Brass tablature

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Brass Tablature is a rather rare form of music notation that applies to all brass instruments, but is most commonly found written for trumpet[ citation needed ]. It consists of lines with partials, and numbers representing valve or slide positions.

Contents

Examples

The basic setup is shown here, with names of open notes for each partial on the left and rhythm or rhythmic notation above. The bottom line, indicating first-partial pedal tones, is not usually used by trumpet or horn. The seventh partial (B♭ on trumpet) is This method is impractical in the altissimo range, because of fingering differences between horns.[ citation needed ]

   1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 9:D6______________________ 8:C6______________________ 7:B♭5_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6:G5______________________ 5:E5______________________ 4:C5______________________ 3:G4______________________ 2:C4______________________ 1:C3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Numbers are used to represent fingerings. For trumpet may be seen true fingerings (0 or any combination of 1, 2, or 3) or, more commonly, positions (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Trombone tablature will always have slide positions. Here is an example of a two octave C major scale for trumpet:

   1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 9:D6________________________________________________________________ 8:C6________________________________________________4___2___1_______ 7:B♭5_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6:G5_________________________________________3___1__________________ 5:E5_________________________________3___1__________________________ 4:C5_____________________4___2___1__________________________________ 3:G4_____6___4___3___1______________________________________________ 2:C4_1______________________________________________________________ 1:C3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Three-valve instruments and trombones without valves have seven possible configurations or positions. Four-valve instruments, tenor trombones with F attachments and bass trombones (potentially with multiple valves) are more complicated. The extra length of tubing utilized when instruments are extended by nearly half their length throws off the ratios of the other tubes' lengths, which were designed to produce half-steps without the extra fourth valve. Compensating euphoniums and tubas allow for this by having two sets of tubes for each of the first three valves. Non-compensating instruments and trombones must not use the third position or valve combination because it is not in tune; other combinations must be altered drastically. Some musicians prefer to extend the tablature numbering system to 12 or more; others prefer a symbol to indicate a lesser-used, longer valve. In this table, the symbol "/" is used to indicate an F-valve on the trombone or the fourth valve on a four-valved instrument.

Tablature NumberNotes for transposing instruments Notes for concert pitch B♭ instrumentsNon-compensating valved instrument fingeringsTrombone slide positions
1CB♭01
2BA22
3B ♭A♭13
4AG12 or 34
5A♭G♭235
6 or /1GF13 or 4 or /06 or /1
7 or /2G♭E123 or 24 or /27 or /2
8 or /4FE♭14 or /1/4
9 or /5ED124 or /12/5
10 or /6E♭D♭234 or /23/6
11 or /7DC134 or /13/7

See also

Related Research Articles

Brass instrument class of musical instruments

A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones, literally meaning "lip-vibrated instruments".

Euphonium brass instrument

The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word εὔφωνος euphōnos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced". The euphonium is a valved instrument. Nearly all current models have piston valves, though some models with rotary valves do exist.

Flugelhorn Brass musical instrument

The flugelhorn is a brass instrument that is usually pitched in B but occasionally found in C. It resembles a trumpet, and the tube has the same length but a wider, conical bore. A type of valved bugle, the flugelhorn was developed in Germany from a traditional English valveless bugle, with the first version sold by Heinrich Stölzel in Berlin in 1828. The valved bugle provided Adolphe Sax with the inspiration for his B soprano (contralto) saxhorns, on which the modern-day flugelhorn is modeled.

French horn type of brass instrument

The French horn is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B is the horn most often used by players in professional orchestras and bands. A musician who plays a French horn is known as a horn player or hornist.

Pitch of brass instruments

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Trombone Type of brass instrument

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. As on all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips (embouchure) cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate. Nearly all trombones have a telescoping slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch. Many modern trombone models also use a valve attachment to lower the pitch of the instrument. Variants such as the valve trombone and superbone have three valves similar to those on the trumpet.

Trumpet musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family

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Baritone horn low-pitched brass instrument

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Tenor horn

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Mellophone brass instrument

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Natural horn unvalved ancestor of modern-day horn

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In music, fingering, or on stringed instruments stopping, is the choice of which fingers and hand positions to use when playing certain musical instruments. Fingering typically changes throughout a piece; the challenge of choosing good fingering for a piece is to make the hand movements as comfortable as possible without changing hand position too often. A fingering can be the result of the working process of the composer, who puts it into the manuscript, an editor, who adds it into the printed score, or the performer, who puts his or her own fingering in the score or in performance.

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Firebird (trumpet) type of trumpet with the standard three valves and the addition of a trombone-style slide

The Firebird is a type of trumpet with the standard three valves and the addition of a trombone-style slide. It was invented by Maynard Ferguson and Larry Ramirez and remains an exceptionally rare, specialist instrument. They are occasionally produced by Holton.

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Tablature form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering

Tablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches.

Horn (instrument) any of a family of musical instruments made of a tube, often curved in various ways, with one narrow end into which the musician blows, and a wide end from which sound emerges

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