Ray Steadman-Allen's book is great. As well as bread and butter stuff it addresses things like swing writing for brass band, aleatoric passages, etc.
I can feel the flames coming... but a good brass band (a bit like an orchestra) can balance itself to play almost anything you can write. The worst thing you can do is text-book doubling and colour. These end up sounding high-schooly! Steve P. On 27 Jun 2011, at 07:04, Raymond Horton <[email protected]> wrote: > The Chester Brass Band, from its website, is a British-style brass > band, with its strict instrumentation. > > That site will lead you to a site that tells more about the type group: > http://www.chesterbrass.com/ > > Also see: > > http://www.nabba.org/ > > There is a good book: > _Scoring for Brass Band_ by Denis Wright > > which will teach you all of the basics. It is a bit old (percussion > is outdated, but percussion really does not differ from any other > group - one only needs to know the particular groups limits of players > and instruments) but will give you a very good start. I found it > helpful when I was beginning to do several arrangements and > compositions for British BB. > > It appears the book may be out of print. I will sell my copy > (excellent condition, only my name written in it) for half of what I > paid. I believe mine cost $24 inc shipping - I'll sell it for $12 > incl shipping. > > One other book I see on the google is _Colour and texture in the brass > band score_ by Steadman-Allen (1980). I do not know it. I see one > good review - appears to be more advanced. Only a couple of $45 used > copies on Amazon - a shame - I might buy that if not so high (and if I > had a job right now). > > ================== > You can read the most basic aspects on the pages above (all the brass > instruments in treble clef [either Bb or Eb] except bass trombone, > even the Eb and Bb basses, etc., etc.). > > The most challenging thing for me, at first, was trying to figure out > how balance the cornets. The standard section is four solo cornets, > two 2nds, two 3rds, and one repiano cornet. ("repiano" is a > corruption of the Baroque term "ripieno".) Not all bands have these > exact numbers but this is the ideal. Four solo players allows some > rest, also divisi is not uncommon. The repiano is sort of a floating > player - can be used to double other parts as needed or for occasional > minor solos (such as a muted solo in between the solo cornets open > playing). The second and third parts are expected to be simpler by > degrees. > > A lot more recordings are available now than there used to be, so take > advantage of that. And borrow scores from the group for which you > are writing - that will show you some of the usual practices. I did > this a lot at first. > > I filled in on bass trombone with the group that I have written a lot > for on a concert a few weeks ago. This was the first time I had > played bass trombone with a brass band since my first semester of of > college (1970) as I have always played euphonium since (well, and tuba > a couple of times). The band played an arrangement (actually a > rip-off of a school orchestra movie medley) by a novice arranger in > the band who made a lot of mistakes. She kept the trombones playing > all the time - big mistake. The trombones are the only cylindrical > brass instruments in the band and should be kept for color. Also - > she kept trying to write all the high string and WW parts in the > cornets, instead of flipping some down into lower ranges for tenor > horns, euphonium etc. And she needed to thin some of it down - too > much tutti all of the time. > > What was said earlier about the loss of vibrato in American brass > bands now is true but sad. By losing nearly all touches of > British-style vibrato (not the extreme old-timey English Salvation > Army vibrato with no attack but that tasteful British playing - you > know - what _I_ like), many American brass bands now get a sound > pretty much identical to a brass choir with trumpets and French horns. > Not a bad thing, just, not so different any more. > > Raymond Horton > Bass Trombonist, Louisville Orchestra > Minister of Music, Edwardsville (IN) UMC > Composer, Arranger > VISIT US AT rayhortonmusic.com > >>> 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
