In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > >Haven't you ever had to explain to people why Tubas (which are Bb >instruments) are named with 2 Bs (BBb) yet trumpets are named with 1 B >(Bb) and why it appears there is only one octave between them, as >normally printed yet there are really 2 octaves and trumpets should be >printed bb instead of Bb? Which is easier to say: "double-b-flat" or >"b-flat-1?" Yes, "e-flat-2" may be harder than "capital-e-flat" but >nobody every says "capital-e-flat," they just say "e-flat" so the proper >Helmholtz nomenclature doesn't make its way into speech anymore than the >midi nomenclature does when labeling instruments.
I was very puzzled by the idea of a double B flat tuba (which is only 4/3 the length of an Eb tuba) until the thought struck me that the single Bb tuba was the tenor tuba or euphonium. I never confirmed that that was the origin of the name, however. >When people see the tuba designation of Eb printed, they don't think >"Ah, the octave below the bass-clef-second-space-C. They figure it's >just a printing convention. Bb trumpets are printed with capital Bs yet >their proper octave is small-b-flat, as are Bb clarinets, Eb soprano >clarinets are printed with capital Es when their proper name should be >e-flat-prime, and none of the normally printed names of those >instruments designate proper octaves. The BBb tuba may well be the only >instrument which is labeled (and spoken of) with the proper octave >designation. > >I think it really is a broken system, and it does need fixing, unless >it's alright to maintain two distinct sorts of classification: one for >musical theorists and one for working musicians. I don't see this as broken system but as two different systems, one for naming notes, the other for naming instruments. Personally, I find both note-naming systems defective. Neither is widely understood in amateur or student musical circles. For quick understanding, I add either a position on a clef or (for the numerate) a frequency (e.g. C space treble clef, A 440) except for middle C. -- Ken Moore [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web site: http://www.mooremusic.org.uk/ I reject emails > 100k automatically: warn me beforehand if you want to send one _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
