Firestas'1

I attended a funeral for a long time member of my fire company today. Having also been a WW2 veteran a detail from the Army was also present.
I was shocked to see a boom box behind one of the adjacent headstones manned by a seargent they used to play Taps at the graveside ceremony. This was the first I had ever experienced a ceremony without a live bugler/trumpeter and I must say something was definitely missing.
I had heard there was a shortage of buglers to provide this service, but I had no idea it had reached the extent of "canned Taps".
I found a website dedicated to helping to fill this need of buglers for funerals of veterans

here is the link; Bugles Across America : Home

I encourage everyone to sign up to volunteer providing this service to help honor those who served. The canned music IMHO does not cut the mustard in providing the honor due to those who have served this country so selflessly.

Lets try to make sure every servicemember has a Live rendering of Taps at their graveside!

__________________


Stan J.

What is to reach the heart must come from above. If it does not, it will be nothing but notes, body without spirit.
--Ludwig van Beethoven

Music is God's best gift to man. The only art of heaven given to earth, the only art of earth we take to heaven.
--Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Solar Bell

I also do not like the electronic bugle they use either.

The last funeral I attended they were going to use one. I spoke with the family and I played it live instead.

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

Firestas'1

I would have done the same had I known this would happen, unfortunately I din't have my horn on the firetruck.

__________________


Stan J.

What is to reach the heart must come from above. If it does not, it will be nothing but notes, body without spirit.
--Ludwig van Beethoven

Music is God's best gift to man. The only art of heaven given to earth, the only art of earth we take to heaven.
--Letitia Elizabeth Landon

gzent

There is no shortage of Bugler's. There's a shortage of funds to pay buglers.

The FD's, PD's, Legions, VFW, funeral homes, etc. would rather buy a fake recording than pay a live bugler, that's the real truth.

How do they justify spending $150 to $200 on a bagpipe or hundreds on flowers and then have the gall to say there are no buglers avaialbale.

No, the truth is, there aren't any bugler's in the FD, PD, Legion, VFW, etc. they can use for nearly free and they won't pay to have a civilian professional do the job properly.

I'm not, nor never was in the military, but I've done my share of Bugling for next to no pay, even at the expense of taking time off from work in the middle of the day.

When I found out what bagpiper's are getting paid, well, my charity playing days are over. They have the money, and bugling isn't rocket science, they just want to spend spend money elsewhere.

Sorry for the rant,

Greg

__________________
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Sympathy and trust abounding
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And the mind's true liberation

stchasking

I've posted on playing taps so I won't go into the details. There is a point to gzent's post. The funeral homes usually do the booking or the local VFW or American Legion does the honor guard. The best way to work this out is through the funeral home. They can charge the estate for a real bugler and coordinate with the color guard that taps will be played by a professional.

You will never get any money out of the group responsible for the color guard. You have to work through the funeral home and you can probably be paid. Offer to audition. Quality sells.

Most of the branches use Bb trumpets. You don't need a bugle. They use a bugle at Arlington but the U.S. Air Force specifies the Bb trumpet. Some of the vets on this forum can help out here. Getzen makes the official bugle for the above web site.

Please play taps correctly. See my other posts or send a personal message to me and I'll explain.

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"I was performing professionally at age 17 and have never had a real job." Allen Vizzutti

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Brassmonkey

I have played taps many times over the years and thought I would get involved with BAA a couple of years ago. I thought it was a good idea and having had a number of relatives involved in the military (I was not) I felt I could do my part. I got one call from them to play taps at a VFW event on Memorial Day and was never contacted for anything again. About a year ago I spoke to a local representative from their organization that told me he was swamped with requests to play. He seemed genuinely pleased to hear from me. I never heard from him again. I'm not sure what's up. Maybe they are just disorganized. I don't think money was the problem as I told them that I would do it free if necessary. Oh well, if they ever do get their act together I would still be willing to play whenever possible.

Roland St.

gzent

Unfortunately, I think the "digital bugler" is just a symptom of a bigger problem - replacing live musicians with electronics.

How would people feel about plastic flowers at a funeral? Or a recording of a preacher played graveside? Or maybe just skip the flag-folding ceremony and hand the family a prefolded flag made in China? Yep, it sounds crazy, but that is about as disgraceful as a recording playing of taps at a fallen soldiers grave.

And, I say again, its not because the world is running out of buglers, its because a lot of time and money is spent on other aspects of a funeral - the playing of taps is just an afterthought for too many funeral directors.

Greg

__________________
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revalation
And the mind's true liberation

Dale Proctor

Well, a live bugler is best (as long as they're competent!). Next is the electronic bugle, and better than nothing is a boom box. I've never charged to play Taps, and never will. I don't have a lot of time to do it at this stage in my life, but I intend to join BAA when I retire and donate my services to the Vets and their families who have given us so much. I bought a Kanstul Bb bugle (OK, technically a field trumpet) because I'm a purist. It's a very nice instrument.

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"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away." - Sir Thomas Beecham

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www.otbrass.com

Brass Band of Huntsville
www.brassbandofhuntsville.org

stchasking

Dale,

In what key does that bugle play? It looks wound pretty tight for Bb.

__________________
"I was performing professionally at age 17 and have never had a real job." Allen Vizzutti

http://cdbaby.com/cd/mcking

Richard Oliver

Some months ago, I spied Getzen's field trumpets on their website and gave it a thought or two.

Cool horn Dale.


Richard