wbamb83392

How much of the old fashioned fat lead trumpet sound is due to the writing style and section players? Ive noticed that beginning in the 70's the trumpet section below the lead has become less and less audible. Now the lead player seems to be at least 3 times as loud as the rest of the section whereas around 1960 the lead was just as loud and brilliant yet just a little bit louder than the section. The sound from the section covered up the lower end of the lead trumpet sound, the missing part that makes for the thin lead trumpet sound.

I've never played trumpet in a big band, only bass trombone, so I dont know exactly what the writing conventions are, but has the writing for the section changed over the years so that the lead trumpet is more exposed? Normally I write parts in close harmony for the trumpet section, with the each part just a 2nd or 3rd apart in a rather old fashioned style. Thats the only way to keep the trumpets above the lead trombone, and the harmony sounds good in the trumpet range that way. When I listen to big bands I cant even hear the trumpet section, just the lead, so how are parts being written now? Is the difference in writing or in playing?

-Eric Bamberg