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RE: Sops, Piccs, and brass bnd bigotry

Claire Warden wrote :

> Erm... I know what a sop is but ...What IS a picc ?  Does it have ANYTHING 
> to do with Brass Bands at all ? If not why are we talking about it !

Hi Claire

The picc is a piccolo trumpet (though in strictness, the design of 
many of them makes them closer to piccolo cornets than anything 
else.)  We are talking about it (strictly in comparison to the 
soprano cornet) on the brass band list because

1) many musicians who play in and enjoy brass bands have interests 
elsewhere.  This makes them better musicians, and better musicians 
are better brass banders.

2) the instrumentation for the brass band did not come down from Mount 
Sinai carved on tablets of stone.  Some think it could not be 
improved, some do (e.g. what about a fourth trombone?  What about an 
Eb fluegelhorn?  What about a piccolo as well as or instead of the 
sop?).  How can you think about this unless you know what alternatives 
are available?

3) the skills which make a good sop are (IMHO) similar to the skills 
which make a good picc player.  Each can learn from the other.

I find it rather distressing to see the level of "brass band bigotry" 
in evidence on this list.  Although I appreciate that some people 
feel that brass bands should exist in a cosy and exclusive world of 
their own, I cannot see that it is good for the brass band movement 
or for the individual musicians to pretend that no other brass 
playing has any validity, or, as happened this week, to suggest that 
just because someone does not like a particular instrument (be it 
sop, or baritone, or tenor horn) that they should be excluded from 
talking about brass bands otherwise on the brass band list.  
Of course, if the bigots want the list to consist of reports of 
contest results, griping about adjudicators, in-jokes which mystify 
the majority, and a series of "cosy and correct" statements about how 
wonderful brass bands are, then they will get the boring and useless 
discussion group they deserve.  That would be a great shame, and we 
would all be the poorer for it : brass banding has a great deal to 
offer all brass musicians, whatever they prefer or specialise in.

I have played with bands which are as unwelcoming and hostile to 
"outsiders" as this discussion group, and also with bands which were 
open-minded and friendly.  Frankly, the narrow-minded bigots are 
rarely the better players.


Ian McKechnie
<mckechnie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>


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