And then in the fall on our closing day, I do holiday music after the Call to the Post. After I do the call to the post I’ll do a song like “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” or “Think of Me,” or something like that, just to have some fun. And then on closing day, generally I do songs that have to do with goodbye. Q: What other music do you play at the track?Ī: On Memorial Day, I do different patriotic songs, and also the service songs for the five branches of our armed forces. The reason you don’t see our fingers move is because it’s a bugle call, and it’s all done with your lips and how you move your air. Now some tracks do have a recording, but I think it’s important that we do it live. So it looks like I’m cheating, but I’m not. I have a herald trumpet that I play it on, because a lot of times when I’m out, I play the National Anthem or “My Old Kentucky Home,” so this horn serves both functions, instead of having to have a trumpet and then carry the bugle, too.īut when I do the Call to the Post, I don’t move my fingers. On bugle calls, you don’t use any valves - a bugle doesn’t have valves.
![the bugle repertoire the bugle repertoire](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/159756_9ab9a8da84f647f081b8acb67dd124fe~mv2.jpg)
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Q: Is the Call to Post really a recording? Why don’t we see your fingers moving?Ī: It’s in the key of C. Sometimes if we have two-year-olds and they come out and they’re acting up, I won’t play until the horse settles down, because I figure, why add more chaos when the horse is already startled? But for the most part, I play around 10 minutes to post, when the first horse touches the track. And then I usually play the Call to the Post when the first racehorse touches the track. And then when I see the lead rider come out with his red jacket on, I know that it’s time to go out and get ready. I know I have about a minute or so as they come through the tunnel. Question: How do you know when it’s time to play the Call to the Post? Is there a signal?Īnswer: I can see on the monitor when riders are up. Here are your questions, and his answers.
![the bugle repertoire the bugle repertoire](http://www.dennispedde.com/images/piccolo_spot_small.jpg)
But you had a lot more questions for Steve. As part of our Curious Derby series, we went out to chat with Churchill Downs’ official bugler, Steve Buttleman, about the origins of the Call to the Post that he plays before each race.