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If using Toccata Marziale for an audition, should one play top or bottom octave? There is no guidance from what I am auditioning for, but if I am going to work it up I want to have it they way military special band auditions would ask so I do not have to rework it if I try for one of those bands. Thanks.

I would prepare both and if the octave was not specified at the audition, I would play the lower octave.

Unless it's specified in the audition packet to prepare the top octave, you should always prepare the bottom octave. If you win a military band audition, you come into the section being last chair, so you'll usually always play the bottom octave. Hence why most military band auditions have you prepare the bottom octave by default.

(...but it never hurts to work up the top octave just in case. Be comfortable with both.)

I picked this piece. The reason I question is when it goes to split parts, the bottom plays on beat one eighth note while the top has more material to it. But I picked it because it was off the West Point audition. Figured if it was good enough for them, it is good enough for what I am trying to do.

99% of octave splits, the top should be ignored. It's just there for a copout in case the bottom line has insufficient guts or clarity for the instrumentation or acoustics. in a band there are a cornucopia of medium-large instruments playing that sort of thing anyways although I will allow 1% for the rare actually-interesting tuba octaves.

Thanks!!!