...

[Dan Schultz]

Call me stupid (no more accurate than Ishmael)

...but I am wondering, in a British Brass Band, does the Eflat tuba part force the Eflat player to transpose, or is it written in concert pitch (albeit treble clef)? I mean, when you see the G on the treble clef staff, does it get played as a G on the Eflat tuba, and does the sound come out as a G....or something else??

I may stand corrected... i'm hoping things haven't changed in 40 years, but from my experience with brass bands while station in Scotland in the 60's, all tuba parts are transposed and written in treble clef. The fingerings are the same for Eb and BBb tubas. When you see a 'C' and finger the note 'open'... out comes an Eb on an Eb horn and Bb on a BBb horn. I kinda wish American composers would lighten up on us tuba players and quit forcing us to learn different fingerings for the horns we choose to play.

[Jonathan Fowler]

In the Eb part, like the previous poster stated, add three flats. Key of D becomes fey of F. It gets a little crazy when you get accidentals. For the most part a natural will be played as a flat, and a sharp will mean either a sharp or a natural.


good luck

[Dean]

A simple answer:

Everything in a brass band is written in treble clef (except bass trombone).

Everything plays/reads like you are using trumpet fingerings. If you can read Bb trumpet music (with a Bb horn), you can play every part in a brass band (with the possible exception of the tbones...)

[corbasse]

I kinda wish American composers would lighten up on us tuba players and quit forcing us to learn different fingerings for the horns we choose to play.

You could also learn to transpose. Basically the same process, with the added bonus of that you are aware of what you're actually doing. It's a very handy skill, and not very difficult if you've practiced your scales.
And yes, brass band parts, as well as those of a lot of other European incarnations of wind/brass ensembles, are written in such a way that you can pick up any brass instrument (except trombone and french horn) and use the same fingerings.

[Dan Schultz]

I kinda wish American composers would lighten up on us tuba players and quit forcing us to learn different fingerings for the horns we choose to play.

Yeah!!! I just bought a manual-shift automobile. Stupid-ol' Ford is FORCING me to learn how to operate it!!!

Actually, I don't mind having to use different fingerings. It presents me with a way to exercise my brain in my old age! I'm fluent with Eb, BBb, F, and CC but it usually takes me 16 or so measures to get my brain in gear!

No problems with standard transmissions as the MG Midget is a four speed (of course).

[corbasse]

.............
If you're playing a BB (or CC - whatever...any tuba that you're proficient reading good ol' bass clef).......

Yea, but my teacher makes me read bass clef both transposing and non-transposing... And in different octaves... And G clef... That's living in a border region for you
And, of course everybody drives a manual shift over here, except clumsy people and old folks

[Chuck(G)]

Actually, I don't mind having to use different fingerings. It presents me with a way to exercise my brain in my old age! I'm fluent with Eb, BBb, F, and CC but it usually takes me 16 or so measures to get my brain in gear!

But then there's the problem of creeping senioritis--where you forget which one you're holding. It ain't pretty.

[Kevin Hendrick]

If you limit yourself to the bass cleff in concert as your only playable source of scoring you truly are defining yourselves as a niche community.....

The more clefs and transpositions you can read, the wider your "field of musical opportunities" becomes. In addition to transposed tuba & euphonium parts, there's a *lot* of non-tuba-euph literature out there that's very usable on our instruments (the Telemann Canonic Duets for Violin comes to mind ... performed the first set of those on an OcTUBAfest concert in nineteen-eighty-something-or-other with my tuba prof ... they work very nicely indeed).

Having options is good ... having more options is "gooder"!

[corbasse]

So what I am reading here is this: for brass band, if I have a Eefer in my lap, and I am looking at the Eflat Bass part, the sound coming out of the bell will be correct if I am using ..... my CC tuba fingerings ?

Yes! Simple innit?

[Dan Schultz]

So what I am reading here is this: for brass band, if I have a Eefer in my lap, and I am looking at the Eflat Bass part, the sound coming out of the bell will be correct if I am using ..... my CC tuba fingerings ?

Yes! Simple innit?

HUH!!?? Someone's gonna have to explain that one to me. I think you're going to have music transposed for C tuba. Brass band music is written in treble clef and transposed to each key of instrument. Use Eb parts for Eb tuba and BBb parts for BBb tuba. Either horn uses the same fingerings but instead of a 'C' coming out of the horn when you play open valves... you will hear either a Eb or a Bb depending on which horn you are playing. I've not seen brass band music written for C tubas. If I'm confused about this please let me know.

[Chuck(G)]

HUH!!?? Someone's gonna have to explain that one to me. .

I think what was understood was that one would read the treble clef Eb bass part as written. IOW, the note one ledger line below the staff reads as C in treble clef, so if one plays it on an Eb with CC fingerings, (transposed down two octaves), you get an Eb. Similarly, with the written D just above it, you'd finger it as 4 (or 13) , which , on an Eb, iwould sound F.