The biggest.....
and the smallest....
Here's Mat and Dan, our Bb bass players, hiding behind their instruments!
and here's Jacob, our soprano cornet player giving it his all!
So what exactly is a Brass Band?
As a youth band, we are very conscious that many youngsters taking those first steps towards becoming a brass player will perhaps look at our own and other brass band websites, and wonder what on earth it is all about! (Parents with no brass banding background as well!) When they progress a little, they might perhaps think about joining a band, but looking at banding websites can be very daunting! Questions will often arise like what is "repiano" or "rep", what is the difference between a baritone and a euphonium? Is the soprano a singer sometimes used with the band? Is a flugel a special sort of a dance that brass bands specialise in? Where do trumpets fit in? It is all very confusing, and nobody likes to admit they don't know! Don't worry - help is at hand! This is definitely not designed to be a comprehensive guide to brass banding, but it might just answer a few elementary questions that just don't seem to be dealt with anywhere else!
And the answer to the question in the title above? A brass band is a band made up of players of certain (not all!) brass instruments, where the sound is produced by the player's lips taking the place of a reed. A brass band carries with it a huge amount of tradition, both in playing style, seating arrangements, uniform, and mostly, sound! It could be argued that it is the tradition and the sound that set a brass band apart from other wind instrumental groups.
So let's look at our band, and let's start with the instruments themselves. Perhaps we ought to first mention the ones that aren't used. It goes without saying that in a brass band, no woodwind instruments are used! Woodwind instruments are things like flutes, clarinets, saxophones etc. The common brass instruments not used are french horn, trumpet, sousaphone (that's the big curly thing with a horn like a ship's ventilator that blues band seem to wear as they play!). Next, let's look at the instruments that are used in a brass band working from the smallest to the biggest.
A couple of pictures first showing the biggest and the smallest -
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The biggest..... |
and the smallest.... |
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Here's Mat and Dan, our Bb bass players, hiding behind their instruments! |
and here's Jacob, our soprano cornet player giving it his all! |
Below is a picture of Youth Brass 2000 on stage at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham in 2006. (You might need to scroll down a bit to see it) All the various sections are labelled - click on the label to see what they are. If you hover your cursor over a particular section of the band, a little label will appear telling you what they are. Left-click to take you to the information about that section. Normally, only the percussion department stand up - everyone else except the conductor sits down! The way the various players are arranged is fairly standard, although some bands do use a slightly different layout.
So there it is! Have a good look around our website to see what we do. If you would like to come and see us in concert, click on "Diary" at the top of the screen. If you would like to join us (and we are always delighted to see any young brass player!), click on "Can I Join the Band?" above.
Thanks for looking, we hope this page gives you a tiny peep into the magical world of brass banding!
Click on any of the titles at the top of the screen to look at other areas of our website.
Soprano. No, not a singer, but a slightly smaller cornet (for the musically minded - in the key of Eb). The soprano - or "sop" can be one of the most demanding instruments to play in a band. He (or she!) is the one with the red face, playing all those very high notes that soar over the band, and give it that special "sparkle".
Cornets (Trumpets aren't used in a brass band!) These are split into several "families", but they all use the same type of instrument, in the key of Bb. They are basically split into three sections, the front row, and the back row consisting of the second and third cornets. There is also a somewhat "specialised" cornet, the "repiano" or rep. Cornets are sometimes used in orchestras or windbands.
Principal. A bit like an orchestra, the principal cornet is the band's leader. He or she gets all the fancy cornet solos, and usually sits on the end of the row in front of the sop. Along with the sop, a very exposed position both visually and musically! He or she is the one that gets to shake hands with the conductor at the end of a concert!
Front Row or Solo Cornets. In spite of their name, the one thing these don't do is play solos! These again are standard cornets, and more often than not play the tune, although not all the time. Together, they produce the power at the "top end" of the band, and produce that wonderful "brilliance" that good bands produce so effortlessly. Youth Brass 2000 has 7 of these, but most bands have 4, including the Principal.
Repiano Cornet (Rep) Although this is another standard Bb cornet, and usually sits on the back row next to the sop, the rep is a Jack of All Trades. Sometimes he (or she!) plays with the back row, sometimes with the front row, sometimes accompanying the Principal, and sometimes playing with the opposite side of the band. Sometimes the rep will actually get a little solo!
Second Cornets These sit in a row behind the front row. They tend to play the harmony against the front row's melody, or are used to accompany other instruments in the band who have the tune at that moment. Some composers use them as a sort of "alternative front row", so no excuses that you aren't good enough for the front row if your band plays some of these pieces! There are usually 2 of these.
Third Cornets. As with the second cornets, there are usually two or three of them, and again they are used for basic harmony. They often have a simpler version of the harmony that the second cornets are playing. Again, usually there are 2 third cornets.
Flugel Horn This is a sort of "overgrown cornet", and is the first of the larger instruments in the band. Again, in the key of Bb, the flugel produces a slightly richer, darker sound than a cornet, similar to that of a tenor horn. We currently have two flugels in Youth Brass, although most bands only have one. The flugel occasionally pops up in all sorts of bands and orchestras - even in jazz bands!
Tenor Horn The Tenor Horn is a sort of "middle of the band" instrument, and produces quite a unique sound. In the key of Eb, like all the larger valve instruments below it, it is played in a vertical position, unlike the cornet & flugel's horizontal position. Tenor horns are a favourite with some composers, with the solo - or principal - horn often playing solos. Our band currently has three tenor horns, but some bands have more. Tenor horns are peculiar to brass bands, and are not used anywhere else.
