Bugle Calls

Bugle Calls

Bugle calls can serve many purposes besides their intended purpose.
If you want to teach the major triads, but you want your students to suffer as little boredom as possible, the best way might be to have your students to transpose bugle calls.
If you want a quodlibet exercise, almost any two or more of these items will do, provided that they have the same time signature and the same number of measures.

Of all of the collections of bugle calls, the one by Captain Daniel J. Canty seems to be the best.
There have been other collections published, but we have found no entries in those collections which are not also in the collection by Canty.

I am very grateful to the New York Public Library for making this publication available on-line free of charge.

monotone
These items might be good for a first lesson on any instrument.

#109, Forward
#110, Halt
#111, Walk
#112, Trot
#113, Gallop
#187, Bear a Hand

do mi
Good for an ear training lesson on the major third.

#162, Squadrons
#170, Rally by Sections
p. 58, Column p. 59, Squadron Calls

do mi so
Good for a lesson on the major triad in root position.

#10, Recall
#35, Flourish
#90, Cheers
#136, Right Oblique
#137, Left Oblique
#136 and #137 are good for a lesson on inversions.
#153, Lie Down
#157, Fix Bayonets
#158, Charge
#161, Troops
p. 58, Trumpeters
p. 58, Right
p. 59, Gangway
#173, Ambulance Call
#188, Man Overboard (same as #158)
#209, Man Boat-Falls

so do
Good for an ear training lesson on the perfect fourth.
Also good for beginners in guitar, bass guitar, or string bass.

#2, Overcoats
#118, Guide Right
#119, Guide Left
#118 and #119 are good for a lesson on inversions.
#120, Guide Center
#171, In Battery
p. 58, Line

so so
Good for an ear training lesson on the perfect octave.

#116, Guide Right
#117, Guide Left
#116 and #117 are good for a lesson on inversions.
#124, Fours Right About
#125, Fours Left About
#124 and #125 are also good for a lesson on inversions.

so mi
Good for an ear training lesson on the major sixth.

#150, As Foragers

so do mi
Good for a lesson on the major triad in second inversion.

#16, School
p. 37, Camp Cotton
#98, Evelina
#102, Attention
#103, Attention to Orders
#147, Line of Squads
#149, Route Orders
#151, As Skirmishers
#152, Fight on Foot
#154, Rise
#153 and #154 are good for a lesson on inversions.
#160, Platoons
#163, Pieces Front
#172, Mail Call
#184, Go in Water
#185, Silence
#200B, Steamers
#201, Launches
#206, Dingy
#208, Hook On

so do mi so do

#200A, Race Boat Crew

so do mi so

Unless included in the above categories, the tone rows of all entries include so do mi so.
#4 and #37 are good for a lesson on sequences.
#28, #29, #38, p. 38, and pp. 37-39 are written in three parts.
They might be good for a lesson on sightsinging in parts.
For a lesson on inversions, compare #122 with #123, #129 with #130, or #143 with #144.

I don't know why, but I have found #48, Santa Finn Barr, especially attractive.
I used to play this piece when practicing on a Korean folk instrument.
Canty, D. J. 1916. Bugle signals, calls & marches; for Army,
Navy, Marine Corps, Revenue Cutter Service &
National Guard. Bryn Mawr, PA: Oliver Ditson.
Available on-line here.

A good source of British bugle calls is:
n. a. 1966. Trumpet and bugle calls for the Army. London: Her Majesty's Sationery Office: 54-63.

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or suggested additions to the collection,
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