[Trombone-l] Alto Clef

[jscot@ucalgary.ca]

>Adrian -

I know you're at least half joking, but I prefer the C clefs (especially
tenor) to bass clef for the tenor trombone. The "usual" range that we use
fits the tenor clef better than any other except B flat treble clef (like
we're both familiar with in brass bands), which is essentially the same
thing as some other people have been explaining here.

I hate playing commercial charts with leger lines all over the place in
the lead parts. At least one prominent big band writer, Rob McConnell of
the "Boss Brass" in Toronto has used tenor clef in some of his charts
instead.

Alto clef fits the alto trombone's "usual" range as well. It's not quite
as practical when it dips into leger lines below the staff in
Shostakovitch (which would probably be played on a tenor), but it's not
such a difficult thing to work out for a competent player.

I guess what usually gets to any of us, is when we get tossed into a
situation where we have to read music in any unfamiliar notation. Big Band
players read charts with tons of leger lines above the bass clef without
blinking an eye, and orchestral players navigate between clefs with no
real problem. It's just a problem when it's not part of our daily routine,
but when you think about it, in either case, it's a small price to pay to
be able to play great music. Gaining some new knowledge is a good thing,
that can only make you a more complete player.

Jim Scott


>
>> From: Raymond Horton
>>
>> Why do we need the C clefs?
>>
>> Short answer:  Because there are thousands of pieces of music with
>> trombone parts written in alto and tenor clefs.
>
>
> Well Raymond, couldn't we just shred them all, then we wouldn't need C
> clefs?
>
> A.
>
>
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