Auditioning for a Corp on Baritone

[Brett]

I've never really had a chance to play Baritone (or any valved instrument) in the past, other then one year in marching band. All my music was purely muscle memory, and my reading music is a little shaky.

I know I can work on that by just reading my band's Trombone parts on the school Baritone and work on it, but I doubt it'll be enough to get me up to anywhere near a division I's standard by November camp.

Is there a site-reading as part of the audition process? I don't have much experience in any of that (For that matter, is there a prepared piece type of audition, or do they provide music at the beginning of the session and want to see how we improve overall?)

Thanks in advance.

[idlethreats]

I'd probably ask on the forums of the corps you plan to try out for to be sure. However, in my experience, I have never had to sight read anything for my auditions for corps. I can only speak for the two corps that I have marched, but I'm sure other corps' members can testify as well.

[Jyri]

I've never really had a chance to play Baritone (or any valved instrument) in the past, other then one year in marching band. All my music was purely muscle memory, and my reading music is a little shaky.

I know I can work on that by just reading my band's Trombone parts on the school Baritone and work on it, but I doubt it'll be enough to get me up to anywhere near a division I's standard by November camp.

Is there a site-reading as part of the audition process? I don't have much experience in any of that (For that matter, is there a prepared piece type of audition, or do they provide music at the beginning of the session and want to see how we improve overall?)

Thanks in advance.

I havent heard of a corps that does site reading... its kinda counter D&BC style... you spend 9months on 1 show...

Yes, we play other music, but usually you have a few days to work on them before performing.

As far as going from Bone to Bari, DONT SUCK. That aside, I'd suggest you do as much of your audition stuff on trombone. Get you scales down on the Baritone @ school, write in ever fingering if need be. You might be asked to prove that you have a grasp of fingering. First camps are usually all about music, tone quality, and talent. Its not showcasing your talent, if you're on an unfamiliar horn sounding like crap.

First time I auditioned I tried to be amazing by doing everything on euph. Probelm was, the concert euphs at my school were 4 valves, the marching King was 3... and I had to hold it up. When the next guy was coming in to audition he was holding a trombone. I got cut.

Dont worry, prepare to the best of you abilities, show up and rock it.

After the first camp you might get other music, to work on at home, if thats what you were asking about as far as a gauge for improvement goes.

[crazymello]

Most corps let you audition on trombone. But just remember your equivalencies.

1=0

2=2

3=1

4=1,2

5=2,3

6=1,3

7=1,2,3

I could get it down pretty quickly. After being a high brass player, I actually learned how to play trombone. I could play bari TC, or trombone BC. So to learn Bari BC, I just treated it like a trombone with valves. But yea, most let you audition on trombone, so you should be fine. but you probably already knew that. Yes, practice some baritone, but take your 'bone with you to auditions. They'll ask you to play some baritone, yes, but they will know you are proficient at least. And you will have some baritone experience (by practicing of course) anyways.

Edited October 6, 2008 by crazymello

[JimF-LowBari]

Most corps let you audition on trombone. But just remember your equivalencies.

1=0

2=2

3=1

4=1,2

5=2,3

6=1,3

7=1,2,3

OK, my background is Bb trombone but totally G Bari bugle. And my college major was Computer Science so my musical "talent" is reading notes and making the right sounds come out of the horn (IOW - no music theory). So let me ask a non-music major question.

What clef is the Bari in this conversion and what do corps usually use with Bb horns?

Part of my confusion is I've done a concert with a corps that had both Bb and G horns. So there were two complete sets of charts, one for each key. Talk about some fugly keys and fingerings to keep everyone together.

[crazymello]

Well, Most baritone players read bass clef, same as trombone music exactly. However, many baritone players read treble clef, kinda like reading trumpet, but an octave down and on a baritone. Things wind up low in the staff, and below the staff, which is annoying sometimes. In my experience, usually music is offered in BC and TC. But I would say most baritone players read BC. If you were to play BC baritone, on a Bb horn (read in C when in bass clef) you would read it just like trombone, with that slide-valve chart. In TC, like trumpet an octave down. Now, I am curious as to how G Baritones do it. Mind shedding some light? Or any of the bazillions of people of people who played G baritone on this forum?

[JimF-LowBari]

Wish I had played Bb valved horns so I could understand the difference myself....

Here's the chart I used when I started back up a few years ago (after a long layoff ). It's not showing up on my PC right now but that might be an Adobe problem that cropped up last week. Helped me out when I went to 3 valve for the first time. I've been told it works for both G and Bb but I have no idea how that works.

http://www.dynastyband.com/education/buglefingeringchart.php

When I started in 1974 with a local Sr corps I had the luxery of weekly rehearsals so I didn't have to audition cold (thank Goodness!!). First season or so I wrote the fingerings on the chart and had one eyeball of the fingering and one on the note so I learned as I went. In fact my first night with Westshoremen, the guy next to me handed me a pen and said in a gruff voice "Here kid, no playing until ya mark everything" *gulp*. After I was done he laughed and said that's how most of his buddies did it (he probably started in the mid to late 60s).

LOL, two valve fingerings 0 - open, 1 - first, 2 - second, X - both.....

[crazymello]

Yea, you can finger a three valve G bari just like baritone tc, it seems. Hmm... Two valved. I don't know much about two valved at all. Can anyone get me a detailed chart? I've always wanted to try a two valved bugle, but I probably never will. But knowing how it works would be cool too.

[JimF-LowBari]

Yea, you can finger a three valve G bari just like baritone tc, it seems. Hmm... Two valved. I don't know much about two valved at all. Can anyone get me a detailed chart? I've always wanted to try a two valved bugle, but I probably never will. But knowing how it works would be cool too.

Thanks for the info. As for the two valved horns... well that I can answer

Only difference between 2v and 3v is a missing 3rd valve. IOW, any notes that require using the 3rd valve are not playable on the 2v horns. So my 2v G Bari could not play Ab (2/3) and a few other ones that I can't remember right now. So having 2v really cut back on what was possible in a chart.

And if you see any really "olde tyme" reference to piston/rotor (60s/70s) or piston/slide (50s/60s). Piston is really valve 1 and rotor or slide is valve 2. (I started in the piston/rotor age.... yeah I'm olde ).

[Piper]

Yea, you can finger a three valve G bari just like baritone tc, it seems. Hmm... Two valved. I don't know much about two valved at all. Can anyone get me a detailed chart? I've always wanted to try a two valved bugle, but I probably never will. But knowing how it works would be cool too.

I was only a drummer, but if I can recall correctly, on a two valve G horn (the second valve replacing the rotor) a middle C was all open - D was #1 closed - E was open - F was #1 closed - G was open - A was #1 and #2 closed - Bb was #2 closed and then the scale repeated at high C. If you wanted to fool around in the chromatic scale that could be a bit tricky, but like a said, I was just a drummer. As far as trombones are concerned, I think that most corps are more concerned about Mouthepiece to Bell than they are about fingering. Most trombone players that I've known who joined corps usually picked up the latter pretty quickly.