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Post by fuguestate on Sept 28, 2017 23:54:46 GMT
I have a question about the range of the bass trombone.
Is C below the bass clef feasible to play on a bass trombone? I read up on various online sources but it's unclear whether this note can be used in a melody line. As far as I can tell, the lowest non-pedal note on the tenor trombone is E below the bass clef, though there are a couple of pedal notes below that, but no C AFAIK. But what about the bass trombone? Is the C a pedal note? Is it usable on a medium-speed moving line, or should I consider using the tuba instead? (AFAIK, pedal notes are risky and generally only should be used for long notes. Right?)
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Post by Dave Dexter on Sept 29, 2017 0:38:41 GMT
I went down to the D in my recordings, no problem. Far as I can tell, low Bb is the lowest non-pedal. Judge by this: www.music.indiana.edu/department/composition/isfee/ (scales and triggers section). It's low but doesn't seem inagile or unusable, unlike the pedal tones which as you say are progressively risky. If you go to the "register colours" section, he plays a phrase lower than your C with clarity, so I'd say you're good.
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Post by Bob Porter on Sept 29, 2017 4:05:19 GMT
A thought from a brass player. Just because a particular note is listed as being "in range" upper or lower, doesn't mean you should use it in all circumstances. The bottom three notes on the trumpet are certainly playable. They are practiced every practice session. But I would never use them in a melody situation. I'd be tempted to give them to a lower instrument that can play them even better. It's not that they aren't at all playable. There's more to playing a brass instrument than "can it be played". I know trumpet players that can play higher notes on their Bb trumpets then they can on their piccolo trumpets.
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Post by fuguestate on Sept 29, 2017 6:33:30 GMT
Thanks! I'll have to think about what to do. I have a bass part that doesn't go below C below bass clef, and does go up to the top of the staff, so I thought it would be more suitable for bass trombone than, say, tuba, since besides a couple of bars, the range is more in the comfort zone of a trombone.
The other alternative is to transpose the entire piece up, which actually would solve some range problems with the higher parts too, but I'm currently still too attached to the current key for various reasons. Or maybe I should just leave it as a piano piece for now. Decisions, decisions.
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Post by Dave Dexter on Sept 29, 2017 13:15:20 GMT
It's a grey area but in the case of B trombone the low range is sturdier and more idiomatic than the low range of trumpet etc, judging by the example a melody that low would work. It doesn't seem to be stretching the instrument or player into a range that works in theory but isn't ideal in practice.
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Post by Bob Porter on Sept 29, 2017 14:05:35 GMT
Ah well, therein are some of the problems with transcribing to instruments parts that were not originally written for them. I'm not saying don't write the part. There is nothing like the bite of a trombone, especially down low. Just be careful. There are some tubas pitched higher than standard. But then again, tubas don't sound like trombones.
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Post by king2b on Sept 29, 2017 14:51:12 GMT
Bass Trombones flourish in the lower register and you are nowhere near the bottom yet. youtu.be/gaX1X4OudegGeorge Roberts was a big name in Big Bands. Music starts at about 1-42 All depends on what you are doing with it. Maybe post what you want it to do in context and then we would have a better idea. BTW I play tenor trombone.
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Post by fuguestate on Sept 29, 2017 15:01:52 GMT
Bob Porter: In this case, the trombone "bite" is precisely the sound that would work well, because when it enters in those low notes, I want it to stand out. I did also think about tubas, or euphoniums, their higher-pitched counterparts, but the sound is rounder, and probably won't stick out the way I'd like.
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Post by Bob Porter on Sept 29, 2017 17:16:08 GMT
For some reason, I'm thinking that king2b is a make and model of trombone. Your saying you played trombone tripped a lonely brain cell. But it might have stumbled in the wrong direction. I've no idea what the lower range of the bass trombone is. I only posted because there seemed to be some confusion on the web about it. Wait doesn't the web know everything. How could there possibly be misinformation? Another part of my life shattered.
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Post by driscollmusick on Sept 29, 2017 23:44:33 GMT
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Post by driscollmusick on Sept 29, 2017 23:51:20 GMT
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Post by fuguestate on Sept 29, 2017 23:52:49 GMT
Thanks, driscollmusick! Upon further reflection, I think the part in question is probably more suitable for another instrument. Well, either that, or I should just transpose the entire piece up. But for now, I'll earmark it for a different instrument. Thanks for the tips, everyone!
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Post by Dave Dexter on Sept 30, 2017 5:22:19 GMT
That article seems to be talking about tenor trombones, even saying that tenor pedals are no substitute for bass trombones for clarity in low ranges. C below bass is not an unreasonable range for b. tbn, certainly not a pedal, and I think you should write there with confidence especially given the video example of a player demonstrating this.
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