He started out playing drums, mellophone, and French horn before he settled on the trumpet. These mouthpieces give the mellophone a dark, round sound. The mellophone bugle was first instroduced in the mid 1960s. The "feel" of the mellophone can be foreign to a horn player. Intonation can also be an issue when playing the mellophone. Two instruments are called a "mellophone". Intonation can also be an issue with the mellophone. The present-day mellophone has three valves, operated with the right hand.