Alto Euphonium

[tobysima`]

Hello,
Need help finding a website. I believe the owner of the website lives in Japan. On the website, a euphonium collection is detailed. Things like baritones, double bell euphs, and then a bunch of regular euphoniums. However, there is a very peculiar instrument detailed on the site. As far as I remember, it is an alto euphonium and Yamaha had created it. I also remember that around 12 of them were made. Let me know if you have any information.
Thanks,
Toby Simard


EDIT: Have found the link:

http://euphstudy.com/myeuph/myeuph.html
http://euphstudy.com/myeuph/myeuph02.html

[iiipopes]

Is this different from a tenor (UK brass band nomenclature) / alto (rest of world nomenclature) horn? I'm guessing it is, due to the more conical nature of a euphonium. I hope you find out more about it to share on the forum. Thanks.

[tobysima`]

Is this different from a tenor (UK brass band nomenclature) / alto (rest of world nomenclature) horn? I'm guessing it is, due to the more conical nature of a euphonium. I hope you find out more about it to share on the forum. Thanks.

Yes, it is different. It's basically a euphonium in Eb alto.

[donn]

Can't imagine what the difference would be, between "alto horn in Eb" and "euphonium in Eb alto". Or Eb alto saxhorn.

[the elephant]

Imagine a brass band baritone next to a euphonium.

Now imagine an Eb alto horn next to an Eb alto-voiced instrument that is wrapped and tapered like a euphonium.

[bloke]

Imagine a brass band baritone next to a euphonium.

Now imagine an Eb alto horn next to an Eb alto-voiced instrument that is wrapped and tapered like a euphonium.

It is OK if I do this tomorrow afternoon?

[the elephant]

Imagings can take place whenever you are comfy in your Safe Space. Would you like a mug of some of that Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea, too? HAHAHA!!!

[bloke]

Well that’s a relief - because I’ve been obeying my Big-Bro’ screen, and have not left my safe space for the better part of two years.

possibly (??) pertinent to this thread:
A friend of mine – who lives not all that far from Mr. Wade – picked up one of those oval Miraphone E-flat alto 4-rotary things, which are played with the left hand (and - fwiw - were - also made a right hand playable version).

They brought it here for me to pick over it… It didn’t need a whole lot of picking, as it was in pretty darn good shape and they picked it up (the bay) for a pretty darn low price. Being an alto trombonist (as well as a Miraphile), they are tickled with it.

bloke “feeling very docile - after being consoled by the elephant, and curling up with a cozy-warm cup of cocoa… with both whipped cream and marshmallows“

This is not his, but I found a picture of one just like his:

[tobysima`]

Well that’s a relief - because I’ve been obeying my Big-Bro’ screen, and have not left my safe space for the better part of two years.

possibly (??) pertinent to this thread:
A friend of mine – who lives not all that far from Mr. Wade – picked up one of those oval Miraphone E-flat alto 4-rotary things, which are played with the left hand (and - fwiw - were - also made a right hand playable version).

They brought it here for me to pick over it… It didn’t need a whole lot of picking, as it was in pretty darn good shape and they picked it up (the bay) for a pretty darn low price. Being an alto trombonist (as well as a Miraphile), they are tickled with it.

bloke “feeling very docile - after being consoled by the elephant, and curling up with a cozy-warm cup of cocoa… with both whipped cream and marshmallows“

This is not his, but I found a picture of one just like his:

The taper of this instrument and the one I described are super similar, however the one I am looking to find again is like a euphonium, upright with piston valves.

[tobysima`]

I have found the website. Had to use google translate and spend 45 minutes in japanese, but I found it!

http://euphstudy.com/myeuph/myeuph.html

[LeMark]

I have one of those mirafones. The tone is great, similar to what you would expect from an Alto Flugelhorn.

Tuning is... challenging

[tobysima`]

Part 2.

http://euphstudy.com/myeuph/myeuph02.html

[bloke]

It’s curious how super-cool people thought the Miraphone “oval style euphoniums“ were in the 1970s, and how (today) nearly everyone - who seeks a kaiser bariton - rejects the oval style instruments, which are so much more common.

I credit this change in tastes to the “mysterious cachet“ of the Alexander model. (Nearly everyone views the Alexander instruments as “awesome”, yet almost no one has actually played them…oh yeah: and Roger Bobo not only owned one, but there’s a picture on the Internet of him playing it.)
OK… and any of the (particularly: kaiser) straight ones are going to optically appeal to tuba players - in particular, because they look like “mini-tubas”.

