The clarinetists of the Columbia University Marching Band at a recent Tax Night.

The clarinet is a woodwind, as sound is produced not be vibrating one’s lips – as is the case with brass instruments – but with a reed attached to the mouthpiece that vibrates as the clarinetist blows into it. This production of sound, using air to produce vibrations through a reed and not the lips, makes woodwinds like the saxophone, flute, and clarinet different from the rest of the band.

The clarinet is known for its amazing range, as it’s able to play over four octives through standard fingering, with more notes possible for more serious players.

Most professional players use clarinets that are made of wood, but many clarinetists who are just starting use more inexpensive, plastic clarinets. The clarinet consists of five pieces that players assemble before playing. The reed is attached to the top piece – the mouthpiece – with a metal ligature that holds the reed over the hole in the mouthpiece so it can vibrate effectively.

The most common clarinet is the b-flat clarinet, which Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Mate Bekavac (see video, above) played, but there are many other kinds of clarinets, including the bass clarinet (which has a deeper, more mellow sound) and the e-flat clarinet (which has a higher, brighter sound).

At the Columbia University Marching Band’s performances you should usually see at least three or four b-flat clarinets (like in the picture above) driving the melody.

This is true in regard to the Columbia University Marching Band’s use of instruments. Traditional marching bands, with members sometimes numbering in the hundreds, feature almost every kind of band instrument, including woodwinds, brass, and percussion. This clip shows the basic marching band format, with brass, percussion, and woodwinds marching (walking) in order.

Often times at larger, more stationary venues, instruments that are fairly immobile (think timpani) remain in a front ensemble where they can be heard but do not have to march.

While the Columbia University Marching Band is much smaller, it still is still able to offer a full marching band ensemble, with a number of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments generally at each show, like in the photos below.

A small, but complete band

The Columbia University Marching Band differentiates itself from traditional marching bands both in the way it puts on a show (preferring a scramble band format, click here to see an example) and in the instruments it chooses for its performances. Often the band features a miscie (pronounced Miss Key, short for miscellaneous) instrument, which is a non-musical object that gets called to serve as an instrument during a show. For example:

Miscie

Other miscie instruments have ranged from a steel mailbox to a bench stolen from the University of Pennsylvania stadium. Besides playing miscie instruments, miscies – people in the band who do not play instruments – also read scripts, hold music for band members, dance, or provide other entertainment, helping make the Cleverest Band in the World even more clever.

Its large range of notes and strong projection of sound allow the trumpet to drive marching band melodies. This video, from a recent Tax Night, shows the extreme importance of trumpets in powering the band:

As you can see, the part of the song everyone sings along to (carry on my wayward son) is driven by the trumpets (with the less loud clarinets and flutes no doubt contributing).

Trumpets date far back in history, with evidence of trumpet-like instruments in existence 3,500 years ago.

Modern trumpets consist of brass tubing bent twice into an oblong shape, and are played – like all brass instruments – by trumpeters blowing through the mouth piece while buzzing their lips. Like with other brass instruments, the trumpet’s tone depends on the trumpeter, who can make a note higher or lower through tension and lip shape.

Most trumpets feature three valves, which also determine notes payed, and a bell that projects the sound outward. It was this projection of sound, and its usefulness for signaling, that was essential to humans who used the first trumpets, as the sound can carry over 10 miles in the correct geography.

The valves of a modern trumpet did not get invented and commonly used until the early 19th century, and because of this, trumpets were limited in their range and use among classical composers. This changed, however, in the 20th century, as the valves allowed trumpeters to do more. Players like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, are the most famous among many other trumpeters whose jazz and classical styles made the trumpet common in music in the 20th century.

There are many different types of trumpets (b-flat is most common but there are low F, C, D, E-flat, E, G and A trumpets too). There are also cornets, which are very similar to the trumpet, but that feature a more conical-shaped brass tubing, which gives the cornet a more mellow sound.

The trombone generally plays lower notes that serve as a brass bridge between the higher pitched, melodic trumpets, and the lower pitched, intonation-heavy tuba, sousaphone, and euphonium.

The trombone is also unique due to its defining feature: the slide. The slide allows it to make large swoops between notes, adding potential melodic features that can liven up marching bands and orchestras.

