Brass Band Logo

NJH Music Logo

Some of the contents of the pages on this site are Copyright © 2016 NJH Music
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Baritones!

Hi List...oh dear...it's time coming u for baritone bashing is it now?<GG>

Just had to reply as i was 2nd baritone until recently when I inherited 1st 
baritone at Stourport.

At 09:00 05/10/1999 +0000, Amanda wrote:
>I am sick to death of people taking the p***.
>Comments such as, "Oh you're only a baritone player" and "sometimes even
>baritone players count as musicians" eventually grind on your nerves you
>know.

Must admit that in Stourport these type of phrases haven't flown my way 
beacuse I'm a baritone player...although comments along these lines do come 
my way...but that's my playing I guess not because of the baritone...i'd 
probably get them on percussion!<G>.

>If you play First Baritone you usually escape too much banter.  I played 2nd
>baritone for one Championship band and was constantly told by the Solo Euph
>that I "didn't matter" as I was only the 2nd bari and not important.

I still get the banter on 1st bari for the reasons stated already. In 
Stourport this has never been said by our Solo Euph...in fact, I noticed 
quite often the 2nd baritone part often played the bass or doubled up with 
the 2nd Euph?....I found it quite hard with intonation and the correct 
balance with the lower notes on 2nd bari?...we have just been playing 
Rusalka's Song to the Moon (cornet solo) and the 2nd bari part IMHO is 
harder than the 1st with the notes/intonation and pp 
accompaniament....along with 2nd/3rd cornet, 2nd horn and 2nd bari...our 
current MD has concentrated on these sections for overall band balance and 
from people who have heard us, the overall band sound is far larger and 
rounder....so although the exposed parts that everyone hears from Solo 
cornets, Euphs etc...the band sound is what we contribute to!...you'll 
notice the difference if these "unimportant" parts aren't there and or not 
played well.

>OK so most of the time our part is 'um-chucks' and I'm the first person to
>get fed-up with this (just ask John Davis of Riddings!), but we can actually
>play tha' knows.

yep..there are some of these...but 2nd bari (2nd horn etc) can play these 
infinitely better than solo Euphs and solo cornets?<gr&d>.

>Just an added note.  Could composers/arrangers actually give us 2nd baritone
>players a challenge now and again please.  Before there are hundreds of
>e-mails telling me about wonderful pieces for 2nd baritone, I know there are
>a lot of decent arrangements, but as new ones are written all the time it's
>just a small request.  A nice "bit o' tune" now and again, just for the 2nd
>baritone, would be gratefully received.

Agreed I sometimes feel that composers don't write for a 2nd baritone 
part...they sometimes double up with 2nd horn, 2nd trom, octave up on the 
bass...as though they have written the piece and see a blank line score 
marked 2nd Bar...and just fill in rests etc....the um-chucks are more 
prevalent in older pieces but still there sometimes...quite often there is 
some nice tune providing harmonies (in fact last year's 3rd section 
regional test..."Main Street" had the very exposed unison 1st and 2nd 
baritone tune!).

Keep at it it mand...2nd baritone is important in a band, especially if the 
composer has done his job properly!:-)

regards
--
Mike Smith   ICQ# 21002761
1st Baritone
Treasurer & Webmaster
Stourport-on-Severn Brass Band
http://www.crowle.demon.co.uk/stourportband


--

[Services] [Contact Us] [Advertise with us] [About] [Tell a friend about us] [Copyright © 2016 NJH Music]