Marching brass instruments are made especially to be played while the player is moving. Not all instruments have a marching version, but many do.

The main difference is that the bell is moved to send sound forward instead of over (or under) the player's shoulder. These instruments are used by different groups, such as high school marching bands and drum and bugle corps.

Bugles

The drum and bugle corps activity has helped create many new types of marching brass instruments over many years. Instruments like the mellophone and the contrabass bugle were developed by manufacturers for use in drum and bugle corps because of the influence of the corps’ hornlines.

Modern bugles used in drum corps are different from those in marching bands mainly because of their key. Bugles are in the key of G, while band instruments are in the key of B♭. Bugle voices are grouped into categories similar to choir voices: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass. However, the names of these instruments can be confusing because the bugles used in drum and bugle corps have changed over time. All these instruments are based on the old United States Army G major "straight" (valveless) bugles that were used widely in 1892.

In drum corps, two types of instruments have been classified as soprano voices: the soprano bugle and the piccolo soprano.

The piccolo soprano was first made regularly in the late 1970s during the two-piston valve bugle era. It is about the same size as a G soprano trumpet. Piccolo sopranos were made with two or three valves, but they are no longer mass-produced. They are available only as custom orders. The main difference between a G trumpet and a G piccolo soprano is the size of the bell’s throat and the bore (the inside diameter of the instrument). G trumpets usually have a bore size of .440" to .450", while the G piccolo soprano had a larger bore of .468". This larger bore sometimes caused tuning problems across the instrument’s range.

The soprano bugle was the first instrument in the drum corps bugle family. It is a direct descendant of the M1892 US Army field trumpet, which was used by the Army and later adopted by early drum and bugle corps in the early 20th century. Since the start of the activity, the soprano bugle has gone through many design changes. In early corps, the soprano was pitched in G or F (using a long tuning slide for F). This allowed groups to play simple melodies together. The first major change was adding an extra loop of tubing with a locking piston valve to lower the soprano to the key of D. This allowed four possible keys: G and F with the valve open, and D and C with the valve closed.

In the 1930s, competitive circuits allowed the valve to be unlocked, letting musicians play more complex melodies individually instead of splitting them among multiple players. The horizontal valve remained under the handhold and was operated by the right thumb. During the 1940s and 1950s, corps experimented with sanding down the tuning slide to make it move as smoothly as a trombone slide, allowing quick tuning changes to reach notes in the overtone series of F# and F. Combined with the piston valve, this allowed notes in the overtone series of D♭ and C. Many bugles were modified with a ring to let the left hand control the tuning slide. This setup became so popular that it was added as a factory option.

By the early 1960s, competitive circuits approved the use of a rotary valve tuning slide instead of the standard tuning slide on the soprano. The rotary valve was operated by the left hand and lowered the pitch by a half-step (F#) or a whole-step (F). Some sopranos had both slides to allow more note choices, but these instruments were still not fully chromatic (able to play all notes). In 1967, rules congress standardized an F piston valve and an F# rotary valve, similar to the first and second valves on a typical brass instrument. Older equipment was allowed to stay in use, but most corps sold their older D piston sopranos or upgraded them with kits to replace the D tubing with F tubing.

In the late 1970s, DCI’s rules congress allowed the soprano to be designed like a trumpet, with two vertical piston valves. European drum corps skipped this rule and allowed three valves. American manufacturers made both two and three valve instruments at the same time, often using the same parts. By 1990, DCI approved three valve sopranos in the North American circuit, ending the era of non-chromatic bugles. Sopranos are still made by one company, which also produces a two valve version for The Commandant's Own United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps.

Soprano bugles typically have a bore size of .468" to .470" and come in standard and "power bore" configurations. "Power bore" versions have heavier bracing, a thicker leadpipe, and a slightly larger bell.

The Herald Soprano bugle was made by DEG Music Products for small ensembles and corps. It uses a standard soprano bugle valve section but has an adjusted leadpipe and bell to create a long, fanfare-like shape. It was made with two valves and had eyelets for attaching a banner.

The Flugelhorn bugle was first designed in the 1960s and 1970s during the piston/rotor bugle era. These Flugelhorns were shaped like traditional flugelhorns but followed rules congress limitations. During the two vertical valve era, two designs were made: one with a tunable leadpipe and another with a tuning slide and fixed leadpipe. Three valve G Flugelhorns were made in limited numbers. The G Flugelhorn has the same range as a soprano and a .468" bore.

During the non-chromatic era of drum and bugle corps, the alto voice was unique because most alto instruments had the same range as soprano instruments. This allowed alto instruments to sometimes overlap with sopranos to create different tone colors in performances.

The alto bugle was created in the 1970s during the two piston era. It was based on alto horns used in marching bands and brass bands, adapted for a bell-front design. Alto bugles are still made today with three valves. Their bore size is usually .468" to .470". As an alto voice in G, it shares the lower range of the soprano family.

The mellophone bugle was first introduced in the mid-1960s. It was based on the Conn Mellophonium used by the Stan Kenton Orchestra

Flugabone

The Flugabone is a type of marching valve trombone. It is shaped like a flugelhorn. The Flugabone has a cylindrical tube shape, unlike the conical shape of a flugelhorn or bugle. Famous Salsa musicians like Willie Colón and Rubén Blades have played the Flugabone.