Tuning App advice

[Lincoln162]

Hi all,

I'm new here and also new to playing the trombone. My brass instrument of choice and of life has been the cornet but I wanted a new challenge, I already play in a Brass Band but we are lacking in the trombone department!

My issue comes with my music reading, I cannot read bass clef (plus, in all our brass band arrangements the trombone parts are in treble clef, which suits me!) I've got Paul Harris's Trombone Basics (treble clef edition).

I've picked myself up a cheap second hand tenor Bb trombone. So thought I would give it a go and see how I got on, whether it's for me etc.

But I'm really struggling to find a tuning app which identifies in treble clef. (I hope this makes sense...) I currently use Bandmate Chromatic Turner. But when I select Trombone it changes to bass clef, which I don't want.

I'm impressed I've managed to get anything out of it at all as the mouthpiece feels like it's covering my entire face compared to the cornet!! But I just want to have a tuning app that I can rely on to check I'm actually hitting the right notes!

If anyone at all could help I'd be so grateful.

[BGuttman]

Welcome!

Why don't you tell the tuning app that you play Baritone Horn? Same range as a trom, but usually written in treble clef.

[Burgerbob]

You'll want something you can put in Bb transposition

[AtomicClock]

tell the tuning app that you play Baritone Horn

This.

Supported Instruments: Alto Saxophone, Baritone / Euphonium (Bass Clef), Baritone / Euphonium (Treble Clef), Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Bass, Bassoon, Bells, Cello, Clarinet, Flute, French Horn, Guitar / Ukulele, Oboe, Piccolo, Recorder, Tenor Saxophone, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Viola, Violin, Voice (Bass Clef), Voice (Treble Clef)

I don't think I've ever looked at the note a tuner identifies. Usually all you need is sharp or flat and by how much. I guess for very new players, the note name can help tell you when you hit the wrong partial. But you'll get past that problem pretty quickly on your own.

[StephenK]

Hi, and welcome! Maybe your tuner will let you pick Tenor Sax? Similar transpose to TC trombone.
I would suggest though that you at least learn the names of the notes in concert pitch, and try to get familiar with them. So in brass band TC notation your C is a Bb in concert pitch. Even if you are playing exclusively in a brass band at present, it's worth learning to play in bass clef, as it opens the way to the majority of music for trombone, and bass trom in the band. It's something brass band players ( myself included) are affected by.

[Lincoln162]

Thank you all for your advice this is really helpful. Definitely feeling like I've bitten off more than I can chew but I'm going to give it a try!
I've also noticed if I open Bandmate Chromatic Tuner through the web rather than the app it offers Euph TC which is potentially an option as well as Bari.
I'll give them a go, wish me luck! And thanks again to those who replied

[timothy42b]

When I play Bb treble I think in concert pitch, so I never tried adjusting my tuner, but it turns out to be easy.

I use Sound Corset, because it is free and works well on Android tablets and Kindle.
If I tap the screen, the transposition window comes up. I can select Bb instead of C.

Now it gives me the needle display, and the note I play is shown in both Concert Pitch and Bb pitch. Very convenient. I imagine most tuner apps can do something similar.

[Geordie]

Thank you all for your advice this is really helpful. Definitely feeling like I've bitten off more than I can chew but I'm going to give it a try!

Snip

I'll give them a go, wish me luck! And thanks again to those who replied

I started playing treble clef in brass bands. Decided to grip bass clef just before I turned 40. Ever since It’s opened up more varied playing opportunities, a bigger variety of music and performances.
Stay with it, the satisfaction is worth it.
Some lessons/coaching with a good teacher helped me. Need not be every week if you stay focused and practice between sessions.
Good luck!

[Kbiggs]

Some tuning apps have settings for transposing instruments, like TE Tuner. It also allow you to manually adjust the transposing interval.

For learning to read bass clef as a treble clef player, there are several good books out there. The first that comes to mind is by Reginald Fink, From Treble Clef to Bass Clef Baritone. A bonus: Once you learn to go from treble to bass clef (from a transposing to a non-transposing instrument), you’ll be able to read tenor clef!

[AtomicClock]

Relax, folks. Lincoln is just barely a trombone player, and obviously comes from the brass band community where treble clef is the norm. Let her (?) use treble clef. We don't push alto clef on 5th grade novices, either. If she wants to try other things later on, she's free to do so.

[BrassSection]

Born and raised bass clef player. Played BC baritone in school, guy beside me played baritone TC. Looked over at his music one day, then looked at mine. Within 3 days I was comfortable in either. TC came in handy when i started playing trumpet and French horn. Main playing now is in a church band. Trombone gets most playtime, my normal ”music” is the guitar chord chart, in concert pitch. No problem, I just think bass clef when playing trumpet. Leader will print out the appropriate key chord chart when my grandson or a trumpet pro joins our group.

My 2 cents worth is, knowing both helps, if you don’t NEED bass clef now, you should still be familiar with it. I’ve played in ensembles and a community band when opportunities arise. If you branch out to other groups, unlike euphonium music, there’s not a lot of treble clef trombone music that I’ve seen.

[timothy42b]

I had a trumpet playing friend who was obsessed with Herb Alpert.

He transcribed tunes off the albums, which were of course LPs. Naturally he transcribed them in Bb, including the guitar chords. That struck me as not very useful but at the same time kind of awesome.