Teaching an Old Dog to Learn Eb and Treble Clef

[Cobra1502]

After playing BBb tubas in bass clef for many years I have decided to take on the challenge of an Eb. I have just purchased a YEB Yamaha 321 Eb. I predominantly play in a brass band, quintets and enjoy solo work. I do practice 1 to 2 hrs daily. I provide this as background information for this question and your wisdom.

What are your thoughts as to how to quickly learn the Eb in Treble clef without loosing or confusing my current Bb in Bas clef capabilities? I welcome any and everybody’s advice.

[Voisi1ev]

Just takes practice, if you play that much a day it shouldn't be a problem. Play some Eb in Bass clef also. Keep playing your Bb, should be easy if you were playing Bb treble parts in brass band?

In the last year I've learned

Bb treble on Bb horn
Bb treble on C horn
Eb on bass clef/treble
Gone back to Bb treble on a Bb horn
Continue playing my C in bass clef.

The more you move around the easier it gets...

[Phil Dawson]

If you are talking about playing brass band treble clef tuba parts then they are written so that b flat trumpet players can read the tuba parts and at least get the fingerings right. I'm not sure if they care about the rest of it. The best way to learn this IMHO is so start with a beginning trumpet book and go up from there. Good luck, Phil

[jpwell]

Treble clef arbans book play it all
then take your bass clef arbans and play on BBb and EEb
Repetition keep doing it. Had one piece I was playing in two bands Played one on EEb one on BBb

In the last 3 years I learned BBb BC. EEb TC and BC. Still throw the wrong fingerings sometimes but its getting better. I am 58

[hup_d_dup]

What are your thoughts as to how to quickly learn the Eb in Treble clef without loosing or confusing my current Bb in Bas clef capabilities? I welcome any and everybody’s advice.

My situation is similar to yours, except that as a former trumpet player I learned treble clef first. I play Bb and Eb tuba in bass clef (same pitch, different fingerings) and Bb and Eb tubas in treble clef (same fingerings, different pitches).

You are right to ask about the confusion . . . I have found this to be a bigger hurdle than simply learning to play the clef. When the music gets fast and difficult, there is always a tendency to go to a fingering that looks to be the most familiar, even though it may not be right. What you have going for you is that you (like me) play a lot, and what you have going against you is that you (like me) appear to no longer be of an age when language and music skills are assimilated rapidly.

Rather than the Arban book, I would recommend the Second Book of Practical Studies for Cornet and Trumpet by Robert Getchell. This is the perfect book to learn treble clef fingerings because the first etudes are very simple, with occasional accidentals, and then progress through more challenging keys and intervals. The Arban book (in print form) is expensive and has a ton of stuff you don't need (unless you want it for reasons other than learning to play treble clef).

You can get a lot of mileage with the Getchell Book by keying it into a program like Finale or Musescore and then playing the etudes in various keys.

Whole tone scales can be helpful to quickly learn a new set of fingerings. Take the four sequences below and transfer them to treble clef.



Hup