Conventions are often very strong, just as custom has more influence on everyday life than law. Take, for instance, the British style brass band.
ALL of the parts in a brass band score are notated in treble clef, in either Bb transposing or Eb transposing. True, most of the instruments are either Bb or Eb transposing, but why are the tenor trombone parts written as Bb transposing, in treble clef? Convention. In fact, the convention is so strong that even in the United States, where brass bands are making a comeback, we are doing the same thing, even though most American trombone players read mostly bass clef untransposed. It would be lots easier to recruit bone players if they didn't have to learn a new notation, and yet we keep to the convention. When I write a piece for the band I play trombone with, it would be ever so easy in Finale to print untransposed trombone parts, but do I do it? No. Why? Convention. It simply isn't done. Horace Brock On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 23:33:04 -0500, you wrote: > >"Christopher BJ Smith" said > >> Why do trombones (and tubas) >> get off easily, while trumpets have to transpose? They have the same >> concert pitch open note (an octave apart). > >Easy? You think it's easy to pick up an alto trombone, learn a totally new >proportion of shorter positions, learn a totally new relationship of those >shorter positions to notes, all on an instrument that plays different notes >in a different key than the one you've played since you were 11 years old? >Guess again! > >(BTW, There ARE materials available out there so a trombonist can learn alto >trombone as a transposing instrument, in bass clef, along with standard rep >orchestral parts transposed into this weird >transposed-bass-clef-for-alto-trombone, so all the player has to get used to >are the new shorter positions and the higher pitch of the horn. It has >gained some bit of popularity, but not a lot.) > >Trombone is the only orchetral instrument that is commonly written in four >clefs, by the way. Try doing that on tenor AND alto trombone, sometime. > >Tuba - they read the same pitches, and same clef, nearly all the time - but >have to use different fingerings depending on what instrument they play. >Nearly all tubists play two keys of instruments, many play three, and some >play four. > >And you call that easy? > >"Christopher BJ Smith" continues > >> I know the historical path >> of choosing a Bb instrument from the many available lengths of >> natural trumpets to add valves to, because they liked the sound of it >> better at the time, adn that trumpet players were used to always >> seeing their parts notated in C up to that point, but the only reason >> to write trumpets in Bb today is because of convention. There is no >> other reason. > >Write for Bb trumpets when you are writing for band or high school >orchestra, or for any type ensemble aimed at high school - ALWAYS write for >Bb trumpet in those situations, because that is the instrument that 99 1/2 >per cent of the players will have, and you should always keep that instument >stictly in mind when writing for high school players. If you are writing >for college band, Bb trumpet would be the norm, in print, at least. > >If you are writing for professional, serious players, C trumpet is the >standard instument. One could still write for Bb trumpet, and many do, but >players will normally play the part on C trumpet unless there is a good >musical reason in the part to do otherwise. Smaller trumpets can be >specified, but then the composer's specification and the player's equipment >and preferences can start to conflict. > >In any commercial situation, Bb trumpets are the norm. Higher keys can be >asked of pros. > >C scores are OK. I , like Christopher, prefer transposed. But Bb trumpet >parts are not needed in professional serious situations, unless the Bb >trumpet is preferred for the music. > >Ray Horton > > >_______________________________________________ >Finale mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
