Central European brass bands may also have flügelhorns (soprano and tenor), and may sport valve 'bones next to slide 'bones.
Aaron J. Rabushka [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Williams, Jim" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2011 9:31 PM Subject: Re: [Finale] Need advice on writing for brass band > I've played in brass bands in US and UK and written for brass band. > Are you a brass player? > If not, how well do you know the brasses in the brass band? > How much brass band have you LISTENED TO? if none or little, then drag > tail over to iTunes or music and start listening. > DO NOT listen to UK bands from the 49s or 50s; the style then is totally > unidiomatic now--much less vibrato now. > Next: A true brass band has instrumentation unfamiliar to most people in > the US: cornets, tenorhorns in Eb (not the German things in Bb), > baritones, etc. > Each of these instruments is a unique color to which Americans are not > accustomed. > If you don't learn what these instruments sound like and what they can > produce, you're cheating yourself and the band. If need be, go to the > people who play those lesser-known instruments and get a live demo. > Don't just think of Eb tenorhorn as a French horn, the cornets as > trumpets, etc. That's another failing of some writers. > The brass band sound is warm by nature, since all the instruments except > the trombones are largely conical. So composers need to realize this for > sake of contrast in the music. > Textural variety can also be achieved via mutes , but that is not to be > relied upon or overdone. > To me the biggest deal in writing for brass band is to achieve tonal and > textural variety given the somewhat homogeneous nature of the > instrumentation. > If brass band music is not in your experience set, get downloading from > Black Dyke, Fodens, grimethorpe, etc. > Feel free to email me off-list if you have specific questions. > Jim Williams > Euphonium player > > Sent from my iPhone, so please pardon all the typos. > > On Jun 26, 2011, at 10:12 PM, "Adam Taylor" <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Greetings all! >> >> I have the opportunity to write for a local community brass band (The >> Chester Brass Band in Chester, NS) and I am looking for any advice from >> list members who have undertaken such things. THe only person I ever >> knew personally that had written for brass band was my old professor, >> Dr. Cardy, but he's passed away. >> >> I have the link to the bandsman.co.uk site on writing for brass bands, >> but I am interested in hearing other perspectives and other people's >> experiences on the matter. >> >> Any help would be appreciated. >> >> Sincerely, >> Adam >> _______________________________________________ >> Finale mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale >> > > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
