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Gadgets for the Lazy
theodp writes "The Pentagon has found the perfect way to demonstrate it's purely the thought that counts - 700 bugle emulators which sit in real bugles and play 'Taps' at military funerals. The Ceremonial Bugle is just one item in Wired's collection of Gadgets for the Lazy."
Didn't read TFA, so I don't know if it mentions this, but the Taps-playing device is not for the lazy, but rather because there is a shortage of actual trumpet players for military funerals. A lot of burials are having to resort to using CD players; at least with these gadgets some of the ceremony is retained.
Because of the shortage of available buglers, a group was formed to help aid the military in properly honoring our veterans. If you need their services, or wish to volunteer, go to the website.
Right now there are about 1750 military funerals per day across the country. In 2008 it will peak at 2100 per day (if the stats are correct). Most state National Guard HQ's run a Funeral Honors program. Volunteers work 7-10 funerals a day and get a stipend of 50-60$ per day to cover expenses, most of the guys that I know that perform the duty lose money by the time they pay for gas, food, dry cleaning uniforms etc. Severice organizations (VFW, AL etc) also provide the service with unpaid volunteers. Finding any kind of brass players for that many funerals is very difficult, we're not talking small numbers here.
Screw all of you. WW2 vets have been dieing at a rate of 1000 a day up until 2004. It dropped because there were just not as many left to die. No problem though because the 2400 killed in Iraq and 200+ in Afghanistan have picked up some of the slack and the Vietnam vets are just starting to die at significant rates. We take great pains to ensure the family never sees the "device" and Taps is "played" perfectly every time - no missed notes, no errors. This is not like playing at your local talent show. These are very emotional events even for those of us on funeral detail who likely know nothing of the person being buried. It is a solemn tradition we are all proud to participate in. Every time I do one I remind myself that some day someone will do the same for me. Amazon, Google and every other company in the world wont give a dam about you the day after you quit or retire. We take care of our own no mater how long they served. After burying one of my good friends killed in Iraq this year I will never hear Taps without tearing up.
That's great, but it ruins the whole funeral when the guy pushes the "Revellie" (morning wake-up) button by mistake.
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Years ago ( 1992-1996 ) I served with The Commandant's Own, United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps. I'd like to address two things:
Funerals
When we talk about a bugle playing taps we are talking about a "simple funeral" ( a full honors funeral consists of a complete band ) and we are also typically talking about a field music playing taps on a Bb Trumpet because the U.S. Military only has 2 D&B corps left. One is The Commandant's Own in Washington, DC and the other is the U.S. Naval Academy Drum & Bugle Corps. I'm not sure how the USNA D&B works but the USMC D&B has a Duty Music of the Guard and an on-call rotation of upper-voice ( Soprano & Mellophone players ) musicians for funerals. Lower voices ( baritone and contra-bass baritone players ) do not do funerals for what should be an obvious reason. The means there are only several dozen musicans available for funerals and most of them are not available due to other operational committments of the organization. That said, they perform at hundreds of simple funerals per year in the Washington, DC area. The families of the fallen servicemen who receive these last honors are truely the lucky ones. I've witnessed many funerals and they are truely emotiona.
Thoroughout the rest of the nation simple honors funerals are perfomed by musicians from various field bands of the U.S. Military, national guard bands and volunteers from Bugles across America. They do their best to meet the mission but the sad fact is that WWII veterens are dying at a rate of couple thousand per day. Many unfortunatly, do not get proper last honors.
Bugles:
I've seen many posts in this thread with misconceptions of what a bugle is. In the military context the bugles are 2 valved ( pistons ) instruments that are pitched in G. The first valve lowers the pitch by 2 semitones and the 2nd valve lowers the pitch by a semitone. This provides for a full chromatic scale in the instruments middle range. Some notes in the lower registers are missing. Music is written to the treble clef and arranged in SATB format. Typically it's Upper and Lower Lead, 2nd and 3rd Soprano. Upper/Lower Melophones. 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baritones ( 8vb ) and Contrabass Baritone ( 15vb ).
I played trumpet. The bugle is pretty much the same thing, minus the valves.
I play signaling trumpet, a four foot long natural trumpet. The difference between a bugle and a trumpet is that the bugle is conical in section, having developed from a true horn (like, from the head of a cow) though the post horn (that round thing you see in period movies or hanging from the walls of "theme" restaurants). The closest modern orchestral relative of the bugle is the cornet, which is a valved version of the post horn, as is the, ummmm, horn ("French" Horn to you).
The restriction isn't anything like "one octave". It's more like "two notes per octave".
Well, three actually. The fundamental/root, fourth and sixth. Add the octave and you've got four notes to play with in a one octave range. Buy playing "crossed" this gives a low note below root and a major chord a fourth up from the fundamental. American military trumpets are pitched in G and if you go to a keyboard and pick out Taps you'll find that consists simply of a G below C root and a C chord played in third inversion.
Most bugle calls stick to a one octave range, but the practical range of the instrument is two octaves, although some can push it a bit further. More power to them.
KFG