By Alison Gowans, The Gazette

November 1, 2014 | 11:58 am

MARION For members of the Liberty Band of Marion, learning new songs hasnt been as simple as reading sheet music.

The group is a Civil War re-enactment band, and they play authentic antique instruments that havent been manufactured in a very long time. The 130 -to -160 -year -old brass horns they play dont exist in mainstream music anymore.

Though theyre all experienced musicians, each member had to start their time with the Liberty Band by simply figuring out how to play those instruments.

Band founder Steve Sprague, 64, of Marion, decided to form the band after he bought a Civil War-era horn on eBay. The instrument, the music written for it and the pitch it plays didnt mesh with any existing bands he found. So he decided to start his own.

The Liberty Band is one of 40 to 50 Civil War re-enactment bands in the U.S. and the only one in Iowa that plays on antique instruments, Sprague says. Another Iowa group, the Marengo Civil War Band, plays modern versions of the music on contemporary instruments.

I knew if I wanted a band where I could play my antique horn in my lifetime, I was going to have to go out and find these instruments, Sprague says.

Sprague and his wife Sue began gathering instruments, music and band members three years ago. They hunted down the instruments from dealers and collectors and even on Craigslist. The band has bought instruments from four other countries and several U.S. states.

Theres a certain adventure in finding the instruments, Sprague says. Sometimes you find one thats out of this world and nobody knows what it is.

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Liberty Band of Marion plays songs of the Civil War