Here’s a pretty awesome thing about rotary (oval or upright) baritons and kaiser baritons that most people probably have not noticed:

Past the bell, the entire tapered instrument is one piece, all the way to the valve section.

[iiipopes]

Toby - thanks for finding the link.

Several years ago, when I was playing euph for a couple of years in community band when they were flush on tubas but had no euph player, we had one piece that had a high tessitura solo section. Oh, how I wish I had that horn for that piece! I ended up playing it on flugel.

alto_horn_yamaha01.jpg (54.04 KiB) Viewed 1744 times

I like the 1st valve kicker.

alto_horn_yamaha02.jpg (80.9 KiB) Viewed 1744 times

[bloke]

Though I have a *BALLAD HORN (pitched in 8-foot C) - which I play around with at HOME (and do fairly well with, when using a TINY-cupped Bronx, NY Vincent Bach trombone mouthpiece), I just could not imagine myself as a competent doubler on an E-flat alto-length brass instrument.

For high tessitura parts in that range (which I might find myself obligated to cover), I have picked up these two instruments - over the years - at casual-money prices. (I am only a euphonium DOUBLER, and certainly NOT a euphonium ARTIST. Therefore - though I also own a large-bore compensating euphonium, as well - I'm not going to show up, somewhere, and attempt - facing some remarkably high-range-written part - to be a "euphonium hero".)
- Yamaha YEP-321 euphonium (smaller .571" bore and small-shank mouthpiece/receiver both assist in high range playing). Recently, I played the (so-called by Holst) "tenor tuba" part to "Mars" of The Planets suite. Mostly, it's pretty darn high, and there's actually one pick-it-out-of-the-air "concert" c (the highest pitched of those "swells"), towards the end.
- (1960's vintage) Besson "English" 3-valve compensating baritone (manufactured before all of the "bigger is better" mentality took over the bore and bell sizes of these). The bore size - of this instrument - is a scant amount over 1/2 inch (12.8mm...??), and the bell diameter is only 8 inches. Arguably, it's not all that much different (though tuba-shaped, and compensating) than a "flugabone".

___________________________________________
*Ballad horns usually sport the same appearance as old E-flat mellophones, but (again) are usually pitched in C.
picture (not of mine)... https://i.pinimg.com/originals/79/1c/f2 ... 3187b8.jpg
(Mine is Bohemian, is dent-free, features like-new piston-to-casing fit, included the sound-condition original hard case, and cost me $50...so it was yet another "no-brainer" purchase.)

[Kirley]

I like the 1st valve kicker.

alto_horn_yamaha02.jpg

I want the big brother version of that kicker for my YEP-321!

Thanks for the pic.

[iiipopes]

I like the 1st valve kicker.

alto_horn_yamaha02.jpg

I want the big brother version of that kicker for my YEP-321!

Thanks for the pic.

Thank Toby for finding the link.

[bloke]

off-topic:

My slightly-beat-up-but-great-playing YEP-321 (recently "found" in the shop attic, and fixed up "good-enough" to use on a gig) features REMARKABLE #1 slide alignment. It might be worth putting a trigger on it, so that the on-the-fly/in-tune chromatic range is extended down to D.
E-flat: 1T + 4
D: 2 + 3 + 4

bloke "The bore size (only .571") and small-shank receiver (thus small-shank mouthpieces) really doesn't lend itself to playing nice phat/round 'low C's' anyway."

[tobysima`]

Found another link, entirely in English.

http://euphstudy.com/international/myeuph/myeuph.html

[iiipopes]

off-topic:

My slightly-beat-up-but-great-playing YEP-321 (recently "found" in the shop attic, and fixed up "good-enough" to use on a gig) features REMARKABLE #1 slide alignment. It might be worth putting a trigger on it, so that the on-the-fly/in-tune chromatic range is extended down to D.
E-flat: 1T + 4
D: 2 + 3 + 4

bloke "The bore size (only .571") and small-shank receiver (thus small-shank mouthpieces) really doesn't lend itself to playing nice phat/round 'low C's' anyway."

I suggest you try a Wick Ultra Steven Mead DW5880B-SM6U in the proper shank size. It is essentially a 6 1/2 AL, but with a deeper cup and better backbore so that the low register speaks with authority and is not grainy, while retaining the lyric nature of the middle register and security in the top register.