Trumpet players...?

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bennychico11

bennychico11

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Any Bb trumpet players here can give me their range? I'm writing for something that calls for a high G (concert F) and maybe even an A...two octaves above the G/A on the staff. Is this doable or am I going to get weird looks right before they take it down an octave? These are professional players too (one of them a former Stan Kenton trumpeter)
Thanks
 
bennychico11 said:
Any Bb trumpet players here can give me their range? I'm writing for something that calls for a high G (concert F) and maybe even an A...two octaves above the G/A on the staff. Is this doable or am I going to get weird looks right before they take it down an octave? These are professional players too (one of them a former Stan Kenton trumpeter)
Thanks
My range - (concert) everyday low E below the staff to F above the staff (3 ledger lines). I can play to the Bb above that (and often higher), but I don't consider it my everyday range.

High F is a good range for lead trumpet playing. Above that, and you're looking at screamers (which I'm not). A lot of lead players can play higher, but the high F is the standard top of the range. Note that this is occasional - you put them everywhere, and your players will generally be dropping like flies.

I should add that I have never seen a high A (concert) written in a change. I have seen sections notated 8va (play an octave higher) optionally.
 
thanks man. I think I'll just make it optional for them on the music. Looks like I just wrote up to a high G# max, though
Damn vocalists...why can't they ever sing a song in the original key.
 
bennychico11 said:
thanks man. I think I'll just make it optional for them on the music. Looks like I just wrote up to a high G# max, though
Damn vocalists...why can't they ever sing a song in the original key.
THEM???? THEM???? There is NO way in hell that two or more players will be playing that note in tune...... and as best my memory serves, I have yet to run across a chart in which anything above a concert F was written as part of a voicing. Octave doubling, yes, but not voiced.

My best advice - in general, except for special effect and you really know what you are doing, keep your trumpet lines below C concert. I think that what you are writing is not going to sound at all like you are thinking. If they go up to high G# (4 ledger lines above the staff), take the whole thing down an octave.
 
fraserhutch said:
THEM???? THEM???? There is NO way in hell that two or more players will be playing that note in tune...... and as best my memory serves, I have yet to run across a chart in which anything above a concert F was written as part of a voicing. Octave doubling, yes, but not voiced.

My best advice - in general, except for special effect and you really know what you are doing, keep your trumpet lines below C concert. I think that what you are writing is not going to sound at all like you are thinking. If they go up to high G# (4 ledger lines above the staff), take the whole thing down an octave.

lol, no it's only going to be one trumpet player, but I'm not sure which one is going to play which part yet. There's two guys. It's a Michael Buble song that was originally written a half a step lower. Big screamer section in the middle, too, which should be fun to play. Most of the trumpet parts are going to be written in harmony with one another since there is only two players and making them just an octave apart will leave some gaps.
I'm going to pull it down an octave for now and write a little note saying "8va if you can"
But then again, I think I'm the only one at the concerts that likes hearing screaming trumpets. Screw the vocalists, let's hear more high Gs!!!
 
Which song? I'm pretty well aquainted the arrangements from his first CD.

bennychico11 said:
lol, no it's only going to be one trumpet player, but I'm not sure which one is going to play which part yet. There's two guys. It's a Michael Buble song that was originally written a half a step lower. Big screamer section in the middle, too, which should be fun to play. Most of the trumpet parts are going to be written in harmony with one another since there is only two players and making them just an octave apart will leave some gaps.
I'm going to pull it down an octave for now and write a little note saying "8va if you can"
But then again, I think I'm the only one at the concerts that likes hearing screaming trumpets. Screw the vocalists, let's hear more high Gs!!!
 
bennychico11 said:
yeah, but did they have to choose concert A!!! No fun for us Eb horns ;)

A...................lol I got a tenor sax player in for a session & he almost had a fit when I told him Aminor
 
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