Helical coil
shape brass horn during the height of the Roman Empire (what, since 100BCE?)
If you watch any old gladiator flick you will probably see a few.(maybe the shape of Mount Helicon in Greece had something to do with it - the
word has been co-opted by a wide variety of social, political, poetic, religious
and otherwise musical groups)http://www.heliconsociety.com/about.html
On the slopes of Mount Helicon in ancient Greece dwelt Apollo,
the god of fine arts, music, poetry and eloquence. The word
"Helicon" has thus become associated throughout the years with
cultural activities that foster the arts. Many organizations, whose
aim was to preserve and to promote the heritage of their country,
have over the centuries borne the name Helicon.
The more modern helicon was also used for horseback mounted bands and (like the
Over-the-shoulder-horns) there was a full range of size and pitch helicons - I
have seen helicon form Trumpet/cornets, Altos, French Horn, Baritone-Euphoniums,
and EEb and BBb tubas. John Phillip Sousa did not like the helicons that were
provided to the Marine band - he wanted a horn that would project the bass sound
over the whole band "like icing on a cake" (he must not have understood sound
waves much :-) so somebody took a helicon and twisted the bell upwards like a
tuba and they called it a Rain Catcher. later on, they tipped the bell forward
and that is what is now called a Sousaphone.The big problem with helicons, in my experience (and I have 5 of them) other
than the sideways directed sound energy is the problem of close order drill,
hitting the audience on the head in parades and not having a detachable bell
(there are a few helicons that do have removable bells, but that is rare)
Everybody in the audience is amazed at the shape - they kinda know what a
Sousaphone or tuba looks like, but the Helicon stumps them!I am probably "full of it" on the details of helicon history, but that is my
story and I am sticking to it...Dave Richoux
>
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