Rhapsody in Blue/An American in Paris

trumpet1 · Veteran Member Joined: 07 Jun 2002 Posts: 218

I just heard the recording of the two and it said those were for like a grade 6 orchestra...are there much hard parts in that for trumpet/cornet? I'm thinking about suggesting that to our director to consider a band arrangement of it for a concert..but don't want to be shot by one of our trumpeters in band...

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[ This Message was edited by: trumpet1 on 2002-08-04 19:30 ]

walter · Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2002 5:44 pm Post subject:

[ This Message was edited by: walter on 2002-09-20 10:02 ]

SHS_Trumpet · Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2002 7:07 pm Post subject:

Blast did an awesome version

johntpt · Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2002 7:14 am Post subject:

We just played Rhapsody in Blue on our last concerts of the summer. It's a nice change of pace and gives the trumpets a chance to shine in a different style. Many players take certain passages up an octave, especially the chromatic scale towards the end that ends on a concert D. Lots of fun!!

John Urness

nawlinsboundjazz · Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2002 9:57 am Post subject:

I recently performed An American in Paris with the Arkansas Youth Orchestra.....granted it was a slightly simplified version. it wasnt far off from the real thing, though. The song wasn't very hard at all, at least for our trumpet section. I have the original recording, and the trumpet parts aren't far off, so as far as trumpets go, this isn't a very hard piece, i can't really speak for the other sections though.
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Richard

Al Cass · Regular Member Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 81 Location: USA

Well it must have been a pretty watered down version...get a copy of the first 2 trumpet parts for the real piece and then tell me if it's easy! American in Paris is tough..not the hardest thing you'll ever play but probably way too hard for most high school groups.

nawlinsboundjazz · Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2002 2:43 pm Post subject:

I guess i forgot to mention that when we first started playing it, my friend who gets lessons from the principle trumpeter in the ASO gave me a copy of the real thing........to your dismay, it wasn't much different nor extremely hard. THanks for the confidence.

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Richard

silk · New Member Joined: 03 Aug 2002 Posts: 2

Dude
American in Paris is so tough. I love the dance band section. My band director wanted me to play an improvized solo over the written one. He says only wussys play the written out solos.
late

[ This Message was edited by: silk on 2002-08-06 09:20 ]

[ This Message was edited by: silk on 2002-08-06 09:24 ]

sfenick · Regular Member Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 36

You mean to tell me that your band director told you to leave out one of the most famous solos in the trumpet literature because "only wusses play written-out solos"???? Let me see, that would mean Phil Smith, Bud Herseth, and countless other orchestral principals (all of whom are just total monsters on the horn) are wusses? I don't know whether that idea is more offensive or the idea that your band director thought that Gershwin's solo was not good enough to stand on its own. Sorry if it seems as though I am flaming you....I really am not. I am just amazed that a band director (who SHOULD know better) could make that kind of statement. Very, very sad.
Steve Fenick

Nicholas Dyson · Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2002 12:10 pm Post subject:

Hey Steve
let me fill you in a bit.... just let doublebuzz, uh, I mean Silk entertain you... he's making up stories for just that - entertainment. Although he's not necassarily full of great info about trumpet or the literature, he's funny as hell. At least I think so....
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Nicholas Dyson
Ottawa, Canada

sfenick · Regular Member Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 36

ah, I understand.
Thanks, Nick.
Steve

trjeam · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 12:42 pm Post subject:

We played the "hard" or orginal arragenment of a American in paris once in band class. The trumpet part was ok. It wasn't easy but it wasn't hard either. The clarinet parts and flute parts are hard. Really really hard.

The Trumpet solo was also cool.

And I'm looking at the music for Rhapsody in Blue right know. It's really long and real hard. When we tried playing it in band class I could hardly get passed the first couple of pages. But once you learn how to play it it's so fun.

You might also wana consider Strike Up the Band. It's a little easier with cool trumpet solos. WE played it in the County Honors band and it was fun.

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George Ayala

http://trumpeter.cjb.net
Trumpet Resource Site

[ This Message was edited by: trjeam on 2002-08-08 15:46 ]

trumpet1 · Veteran Member Joined: 07 Jun 2002 Posts: 218

band?

the original scored was for an orchestra....
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The trumpet isn't spinning
The world is just revolving around it

a441 · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Mar 2002 Posts: 108

I don't think that all of these people know that the original (Not an arrangment) was for orchestra and is NOT easy.

Trust me...you wouldn't hear from any principal trumpet player in a major symphony orchestra say that it is EASY.

Most are refering to the Band arrangment.....which is very easy!

Let's not confuse the two though!!!

trjeam · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2002 7:36 pm Post subject:

a441 · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Mar 2002 Posts: 108

I've played the band version as well. It is very different....especially time wise. It's a lot shorter. And, other than the trumpet solo, there are tons of differences.

Lot's of good stuff cut out of the band version.

trumpet1 · Veteran Member Joined: 07 Jun 2002 Posts: 218

American in Paris...played the band version arranged by Robert Russel...wasn't hard or as long...18 minutes is the original orchestral one...ours was less than 10...

Rhapsody in blue...don't see why they can't have a band arrangement of the same length because there's a full length piano-only arrangement that was arranged by that crazy musician like, right before his performance....
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The trumpet isn't spinning
The world is just revolving around it

trumpetnerd7 · Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2002 9:03 pm Post subject:

We just played the real orchestra version of American in Paris in my Youth Symphony and i can say that it is not super hard, but definately not super easy.