hrg96

I am a comeback player who played mostly jazz in my first career. My question is for any orchestral/chamber players out there. Do you practice on C trumpet using traditional Bb books or practice on Bb and just work C trumpet for etude/solo/orchestral pieces?

Vulgano Brother

Both/and. The Bb is generally considered the main trumpet, even if one plays primarily C trumpet in the orchestra. It is a good idea once in a while to practice "normal" stuff on the C--it works the chops a tad bit more, and "locks in" the C trumpet in general. When I first got a C, my professor had me play it in all groups (except jazz band) to force transposition. After playing everything down a step for several hours a day it becomes "natural" and weird things start to happen--one can start to automatically double transpose, taking things down an additional step, or look at a look and transpose it down an hour. Weird.

Have fun!

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s.coomer

I play both daily. However, most of the time I use my C. When playing things written for Bb I transpose them down a step in order to get the same pitch that was intended by the composer.

rowuk

I play most of the orchestra stuff on Bb. The C is for the french stuff that need a different "touch".

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tipo mastr

Rowuk, you live in germany, correct? Would that explain why you use Bb for orchestra in general?

walldaja

I play / practice mostly on Bb but play the C a minimum of weekly. Most of our quintet music is in Bb but we have a few pieces in C so we often use both trumpets at a rehearsal. While transposing up in Bb is common, it is also good to practice transposing down with the C too--never know when it may happen and it's good to know how to.

Vulgano Brother

Rowuk has a "to die for Bb," and a street legal (like a Ford Pinto is street legal) "C." That's why.

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rowuk

Actually, it is becoming more common to play C in Germany. I don't consider that necessarily to be an improvement. True, there is added accuracy on many parts. I think that is not the primary goal for music makers.

When my kids were small, I would read them fairy tales at night. Tinker Bell did not get a resounding bass voice. I think that it would be beneficial for many trumpet players to take a look at the music and make some decisions.

Mozarts Requiem has trumpet parts that can be played on a C trumpet, but the earthy "heaven or hell" of a natural trumpet fits much better. The Beethoven Symphonies in my opinion sound better with natural or at least cylindrical deep F trumpets. Mahler and Brückner when played on more traditional rotary trumpets, seem to get a different sparkle. Tschaikowsky Symphonies benefit from the Bb brazenness that I describe above. Schostakowitsch too.
The French romantic and modern is C trumpet country as is quite a bit of the repertory coming out of the US since the turn of the last century.

Yes, we need it all. The consummate trumpeter needs a stall full of instruments and the guts to take a chance.

The most dissappointing concert in recent history was a Tschaikowsky 4 where the first trumpet player used a picc for certain parts. Timofei Dokschizer rolled over in his grave for sure!

To be honest, I like the sound of a Bb much better for so many things. It is not my goal to give every orchestral trumpet part that creamy smooth C sound. I like the brazen glare that Bb can get for many things.

Getting back to the original post: I practice with the horn I need for the gig coming up. If it is one that I don't use that often, it oes help to renew the acquaintance!

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tipo mastr

thanks for the insight, rowuk.

sonarerocks

In America though 99 percent of everybody in symphony orchestra's use c trumpets whatever the piece there playing is. Chris Martin ( principal in chicago) talks about how he practices with every horn he owns everyday for at least 15 minutes.