The contemporary trombone usually consists of brass (a mix of copper and zinc) with either a slide (more common) or valves, a bell, and a mouthpiece. The trombone, however, is over 600 years old and once had many different regional forms throughout Europe, the sackbut in Britain being the most humorously named.

Trombones did not feature prominently in the music world early on, appearing only sparingly in pieces by Bach, then more frequently in compositions by Mozart. Beethoven was the first to use trombones in a full symphony, and since that time most major composers have featured them in their symphonies and compositions.

Gershwin, Strauss and other famous composers of the 20th century continued featuring them prominently, and there is an extensive list of famous jazz trombonists – including Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Jack Teagarden – who made the instrument an even more common feature in the musical world.

Of course, The Columbia University Marching Band utilizes trombones in almost all of its performances. Because the band is voluntary (for now), the number of trombones playing can vary from one to four or five. Here’s a picture of four from homecoming ‘09:

The New York magazine apparently attended Senior Night at Levien Gymnasium February 27 to rate Columbia University during the Princeton-Columbia game. While Columbia Univesity failed in every category (getting 4’s, 5’s, and 2’s in important categories like Quality of Play and Facilities), the Columbia University Marching Band did its usual lion’s share in helping receive a perfect 10 out of 10 in the School Spirit category.

While we appreciate the nod, we would also like to point out that we’re the cleverest band in the world and not just some “smart-ass student band.” Check out the article any way by clicking here.

Roar-ee, deflated, after not being able to find the Columbia University Marching Band

Why is Roar-ee so sad? I’m pretty sure some Columbia University Marching Band could cheer the Columbia Lion up. After all, it cheers up most other people, institutions, and animals (Ivy League universities and all other newsmaking entities excepting). Let’s see how Roar-ee feels after getting some sweet band action:

There we go, much better!

Who else does the band elate? Well, there’s always the band members, who flip over being part of the cleverest band on earth. Check it out:

Sometimes the Columbia University Marching Band is too much to handle.

This band member is psyched. And so are these guys:

Building a pyramid helps the team and the excitement level.

And, of course, the excitement isn’t only limited to sporting events. The band also has a lot of extra-athletic activities, such as Tax Night and Orgo Night, and, of course, their appearances on major T.V. shows like David Letterman and TRL.

But, of course, more important than Roar-ee and even the band itself, is the crowd, for which the Columbia University Marching Band puts their hats on and performs.

Finding even more clever ways to perform.

So if you find yourself down (like Roar-ee), or just need to hear Roar Lions Roar, be sure to check out the Columbia University Marching Band, wherever they may be playing. Be sure to keep tabs on the band’s Facebook page and Twitter feed to get updated information about when they’ll play and where, and be prepared for the general excitement that dancing, pyramids, and trumpet hats can bring.

Here’s the Columbia University Marching Band playing Europe’s “The Final Countdown”, a fitting song for the late tax-filers on Tax Night!

Find out more about the Tax Night tradition by clicking here.

The Columbia University Marching Band puts on its Orgo Night for a packed house at Butler Library. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2645/4192655241_df21ba1706.jpg

Read more about the event on our Orgo Night page.

While the Columbia University Marching Band usually does a good job with its satire, sometimes its antics create controversy that has gotten the band talked about across the country, and even banned from performing at certain colleges!

Indeed, the Columbia University Marching Band made poignant statements about the Vietnam War, Johnson administration and birth control during the 60’s and 70’s. In the 80’s and 90’s, the band put on performances that featured commentaries on New York City’s anti-homeless policies, burning of the American flag and same-sex marriage.

More recently, the band has seen controversies due to content that has been deemed anti-religious by some, and there is always controversy between Columbia’s fellow ivy-league schools and bands, as rivalries flare and pranks are made.

Through its history, the Columbia University Marching Band has made a name for itself by pushing the envelope, through its performances of socially relevant topics, or just by marching and playing in places that bands usually don’t go (click here). And, when compared to the actions of other scramble bands, one could argue that the group has exercised good taste in its many performances since starting the scramble band tradition in the 1960’s.

While it does sometimes cross the line, the Columbia University Marching Band is quick to retract any content it deems questionable or regrettable, while continuing to enliven the students and citizens of Columbia University, the greater New York city area, and sometimes even other parts of the nation.

The Columbia University Marching Band, lifting spirits since 1904