Ceremonial Music
Ruffles and Flourishes
Ruffles and Flourishes are sounded to render personal honors and precede prescribed music for personnel being honored. Ruffles (played by the drums) and Flourishes (played by bugle or selected brass instruments) are played simultaneously.
| Ruffles and flourishes | Music | Grade, title, or office |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | National Anthem or Hail to the Chief | President of the United States of America |
| 4 | National Anthem | Ex-President or President-Elect |
| 4 | National Anthem of foreign country | Sovereign or Chief of State of a foreign country or member of reigning royal family |
| 4 | Hail Columbia | Vice President of the United States of America |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Speaker of the House of Representatives |
| 4 | National Anthem of United States or official's country | American or foreign ambassador, or high commissioner while in country to which accredited |
| 4 | National Anthem of official's country | Premier or Prime Minister |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Secretary of Defense |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Cabinet member, President pro tempore of Senate, governor of a State, or Chief Justice of the United States |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Deputy Secretary of defense |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Secretary of the Army |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Secretary of Navy or Air Force |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Under Secretary of Defense |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Director of Defense Research and Engineering |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Chief of Staff, United States Army; Chief of Naval Operations; Chief of Staff, United States Air Force; or Commandant of the Marine Corps |
| 4 | General's March (Army & Air Force) or Flag Officer's March (Navy) | General of the Army, Fleet Admiral, or General of the Air Force |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Chairman of a Committee of Congress |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Assistant Secretaries of Defense and General Counsel of the Department of Defense |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Governor of a Territory or foreign possession within the limits of his jurisdiction |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Under Secretary of the Army |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Under Secretary of the Navy or Air Force |
| 4 | General's March | Four Star General |
| 4 | Flag Officer's March | Four Star Admiral |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Assistant Secretary of the Army |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Assistant Secretary of the Navy or Air Force |
| 4 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | American ambassadors having returned to United States on official business |
| 3 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | American envoys, American ambassadors having returned to United States but not on official business, or ministers and foreign envoys or ministers accredited in the United States |
| 3 | General's March | Lieutenant General (Three Star) |
| 3 | Flag Officer's March | Vice Admiral (Three Star) |
| 2 | General's March | Major General (Two Star) |
| 2 | Flag Officer's March | Rear Admiral (Two Star, upper–half) |
| 2 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | American ministers resident and ministers resident accredited to the United States |
| 1 | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | American chargés d'affaires and chargés d'affaires accredited to the United States |
| 1 | General's March | Brigadier General (One Star) |
| 1 | Flag Officer's March | Rear Admiral (One Star, lower–half) |
| -- | 32–bar medley of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” | Consuls general accredited to the United States |
General's March
The General's March is the prescribed honors music for General Officers of the Army and Air Force. The Department of Defense arrangement of the General's March is played immediately following the playing of the appropriate number of Ruffles and Flourishes.
Flag Officer's March
This is not playable by bugles!
The Flag Officer's March is the prescribed honors music for Flag Officer's (Admirals) of the USN or the USCG and General Officers (Generals) of the USMC. The Department of Defense arrangement is played immediately following the playing of the appropriate number of Ruffles and Flourishes.
To The Color
A military bugle call played to render honors to the nation. It is used when no band is available to render honors, or in ceremonies requiring honors to the nation more than once. To the Color commands all the same courtesies as the National Anthem.
Sound Off
Sound off is the trooping of the line done by the band during a military parade or review. The Sound off is a three-chord (tonic, dominant seventh, tonic) cadence that precedes and follows the march played for the Sound Off sequence. The preceding Sound Off chord cadence is played in the same key as the beginning of the music. The second Sound Off chord cadence is played in the key of the music at the time of the cut off. Because of the bugle's limitations, it is not possible for them to render the Sound Off using the harmonic progression of which a military band is capable. Accordingly, the bugle is limited to a single-note progression (see the Unison Sound Off notated below). The harmonic progression can be used with multiple bugles.
Hail to the Chief
This is not playable by bugles!
Hail to the Chief is the prescribed honors music for the President of the United States of America. The Department of Defense arrangement of Hail to the Chief is played following the completion of Ruffles and Flourishes.
Hail Columbia
This is not playable by bugles!
Hail Columbia is the prescribed honors for the Vice President of the United States of America. The Department of Defense arrangement of Hail Columbia is played following the completion of Ruffles and Flourishes.
funeral dirge
This is played only with drums!
Funeral Dirge is the cadence used for the procession from the chapel to the gravesite during a military funeral.