TromboneChat

Or learning the trombone as both a B flat instrument and a C instrument.

I managed it quite by accident. My tutor was a brass bander, and he taught me the b flat transposition on the treble/G clef. Under the impression that a little extra wouldn't go amiss, I bought myself the New Tune A Day Trombone book and simultaneously worked my way through that. It is a bass/F clef book.

So without putting any great effort into it, I found myself reading both the B flat transposition and the bass/F clef.

I can guess some tutors would not approve.

But what I'd like to know is, has anyone else learnt to read both? (The benefits for me are that I can pick up a clarinet or sax score and read it; alternatively a cello or bassoon score and read it.) If so, what were your methods, your work-arounds, your gotchas, etc?

Yes, when I was a teenager learning trombone, the Tijuana Brass were very big.  There were Tijuana Brass songbooks for brass groups, but the trumpets got all the melody.

I was determined not to let that stop me.

Started in Primary 6 reading treble clef as Bb transposing.  Switched to bass clef when I went to secondary school.  Starting on treble did help with tenor clef parts !!

Ronnie

I went the other way.  Learned tenor clef in High School and figured out that it let me read the trumpet and tenor sax parts.  I read transposed treble as tenor clef.

I started on Bass Clef when in Highschool. When I joined the local Brass Band the only position I could play was Bass Trombone The 1st and 2nd Trom parts were always written in Treble Clef.
I later learnt how to read Treble Clef, and eventually Tenor Clef for the few times it comes up.
3 of the 5 trom players in our band can read both Bass and Treble, as well as muck around with Tenor Clef. It's gobbledigook for the other members of our section!

Quote from: BGuttman on Yesterday at 02:48 AMI went the other way.  Learned tenor clef in High School and figured out that it let me read the trumpet and tenor sax parts.  I read transposed treble as tenor clef.

This was my experience as well.

Reading Bb treble as tenor clef has been far more useful to know than C treble, if I'm honest. I learned C treble through jazz combo since our director made us all work from the C real book, but haven't used it nearly as much as Bb Treble/Tenor transposition.

Quote from: Bimmerman on Yesterday at 02:14 PMThis was my experience as well.

Reading Bb treble as tenor clef has been far more useful to know than C treble, if I'm honest. I learned C treble through jazz combo since our director made us all work from the C real book, but haven't used it nearly as much as Bb Treble/Tenor transposition.

My limitation is that I can't improvise over chords in Bb treble (or Eb treble).  I need to use the C chords.  Other than that, I can play Bb treble parts reading as tenor.  I sat next to a Euph player who couldn't read Bb treble.  We'd switch parts when he encountered a Bb part -- he'd play my trombone part and I'd play his Euph part.

Quote from: BGuttman on Yesterday at 03:07 PMMy limitation is that I can't improvise over chords in Bb treble (or Eb treble).  I need to use the C chords.  Other than that, I can play Bb treble parts reading as tenor.  I sat next to a Euph player who couldn't read Bb treble.  We'd switch parts when he encountered a Bb part -- he'd play my trombone part and I'd play his Euph part.

Ha, yea. I find it easier to improvise with Bb treble, because I know I can't read the chords so I have to go by ear instead. With C parts I fool myself into thinking if I read the chords I'll do better...but it always sounds worse when I try to read and think through the chorus.

After I learned Bass Clef euphonium in school, I went into a junior drum and bugle corp and their music was all written as if you were playing Bb trumpet fingerings in Treble clef (all the horns were actually in G at the time).  So yes I can read both now, and it has helped me easily pick up CC tuba since the fingerings are the same as Treble clef Euphonium (but in Bass clef).

Quote from: Radar on Today at 11:57 AMAfter I learned Bass Clef euphonium in school, I went into a junior drum and bugle corp and their music was all written as if you were playing Bb trumpet fingerings in Treble clef (all the horns were actually in G at the time).  So yes I can read both now, and it has helped me easily pick up CC tuba since the fingerings are the same as Treble clef Euphonium (but in Bass clef).


I don't understand. For CC tuba, my transposition trick is to read it as if it were alto clef. 

Quote from: Radar on Today at 11:57 AMAfter I learned Bass Clef euphonium in school, I went into a junior drum and bugle corp and their music was all written as if you were playing Bb trumpet fingerings in Treble clef (all the horns were actually in G at the time).  So yes I can read both now, and it has helped me easily pick up CC tuba since the fingerings are the same as Treble clef Euphonium (but in Bass clef).


I don't understand. For CC tuba, my transposition trick is to read it as if it were alto clef.