Eb Brass band help

[Jonathan Fowler]

I've been asked to fill in for a local brass band on solo Eb. I know how to do the transposition, but I'm not sure I have the time to get these parts where they need to be for the concert.

So as a hail mary pass...

Do any of you happen to have the following charts transposed to bass clef?

Contest Music (Heaton)

Masquerade (Wilby)

Concertino Classico (Horovitz)

I know in time this wouldn't be an issue, but the clock is ticking...

Please help?!

Jon

[tuba-tobias]

You are a pro musician and know how to do the Eb parts in treble clef and still need them written in bass clef?

[Michael Bush]

You are a pro musician and know how to do the Eb parts in treble clef and still need them written in bass clef?

In my opinion, you could benefit from going back and reading his post again, not skipping any phrases this time.

[sousaphone68]

You could Xerox the parts and give them with a bottle of white out to your students to change the key sig and accidentals for you as home work.
Good luck I hate transposing on the fly as I am not good at it.
Oh and welcome to the flame pit where no innocent request goes unremarked upon

[tuba-tobias]

to change the key sig and accidentals

Exactly. It's not harder than that. Knowing this and adding a sharp pencil and some minutes should do the job.

[Jonathan Fowler]

Thanks for the suggestions...I may indeed have them written out.

I repeat - I do, in fact know how to do the transpositions. This is not the only rep that I am currently working on, so as one might do in any profession, I'm looking to make it as accessible to myself as quickly as possible.

[Bob Kolada]

I wonder how similar they might be to a concert band version? If you can get your hands on at least that, you'd have a general idea of what you'd see in rehearsal.
Tough brass band charts on Eb is no joke. What are you playing in the group (horn and other pieces)?

[Jonathan Fowler]

Bob,

I'll be using my Alex F. The parts are tough, but if they were in bass clef I'd be comfortable with about 30 minutes of practice time. In Eb, it's a whole mind screw for me since I tend to read a lot of non-transposed treble clef music. I will see if there is a concert band version, but I have my doubts...especially with the "Contest Music"


As a professional, I have no qualms about asking for a little help from time to time. I'm doing someone a favor by subbing for him last minute and don't want to do a **** job.
I'm sure many of you can identify.

Jon

[tubagirl5]

I second the white out! Seriously, copy the parts, take some white out and change the clef, key signature and any accidentals then copy it again. I'm sure that it would take you less time to do that than writing and responding to messages on here...

[imperialbari]

In this case a sharp pencil, but a flat.

[aqualung]

Folks, this particular Eb book is nasty stuff to play, a couple are top-division test pieces. The Heaton is a constant parade of meter sigs. You'd need two full bottles of white-out to knock out the sigs and accidentals.
Once you get past Stars & Stripes, windband parts aren't similar.
Most tuba players doing a casual in a brass band prefer to cover the Eb book, because all the notes are in the same position as their BC staff. Reading the BBb book, there is no cheatola.

Here's a little hint for ANY transposition project: If a note has an accidental, it will have an accidental in the new key. Conversely, a note without an accidental will also not have one in the new key.
Now unfortunately, it might not end up being the same accidental.

[Dan Schultz]

Not wanting to mess with treble clef parts is not the mark of a non-professional or a 'weenie'. I can read treble clef and play both BBb and Eb tubas. Although I play in a British-style brass band on a regular basis... that's only on Wednesday nights. The other six days I more-or-less stick to regular bass clef music on a BBb tuba. I routinely transpose all of the treble clef parts I'm given to bass clef simply because it's a heck of-a-lot easier on my tired 65 year-old chops and brain than trying to transpose stuff like we'll be playing at NABBA this year.

I quit playing with this particular band a few years back because of a snotty comment from a euph player who suggested I was less of a tubist because I didn't want to read treble clef. When he move on... I went back.

[Adam C.]

Jon,

I know the Heaton piece, and I'm jealous. It's great music!

Enjoy,
Adam

[Jonathan Fowler]

Well, after spending a few hours with the Eb parts today my fluency started to come back a bit. That being said, the WIlby and Heaton are quite nasty. Most of the other charts are readable, so I feel that I won't embarrass myself.
This is not my normal "cup of tea", so any help or sympathy that has been offered has been most appreciated.

My "freak out" moment happened yesterday in my office when I put the Heaton on my stand and tried to read it along with the Black Dyke recording...I quickly realized that this would be a lot more work than I previously thought.

I am enjoying the process and am looking forward to playing with many great musicians in the ABB soon.

[Tom Holtz]

I've done the transposing thing, done the "Add three flats" thing, and on some of the high-end brass band stuff, you're just gonna get your butt kicked when you read it for the first time. If you don't do treble clef on a regular basis, you're gonna get beat up.

Especially if you're reading it down on F. Best of luck, start slow. Especially the Wilby.

[PhilGreen]

The parts are tough, but if they were in bass clef I'd be comfortable with about 30 minutes of practice time.

Jon

Seriously? These pieces (particularly the Wilby and the Heaton) are my bread and butter stuff and there's no way me or anyone else I know could master these parts on 30 minutes - even those who don't need to do any kind of transposition. For performance standards, as an ensemble, we would do 20 hours easily on each piece and I'd be matching that at least with personal practice.

Perhaps the performance standard is different for this gig but 30 minutes.........?

Phil.

[PhilGreen]

Just read your last post Jon - that'll teach me not to go to the end of a thread before weighing in with my two penneth. Good luck with the concert - the Wilby isn't a favourite of mine but Contest Music is such a great piece of music and the Eb part, particularly the 1st and the tail end of the 3rd movement, is fantastic.
Phil.

[jeopardymaster]

With all the previous comments in mind, honest to Pete, by now I'd be re-thinking my commitment to using an F tuba for this gig, when an Eb or a CC would make the problem a whole lot less complicated. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[J.c. Sherman]

I have to admit to some puzzlement. In my mind, Eb treble... well, sorta is bass clef. It's one and the same. You might have a 1/2 second computation with a double sharp or flat, but honestly, it's not much of a chore, even if the parts a b!+c#.

All tubists should be adept at our major transpositions - 8vb and Eb treble. Tenor and treble clef are smart too (french music and cello/bass parts). Bb treble is unique to brass band and some ophicleide/saxhorn parts, so being able to address that as well is critical.

Off my high horse... (but seriously, if the part's handed to you, you accept only if you can perform it

J.c.S.

[eupher61]

Far be it from me to criticize or make any disparaging comment toward anyone who has a bit of nerves over this transposition.

Going to Bb on an F tuba, I have trouble. Going to Eb, it's a walk in the park. But, I guess I'm lucky that I experimented a lot as a kid...playing alto sax parts on trumpet and vice versa (MMO rocks! if only the tunes, at least in those days, were less boring) and playing trumpet stuff on trombone and vice versa, and all of it on tuba, including C treble parts. I guess I had plenty of time to think about it and worked it out. I don't remember it being a problem, but now realize I'm really fortunate to have developed the skill without really knowing I was doing something some find tough.