Tuba Trios

[Mark]

I am only aware of a few trios written or arranged for three tubas. Any suggestions?

[Thomas Maurice Booth]

Ludus for Three Tubas by Vaclav Nelhybel is a tremondous trio for tubas and a hell of a lot of fun to play.

http://www.freehandmusic.com/sheet-musi ... -3-320307/" target="_blank

TMB

[Ken Herrick]

A good set of trios is the Reicha french horn trios. Horn music generally makes a good source and by merely reading as bass clef, adding 3 flats and accidentals as required, makes it easily acessible whikle reading as treble clef in whatever transposition is also good brain training. Looking for trumpet or flute material also opens up the range of material available.

Of course there is always the option of doing your own transcriptions which, with todays computer notation programs, is much easier than when I was younger and everything had to be copied by hand!

[imperialbari]

There is a very good reason, why Ken’s reference to trios for natural horns as tuba trio repertory is a good one.

The human ear for physical/anatomical/neurological reasons has problems with clearly perceiving intervals smaller than a fourth in the range below F in the bass clef staff. So larger intervals are preferable for the perception of clarity in the lower tuba range.

The natural horn in whatever pitch only has the the notes of the open partials plus the chromatic neighbours of these (by means of diverse forms of stopping). As the open partials are further apart in the low range of the natural horn, its repertory also will have larger intervals in its lower ranges. A feature well suited for the tuba trio, when the said horn repertory is transposed downwards for the tubas.

Klaus

[TubaNerd88]

Myself, my instructor and a friend of mine are working on the first movement of Fancy Dances for 3 Bass Tubas by Walter Ross. It's an interesting piece and a bit weird, but you might take a look at it.

[imperialbari]

Better weird than boring.

Klaus

[EdFirth]

Dave Gannett @ Tubagear.com did some in the 70's that were terriffic. I don't know if he had them published but he's a sponsor on here and might be persuaded to do it. They are for three tubas, no euphonium and include Amazing Grace, a Beatles Medley, Srarbourough Fair, Tubas in the Moonlight, and a bunch more. We used to play them for tips in Jackson Square in New Orleans and called ourselves the Camp St. Subway. Then Dave split and that was the end of that, but I can't imagine that he deosn't still have them. They are well written and fun to play although someone in the group needs to have some high chops. With us that would be Dave.Ed