Orchestra, trmbs.

...will be trombones

"Tromboni", simply (in English: trombones, abbreviated "trmbs"), neither bass nor treble.

Maybe I'm talking nonsense, but don't orchestras just use trombones? Anyway, bass, tenor, or alto trombones sound more like band instruments to me...

But now a doubt occurs to me: if it is true that bass, tenor, or alto trombones exist... what are the trombones without any specification?

Destroyed wrote:

Maybe I'm talking nonsense, but don't they just use trombones in an orchestra? Anyway, bass, tenor, or alto trombones sound more like band stuff to me...

But now I have a doubt: if it's true that bass, tenor, or alto trombones exist... what are the trombones without a specification?

the "standard" trombones would be:

Alto

Tenor

Tenor/Bass

Bass

Then other variations can also be found.

Not all orchestras have the alto trombone, and its part is performed by the tenor trombone, even if it's not the same thing.

The bass trombone is often replaced by the tenor/bass, which is more versatile.

In any case, trombones should be specified in the score; otherwise, in case of a generic indication "trombones," the default would be:

Alto

Tenor

Bass

Destroyed wrote:

Maybe I'm talking nonsense, but don't they just use trombones in the orchestra and that's it? Anyway, bass, tenor, or alto trombones sound more like band instruments to me...

But now I have a doubt: if it is true that bass, tenor, or alto trombones exist... what are the trombones without any specification?

No, no, wait a moment: it's not that "in the orchestra they just use trombones," but normally, if not specified, modern orchestras use the "tenor/bass" tenor, which is quite versatile, for the three upper parts, and the tuba (unfortunately) when the bass trombone is required (see, e.g., Verdi). In any case, it is the individual player (especially the "first") who chooses depending on the part—if there is an important solo, for example—whether to use the tenor/bass, the tenor, or even the alto.

Consider that, in most cases, the tenor/bass can do practically everything, so it is a matter of timbre that, from time to time, can be resolved differently by the player or, if they know something about it, by the conductor. Personally, not knowing enough about trombones, I never ask anything regarding this, but the only thing I try to achieve is, when I do Verdi, that the tuba is not used instead of the 4th trombone, and, if the cimbasso is not available (it is in Parma, for example), that the bass trombone is used. But I don't go any further than that...

Last year I did "Pini di Roma" and the first trombonist came to me and said he had thought about playing the piece with the tenor: "what do you think?" he asked me. We tried it and it actually sounded great. But, a priori, I wouldn't have been able to express a preference on the matter.

Destroyed wrote:

Anyway, whether it's bass, tenor, or alto trombones, they sound more like band stuff to me...

tra l'altro, nelle bande, soprattutto le "marching bands", quelle che effettivamente marciano suonando, i tromboni a coulisse sono molto rari. Ci sono molti più tromboni a pistoni.

Thanks everyone, I had imagined things entirely my own way

thallo wrote:

also, in bands, especially "marching bands," those that actually march while playing, trombones with slides are very rare. There are many more valve trombones.

I would like to see someone marching and playing the slide trombone ... the one in front risks their life !!!

Jokes aside ... a band instrumentalist confirmed to me that it is more tiring to play with a slide and march at the same time, so in order to avoid running out of breath

they use valve ones.

I have only seen trombones with slides in stationary bands, in those that in Sicily are called 'concerti a palco'

thallo wrote:

i have seen trombones with slides only in stationary bands, in those that in Sicily are called 'concerti a palco'

In the ''Wind Orchestra (or band, if you will) instruments such as double basses are present, though of course they are stationary"

Gerardo wrote:

In the ''Wind Orchestra (or band, if you will)'' instruments such as double basses are active, though of course they are stationary

It was a joke, right?

The string bass (double bass), despite being a typical orchestral instrument, has also been part of the concert band for a long time, normally entrusted to a single performer. It is ideal for doubling the woodwind basses, especially in legato passages (it is possible to provide indications regarding bowing in the part, remembering that there is also the possibility of quickly switching from bowed sound to pizzicato and vice versa).

An very interesting text on the subject is Frank Erickson, "Arranging for the Concert Band"

I would, however, like to specify that the wind orchestra and the marching band, the military-style band, are different things. In the discussion, trombones were mentioned, and in my experience, it happens that a military band trombonist uses two different instruments, playing while marching or playing in concert. A similar situation, although even rarer, I have seen with some talented percussionists, intent on playing a vertical glockenspiel when they were moving and a horizontal glockenspiel during concerts.

If we are talking about wind orchestras, then we can put whatever we want in the lineup, let alone double basses!

thallo wrote:

If we are talking about wind orchestras, then we can put whatever we want in the instrumentation, let alone double basses!

And indeed I was saying instruments "like"... which is notoriously understood to mean other things as well, it was just a small example

Gerardo wrote:

instrumentation such as double basses is present

Besides, in the world, a band is a wind orchestra and even the good Vessella, who reformed band instrumentations (here in Italy), provided for other instruments in the large band... you find the harp, percussion, even cellos. I am speaking of what is normal and not of potential; even publishing houses have now standardized to the Vessella standard ... including the assignment of difficulty levels eventually used to classify pieces.

Obviously, a marching band has clear limitations and anyway it can stop during the march (see the classic village procession) and give space to instruments like the cello, which are nonetheless portable.

Gerardo, what do you want us to talk about? No, because I don't understand. You ironized about my specification regarding the "fixed" bands and I clarified that the instrumentation of the bands also changes according to that principle.

I didn't ironize about anything, how did you get that idea? If someone smiles or laughs... they just laugh.

I simply mentioned the double basses referring to the band and not to moving bands, where I then wrote something else.

Gerardo wrote:

In the ''Wind orchestra (or band, if you will)'' instruments such as double basses are present, though of course they are stationary

I took this as irony, like "but it's obvious that wind orchestras are stationary". In my messages I wasn't talking about wind orchestras, I was talking about marching bands, which are a different thing. For this reason, your clarification seemed more like a way to ironize on my statement than to talk about bands.

Anyway, we are off topic by now

I would say that at the end of the day, the term 'Banda' corresponds to many different things if we look at the global landscape. We are an unhappy exception, in the sense that everywhere else the concept of 'banda' is that of a wind orchestra.

It is obvious that one cannot march with a harp, but the word 'banda' alone, for those who have experienced other realities, is ambiguous.

Just as, for that matter, a "marching band" is not ambiguous... speaking of which, I don't know how the current VC-ist would take it...

I am fond of the idea of the band marching while playing Stars and Stripes... maybe it's because I used to play the piccolo ;-)