Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The Brass Band


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Posted by Steve Marcus on July 17, 2002 at 07:30:05:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The Brass Band posted by Anthony on July 17, 2002 at 02:23:37:

Tony Z. and I were writing our lengthy responses to your question, Anthony, at the same time, but he posted his first! Tony's answer is excellent, so I'll just add a few points:

The Brass Band competitions are different in the UK (where these competitions have been going on for many more years than in the US), so perhaps Andy Cattanach could chime in here.

It has been commented by many British musicians who've visited the NABBA affair how much more camaraderie and mutual support there appears to be among and between bands in the US and Canada. Indeed, there may be some fierce rivalries between specific bands, but there is generally not the "soap opera" situation that certain contributors to this BBS would lead you to believe. Members of one band will heartily and sincerely cheer the impressive musical performance of another band, even one with whom they are competing directly!

Bands must conform to traditional British Brass Band instrumentation; the number of musicians on stage is strictly monitored. Thus, in lieu of trumpets and french horns, cornets and Eb tenor (alto) horns are used. NABBA does have an "Open" Section which does not have these restrictions of instrumentation. Interestingly, the River City Brass Band, an excellent ensemble based in Pittsburgh, does NOT conform to British instrumentation (nor do they compete--they're fully professional, making them ineligible for the competitions).

TUBA CONTENT: At this time, the type of tuba used by each BBb Bass and Eb Bass player is the player's choice; you can play BBb tuba, CC, Eb, or F (although it unlikely that someone would play the BBb Bass part on an F tuba!). There is a rationale that equipping the bass players with, for instance, Besson 3+1 horns (BBb and Eb respectively) across the board would contribute to the uniformity of the sound of the band. But there is also the argument that a band with a limited budget is best spending its money on other ways to improve the players' sounds: guest clinicians, workshops, individual lessons, etc. Think of Arnold Jacobs' hierarchy of what affects a tuba player's performance:

3. The Horn
2. The Mouthpiece
1. The Player

...But I digress, for the sake of tuba content. Perhaps someone would want to continue our thread in this vein.

"Are the individual musicians paid for the time they put into it?"

In the US, they are not supposed to be paid. (Ahem.) The contest is strictly for amateurs who do not earn more than 75% of their income as performers. They do it for the love of the genre, as Tony described in his original post in this Brass Band thread. However, I would hesitate to compare brass bands to "community bands." There are some excellent community bands in the US, but the term "community band" can sometimes connote little more than an alternative to bowling night. On the other hand, brass banding involves real commitment to the quality of the musical performance. Even though the brass band movement is participated in by amateurs (defined as unpaid players), the music can be quite sophisticated and demanding. Also, unlike wind ensembles and concert bands, the strict British instrumentation leads to the comparison of a "30-voice chamber ensemble" rather than the large mass of players that a concert band can constitute.

There is much more information about this at the link below. You may also want to do a Google search to visit brass band sites from UK and other countries.
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