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Not a brass guy dont know my way around the horn line


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It doesn't have to be a tuning nightmare as long as the members are taught to play in tune, not just tune one note.

Otherwise, how could great concert bands play so well with instruments in different keys (C, Bb, Eb, F) and the timbral differences between brass and reeds?

The overtones don't care about the foundational key of the instrument; as long as the instruments are played correctly, the overtones will line up, regardless of fingerings. Concert F is concert F, regardless of the key of the instrument producing the tone. How else could a wind player ever perform a solo with a piano accompaniment?

Where the difficulty lies is in the players knowing the built-in intonation tendencies of not only their instrument (trumpet, mello, etc.) but also of the make/model of the horn they play. I had two fine trumpet players in band last year, one on a Bach Strad and one on a Yamaha Xeno. Even though they were built in the same key, until they learned about the specific tendencies of various notes on their horns and how to adjust for them, the best tone quality in the room couldn't make up for the inherent weirdness. Great excuse for more singing...

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During the transition to Bb, many hornlines held on to their G contras due to cost, and the fact that there really weren't any decent marching tubas on the market for quite a while.

Since most scores are written with something like Finale, it's no big deal to print out parts in whatever key you'd like.

Not exactly the same as on field, but I've played Bb tuba in concert band while sitting next to a guy on a CC tuba and we sounded just fine. Most British brass bands will have Bb and Eb tubas, C and Bb cornets/trumpets, etc. and they get along peachy.

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Yes, they could work together. But the different horns have completely different tuning tendencies. A concert D, the fifth partial on baritone/trumpet, is a little flat, which works into a Bb major chord perfectly. The same note on G instruments would be either the 3rd or 6th partial, which are both sharp.

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