On 4/14/2014 6:42 AM, Christopher Smith wrote: [snip] > > My only explanation is that I have so seldom seen jazz written in C clef, > while most 19th C orchestra repertoire IS written in C clef (first trombone > particularly), that I automatically go into the kind of tone production, > style and articulation associated with the 19th C orchestra stuff whenever a > C clef comes up. I suppose it might be possible to create a new set of > default reactions in myself, but I would have decades of reactions to the > contrary to overcome. Virtually 100% of the big band repertoire I have seen > is in bass clef (with 8va signs when it gets very high) so that informs my > "defaults". I COULD play a jazz part in C clef, but it would add a layer of > decoding that might hang me up a bit, and most likely require more practice. > > Strangely, when playing small-group jazz, concert-pitch treble clef lead > sheets are the norm, but since I am supposed to be choosing my own octave > (and phrasing/paraphrasing) when playing small-group jazz, that is a somewhat > different set of default reactions that when I play jazz arrangements. > > I have heard of similar reactions among horn players. They much prefer to see > a part in the original transposition, rather than "normalised" to F horn. > They don't approach the note the same way when it might be the same pitch for > F horn, or C horn, or D horn, etc. You could even make the argument that > there is different information in the different transposition. In fact, I > suspect that most alto trombone players would have trouble playing a bass > clef part! I can't recall ever having seen one, even once. (Possibly a first > trombonist in a full time orchestra could contradict me, but that has been my > experience so far.) > [snip]
Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed reply. I had thought it might be the sort of thing you describe. And a very good caution for people writing tbone parts for a jazz orchestra -- a reminder to keep those parts in bass clef. Thanks! -- David H. Bailey [email protected] http://www.davidbaileymusicstudio.com _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] https://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale To unsubscribe from finale send a message to: [email protected]
