Big/Community Band Trumpet Sections

[Al Stevens]

Our community band is doing a big band and Broadway concert in September. The community band will perform Broadway selections, and a 16-piece big band formed mostly from members of the community band will play some standard swing era arrangements. Along with the big band is a guest lady singer jazz singer.

Linda has no big band charts of her own, so I agreed to write some for the four tunes she will perform.

Now for the point of all this. I play piano in the big band, but I am also a trumpet player. The four trumpet players selected to be our trumpet section all have (they say) big band experience and chops. Given that, and understanding the trumpet player mentality, I wrote only a few lines that go above the staff. The highest note for the lead player is D above high C, and that doesn't happen often. Usually A or Bb above the staff is the highest note. Even I can play that, and I usually played the 2nd book jazz chair in big bands.

We rehearsed the charts last night. The trumpet section was stepping all over their cranks in the upper register. It was awful. Afterwards I asked as politely as I could if I had written the parts a shade too high. To a man they all said no, it was just fine.

I'm hoping that after they've gotten used to the charts, they'll prepare themselves better for when the higher notes are coming.

Because if I rewrite the parts to where they can play them, they'll be upset, and they are my friends, and this is a volunteer organization. If I leave the charts as they are presently written, the concert might suffer. And the audience. And me.

What would you do?

 

[SOTSDO]

The range that you're using doesn't seem excessive to me. I don't arrange (well, I don't arrange very much and that none too well), but I look closely at every part of every chart that my group uses. The range you are describing fits well with what I put in front of my guys every week.

I don't fully understand the trumpet mystique (or, for that matter, trumpet players in general terms), but it seems to me that they aspire to playing high notes at all times. High C isn't out of reach of the typical trumpet guy (or so they claim), so I'd ascribe their problems to the first read of your chart more than anything else.

 

[saxhound]

I don't think that is an unreasonable range. I write a lot of big band charts, and I consider double F to be the practical range for the lead trumpet, and a high Bb or C for the second chair.

I did get some good input from a lead trumpet player about a couple of my arrangements. I have a tendency to write big block chords and unison lines using the whole band. If you have them playing a lot of half notes, whole notes and long phrases, and then ask them to jump up there, you will get some splatters. His suggestion was to either omit the trumpets for these lines, or else drop them out at a logical point a few bars before. That gives them a chance to flex their lip a little and prepare for the difficult parts.

 

[Gandalfe]

The other thing that I would wonder is if trumpet players aren't puttin' any time into practicing to maintain their chops. Some of our guys in the B jazz band only 'practice' at the weekly rehearsals. That doesn't work. So we called them in with the director (who is a high school teacher with a Masters in Music) and had a half hour discussion.

Mostly we asked how we could help them so that they would maintain their chops and spend more time on their weakness like articulations and intonation. Two started taking lessons again immediately. These guys hadn't taken lessons in decades. We still aren't were we want to be as the trumpet section is the weakest section in the band, but we've made some small progress.

Ah, to be in the A jazz band. ;-)

 

[pete]

First, remind me to download the same note "smilies" that I did for SOTW. I keep meaning to, but something always comes up.

Second, I did do a bit of arranging when I had worked for a couple of church orchestras (yes, they had strings, so they're orchestras). While our jazz ensemble did have some pro trumpet players and had some excessively high stuff, the "orchestral" arrangements I did really never reached much above A, primarily because the orchestra players weren't as good as the folks we had in the jazz ensemble.

So, I think that some of your trumpet players were a little outta shape. They probably just need to practice it a bit.

> I don't fully understand the trumpet mystique (or, for that matter, trumpet players in general terms), but it seems to me that they aspire to playing high notes at all times.
Well, Terry, I was married to one for awhile. I think it's from listening to more Maynard Ferguson than older Louis Armstrong recordings (they're not excessively high, ususally).

I like the trumpet "voice" and the flexibility of that voice through mutes and techniques, but the ultra-high can get a little annoying: great, you can hit a high C. Allow me to play an octave higher on my clarinet ....

(FWIW, trumpet players also seem to be more gearheads than sax players. They're always playing the mouthpiece of the month or gotta try that new valve oil, etc.)

 

[Merlin]

Now for the point of all this. I play piano in the big band, but I am also a trumpet player. The four trumpet players selected to be our trumpet section all have (they say) big band experience and chops. Given that, and understanding the trumpet player mentality, I wrote only a few lines that go above the staff. The highest note for the lead player is D above high C, and that doesn't happen often. Usually A or Bb above the staff is the highest note. Even I can play that, and I usually played the 2nd book jazz chair in big bands.

We rehearsed the charts last night. The trumpet section was stepping all over their cranks in the upper register. It was awful. Afterwards I asked as politely as I could if I had written the parts a shade too high. To a man they all said no, it was just fine.


What would you do?

I'd leave the charts as they are. You've written within a range that is usually specified as appropriate for a good high school band.

 

[Heckelphone]

Or is this "cruel and unusual"?

***
We rehearsed the charts last night. The trumpet section was stepping all over their cranks in the upper register. It was awful. Afterwards I asked as politely as I could if I had written the parts a shade too high. To a man they all said no, it was just fine.
***
What would you do?

Play them the "Trumpet Xmas" file

 

[Groovekiller]

TRUMPET RANGE

I've been through all this before, with several great trumpet sections

I'm lucky. I'm surrounded by world class trumpet players, some of whom are famous. I still write my trumpet parts in the "comfortable range" because I want the parts played consistently well, despite who is in the section.

Be realistic, and write what is possible. Then it is fair to insist that the parts be played with good interpretation