Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!auvm!ECNCDC!UUCJEFF From: UUCJEFF@ECNCDC.BITNET (jeff beer) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic Subject: Bone playing Message-ID: Date: 8 Feb 90 14:37:00 GMT Sender: Discussions on all forms of Music Reply-To: Discussions on all forms of Music Lines: 26 Approved: NETNEWS@AUVM Gateway Trombones are Bb instruments. If you look in a music catalog, they are refered to as Bb trombones. The fundamental pitch (position 1) is a Bb. However, the parts written for them are not transposed. I assume this is because there are no such thing as C trombones. ( plus trombone players lack the mental facilities of transposition) Over on the trumpet side, you have C trumpets, Bb trumpets, Eb trumpets, D trumpets, A trumpets... In all cases, if you play an open note, you get the "concert" pitch of whatever the trumpet is in. This has the advantage of reading a part and finguring a pitch the same, regardless of trumpet you are playing on. Trumpet players can transpose, but would rather not. The only rub is that you play a C as open, and different pitches come out. I almost would rather transpose, because when I read a C, I wanna hear a Bb. Except when I am reading lead sheets. I can read concert pitch lead sheets and transpose them into Bb. I still am better at reading Bb parts though. Except when improvising on chord changes. I am so used to transposing chord changes that I do it automatically, i.e. When I see a Bb Minor I automatically start playing on a C minor chord. Even when the chords are already transposed, so on this Bb minor chord, the part would read C minor, so I would end up playing a D minor. But that is the way I sound anyways if I am playing by ear so it really doesn't matter. Jeff