mellophone

The mellophone is a brass instrument used in some marching bands in place of French horns. It is a middle-voiced instrument, typically pitched in the key of F, though models in E, D, C, and G (as a bugle) have also historically existed. It has a conical bore and piston valves, like that of the euphonium and flugelhorn.

These instruments are used instead of French horns for marching because their bells face forward instead of to the back (or to the side), as dissipation of the sound becomes a concern in the open-air environment of marching. Tuning is done by adjusting the tuning slide and/or the first valve slide. Fingerings for the mellophone are the same as fingerings for the trumpet, tenor horn, and most valved brass instruments. Owing to its use primarily outside concert music, there is little solo literature for the mellophone, other than that used within drum and bugle corps, and a single concerto written for the instrument.