{"items": [{"author": "BDan", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103775592027106438640", "anchor": "gp-1325197698913", "service": "gp", "text": "I think the other element in the tradeoff between things like bugle and trumpet is cost due to complexity.  A bugle is much simpler to produce and maintain than a trumpet, and hence cheaper, which is a big advantage if you really only need the capabilities of a bugle.  And this applies to a lot of the other comparisons as well, though not to all of them.", "timestamp": 1325197698}, {"author": "DrTribs", "source_link": "http://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/comments/nxpxi#c3csjsm", "anchor": "r-c3csjsm", "service": "r", "text": "breath controllers/expression pedals = problem solved\n", "timestamp": 1325365092}, {"author": "Bryce", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/110073329443149494347", "anchor": "gp-1325626805196", "service": "gp", "text": "A similar sort of tradeoff does exist in brass instruments, it's just far easier to see in the hunting horn family than in the bugle family. The transition from hand horns (\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_horn\n) to valved horns in the 19th century was a controversial one for many of reasons you discuss. At least the Paris Conservatory (I suspect others as well) taught hand and valved horn side-by-side for many years, as evidenced by Paul Dukas's piece Villanelle.\n<br>\n<br>\nIn a sense, modern horns can be used as hand horns by ignoring the valves, and this is how one plays the hand horn portions of Villanelle. However, Austrian horn players would complain that the valve mechanisms add extra weight and force the bore to be (at least partially) cylindrical, both of which they feel detract from the horn's color and expressiveness. They tend to prefer a compromise with some features of both modern and natural horns (\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_horn\n).", "timestamp": 1325626805}]}