Hymn to the Fallen Bass part

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Eyedoc
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Hymn to the Fallen Bass part

Post by Eyedoc »

Playing this beautiful piece for 4th concert. Any comments on where to breathe in the string of pedal a flats and jumping in and out of pedal range. I find I need to breathe every 2 to 4 beats. Anyone have a recording of the bass part?
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BGuttman
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Re: Hymn to the Fallen Bass part

Post by BGuttman »

I'll give you the same suggestion I gave to a tuba player playing the Tchaikovsky "Romeo and Juliet" (with a 30 second note). Find places where you are covered and breathe there. Strategy overcomes lung capacity.
Bruce Guttman
Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra
"Almost Professional"
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ghmerrill
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Re: Hymn to the Fallen Bass part

Post by ghmerrill »

Yeah, this is a challenge -- especially to play the required dynamics down there and not fall over from oxygen deprivation. It would be a lot easier on a tuba. It's going in and out of the range at the right dynamics and articulation that's tough. It needs to be really soft. Just practice a lot.

Also, being old doesn't help. I used to do a lot better down there 20 years ago.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb tuba
Mack Brass Compensating Euph
Amati Oval Euph
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone
DE LB K/K10/112 Lexan, M&K GR Nickel leadpipe
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Bach 12c)
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Zandit75
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Re: Hymn to the Fallen Bass part

Post by Zandit75 »

Eyedoc wrote: Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:00 am Playing this beautiful piece for 4th concert. Any comments on where to breathe in the string of pedal a flats and jumping in and out of pedal range. I find I need to breathe every 2 to 4 beats. Anyone have a recording of the bass part?
You must be playing a different arrangement to the one our Brass Band plays. We played this piece on the weekend, and there are no pedals in my part.
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JohnL
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Re: Hymn to the Fallen Bass part

Post by JohnL »

Are we talking about the Paul Lavender concert band arrangement? It's been a while, but my recollection is that the 3rd/bass trombone part doubles the tuba part quite a bit, and I let the tuba/string bass sound predominate.
Eyedoc
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Re: Hymn to the Fallen Bass part

Post by Eyedoc »

Yes, the Paul Lavender transcription for concert band. In the middle of the piece, it builds to forte with a string of pedal A flats and other beautiful notes from mid staff to pedal G. With the positive comments from the 1st trumpet in front of me, I will do my best to inhale deeply and play an easy forte knowing the tuba will help carry over my frequent breaths. 😊
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ghmerrill
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Re: Hymn to the Fallen Bass part

Post by ghmerrill »

I'm thinking a forte will be too loud there. I don't have access to the part at the moment, but it does double the tuba a lot and you don't want to have the bass trombone cut through all of that and sound harsh. But I suppose this depends partly on how the conductor wants to present the piece. Unfortunately, I don't think the tuba can successfully obscure the distinctive timbre of a bass trombone, and especially those pedals. Better to breathe as you need to and not worry about it. If you have to separate the notes a bit, go with it. There really isn't much of an alternative.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb tuba
Mack Brass Compensating Euph
Amati Oval Euph
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone
DE LB K/K10/112 Lexan, M&K GR Nickel leadpipe
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Bach 12c)
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