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Re: Symphonic Sound - basses

To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Symphonic Sound - basses
From: Philip Anderton <P.Anderton@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 14:36:57 +1000
In-reply-to: <WUTblHAZjKZ1Ewnu@mateer.demon.co.uk>
Priority: low
References: <Pine.3.07.9805202111.A10726-b100000@login>
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At 23:21 21/05/98 +0100, Hiliary Mateer wrote:
>Can someone tell me how to play a tuba symphonically?
>I have never played in an orchestra and was not aware of a different way
>of playing the instrument.

	Just a personal opinion about tubas in orchestras and brass bands. I'm
sure there are exceptions, and of course there is no reason to assume any
similarity between brass band and orchestral writing, however... one could
argue that the basses in a brass band provide the roles of three elements
of the orchestra - the string basses, the bassoons and the brass tuba.

	In my limited experience, when scored ff with the trombones and trumpets,
the orchestral tuba player often mimics the edgy tone of the trombones -
this kind of raspy tone is not usually called for in the brass band, but it
well suits ff combinations with trombones in loud orchestral passages.

	 Often the basses in a brass band need to provide a pp accompianiment
under a solo cornet, horn or trombone melody with pp horn harmonies. This
is where having 4 tubas (who can all "whisper" pp) is an advantage. The
thick soft tone cannot be produced by one tuba alone, and to me has more of
the quality of  a soft sostenuto string bass line in orchestral writing.

	Also playing bass in a brass band is one helluvalot more interesting! I
went to a performance in the opera house of Rachmaninov's 3rd piano
concerto this week. I never realised that the entire brass section plays
only two trumpet notes in that long first movement.I suppose you would get
used to counting bars!

Phil.



Philip Anderton			Phone: +61 2 9316 8301
Warringah Concert Brass
Sydney, Australia

Web: http://www.optom.unsw.edu.au/public/other/wcb.htm
Old photos: http://www.optom.unsw.edu.au/public/bbhistory/bbh.htm
Email: P.Anderton@xxxxxxxxxxx


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References:
- Re: Vibrato
  - From: Matt LaFontaine
- Symphonic Sound
  - From: Hilary Mateer

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