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Lower Pitched Trumpets


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Capt.Kirk
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 11:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would not say that a Bass trumpet is lower pitched it still use's mathematics that place A=440. SO lets be clear about that. Truly when most talk about "pitch" they are talking about those horns made before international treaty's placed A=440 back when each city and country might have it's own "pitch" for A this was especially true in Europe and with Military Bands!

Even when building horns in different keys you still follow the modern example of A=440.

The only reason I play Euphonium and Tuba is because I am an Army Brat and we could never keep a proper amount of skilled low brass players and always had too many trumpet players. So when ever we lost a Tuba or Euphonium player that was good I would fill in. So as much as I would love to have a Bass trumpet I would be just as happy with a Baritone or Euphonium or valved Trombone.

I do not think I have ever actually seen anyone playing a Bass Trumpet at the Symphony Orchestra in Flint or Saginaw or Atlanta for that matter. Not saying no one does only that I have never seen one in use. I am guessing I would see one at a jazz club in Ann Arbor if I saw one any place. RIght now though Euphonium, Flugels and Melophones are really cheap and you see them in use more often then a bass trumpet for darker fuller sound at Jazz clubs.

It is funny too because you do not see that many flugels out and about in the USA either. In Germany every beer tent has a flugel player it seems like. With all the trumpet players int he USA you would think you would see a lot more flugels, euphoniums and valve trombones then you actually see.I am sure if I traveled in different circle I might see and hear them in real life more often.

Depending on cost if I just wanted something to goof around on and did not already have a slide trombone in my home It would come down to which I could find cheaper locally an old gently used Baritone or an Ebay Flugel? To make a Bass trumpet worth owning you would have to have a use for it or just have too much money burning a whole in your pocket because you never get a good deal on one unlike Bach 180S37's the market is not flooded with them.

AS for different key's of trumpets you see C,Bb,A,Eb/D, G as G-Bugles with 3 valves and everything else from time to time.

If anything I would like a Monette Tantric 4 valve extended range Bb trumpet or something similar at a decent price point from someone else.

With a few MP's and some skill you would amazed at what you can make a Euphonium sound like when people are not able to see the instrument. In fact Maynard used if I remember right a cheap 3 valve uncompensated Baritone for some cool work!
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joey
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Joined: 22 Sep 2003
Posts: 59
Location: Bloomington IN

PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 4:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm so glad you brought this up. It always seemed to me that the biggest obstacle in trumpet ensemble is the lack of a true bass. So over the years, I've accumulated a bass trumpet, alto trumpet (low F), and an alto flugelhorn (low Eb), and started practicing them every day.

Earlier this year, as my sabbatical project, I started arranging music for a trumpet ensemble that includes these instruments. I'm leaning more in the commercial direction, including big band reductions for 6 trumpets. You can hear a few snippets of what I did (I recorded a minute or so of a few arrangements playing all of the parts myself) here:

http://www.joeytartell.com

I'm happy with the results and hope it can bring a greater range to trumpet ensemble music.

Joey
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Mithosphere
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Joined: 28 Feb 2013
Posts: 21

PostPosted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Capt.Kirk wrote:
I would not say that a Bass trumpet is lower pitched it still use's mathematics that place A=440. SO lets be clear about that. Truly when most talk about "pitch" they are talking about those horns made before international treaty's placed A=440 back when each city and country might have it's own "pitch" for A this was especially true in Europe and with Military Bands!

Even when building horns in different keys you still follow the modern example of A=440. ...


Did you read the first post? Where did it actually bring up anything related to High or Low pitch?

I believe I'm talking directly about trumpets pitched lower than the standard Bb or C that is most common (this includes both Low and High pitch, as these are tuning differences, but still based on an overall length/pitch).
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Capt.Kirk
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Joined: 24 Feb 2009
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well I did not think "Pitch" was proper since we see LP all the time in relationship to trumpets and that put's "pitch" squarely as I described it. A Bb Bass trumpet is not in a different "pitch". Likewise a "Eb/D" trumpet it not pitched differently necessarily rather it is "keyed" differently. Modern Bass trumpets are keyed in Bb and their pitch is still using A=440. So my post was very much on topic as written.

Next time you are at festival,beer tent,jazz club,rock concert, country concert, folk music concert and run into a Bb Bass Trumpet do take some snap shots as I doubt you will see 2 or 3 of them in a years time. I have season tickets to my local symphony and I have yet to see a Bass trumpets in years of attending or anything else exotic. We get guest former and conductors from all over the USA and Europe and nothing really that exotic. So what is the worth of a $5000 toy I mean Bass Trumpet if you do not have the need for it. You can always find a reason to own anything but that is not what the original post was about was it. It was not about if one can find a use for some odd, exotic not often seen used or needed musical instrument.
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