Baritone Horn (or simply "baritone") We now move to the other side of the band. In the key of Bb again, we are now starting to enter the world of the larger instruments. The baritone produces a mellow sound a bit like a tenor horn, but lower. Together with the tenor horns and the back row cornets, it is often argued that these instruments form the backbone of the band, as they produce the "middle sound" that gives a brass band its distinctive sound. The principal often plays little solos, sometimes accompanied by the back row cornets. There are usually two baritones, but our band in the picture has four. Like the tenor horn, the baritone is seen only in brass bands.
Euphonium Along with the cornet, this is perhaps one of the most well-known instruments in the band. In the key of Bb, it is the first of the tuba family, as it is really a mini-bass, and gives the band it's deep, rich sound. There is lots of brass band music that features the euphonium. Some would say that the euphonium is especially suited to slow, melodic ballads, where it does indeed fit very well. However, it is a very versatile instrument, and a good euphonium player can easily turn his or her hand to very fast pieces, including swing and jazz! The principal very commonly has solos, and enjoys almost as much musical exposure as the principal cornet! Sitting on the end of the row nearest the audience, again like the principal cornet it is a very "visually exposed" position. Our band, when the picture was taken, has only one euphonium. Most bands sport at least two, and often more, particularly with youth bands. The euphonium is another instrument that enjoys use in many other types of band and orchestra.
Trombones Whilst on this side of the band, Let's have a look at the trombones. They usually sit behind the euphoniums and baritones. There several variants to the trombone, but the ones used in a brass band are the tenors and the basses. For some strange reason, when the band plays a "fun" piece, it is often the trombones that get the limelight! Tenor trombones are seen everywhere, but the bass trombone tends to be seen less often outside the brass band world.
Tenor Trombones (or just simply trombones!) Like the tenor horn, they produce a sound that is quite unlike anything else. Quite what they do in the band depends very much on the composer of the piece being played, as some composers like to feature them, but some prefer to keep them hidden! The principal trombone, like the other principals, often has solos, but more often than not the trombones simply contribute to the overall sound "picture". One thing they do have to be very careful about however is - for obvious reasons - exactly where they sit in relation to the row in front of them!
Bass Trombone Sitting alongside the other trombones, the bass trombone really does have a sound all of its own! It can play very low notes indeed, but they somehow just don't sound deep - they are more like a crackle! We currently have two bass trombones in our band, but most bands only have one.
Basses or Tubas These form the "foundation" that a band's music is built on, and give the band that wonderful deep "presence" that completes the overall sound. Again, different composers use them in different ways within the band. They rarely get solos, unless the piece being played is actually a tuba feature. They are broken into two sections, the Eb and Bb bass.
Eb Bass We are nearly at the bottom of the band here, but not quite - that is reserved for the Bb bass. Although "baby tubas" are available, the full size versions are seriously big instruments! As the name suggests, this bass plays in the key of Eb, and is usually accompanied by its bigger, and lower brother, the Bb bass. Although a bit difficult to see as the conductor is in the way, Youth Brass has three Eb basses in our picture. To give you an idea what an Eb tuba can sound like - do you remember that wonderful film "Close Encounters"? When the huge mother ship replies to the notes being played to it, those two massive notes that make everyone jump out of their seats are played on an Eb tuba! The Eb tuba is another instrument that is used in orchestras and other types of band.
Bb Bass This is as big as they get! Again, there are "baby" versions available, but the full size Bb bass is not the instrument to play if you live at the top of a block of flats, or your transport is a mini! It produces a very deep resonant sound. Very rarely used on its own as a solo instrument, along with the Eb bass, these machines do the same sort of job as the double bass in an orchestra, or the bass guitar in a jazz band. There are currently two Bb basses in Youth Brass, and they can both be seen in the picture. Bb tubas are almost never seen outside a brass band.
Percussion Very important in any band, the percussion section can consist of up to five or six players depending on the music. In our picture, you can only see the "kit" player. There is a "timp" and a tuned percussion player, but they are off to the side of our picture. The usual sections are:-
Kit The kit drummer is the very minimum a brass band can get away with. There are possible times when he might not be needed, like accompanying hymns etc, but even here he would be sorely missed. A good kit drummer can make or break a band, and he is often singled out for criticism or praise by an adjudicator at a contest. The kit drummer is the one sitting on a stool, surrounded by tomtoms, snare drums, cymbals, and is usually parked away at the back of the band!
Timpanis or "Timps" These are very large freestanding drums (often called "kettle drums") that are very important in much brass band music. they can thunder out a pattern to lay a foundation for a march perhaps, or can be used very delicately to give an air of mystery to a piece. They are very versatile, but like the Bb bass are very big! These devices are rarely owned by an individual player as they are very expensive, and few people have a house big enough to keep them in, let alone have the transport to get them to band practice!
Tuned Percussion This covers a variety of instruments like glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, tubular bells and anything else that has a series of metal or wooden blocks cut in such a way as to produce the notes of a scale. The glockenspiel is the instrument of choice of a brass band, and can be heard in many pieces.
Auxilliary Percussion These are the people who build sheds at the back of the band! There seems to be a never-ending variety of other miscellaneous percussion devices, like wood blocks, cowbells, castanets, extra drums & cymbals. If it is possible for one of the other percussionists to play them at the appropriate time in a piece then great, but often it isn't easy to transfer from one to another quickly enough, even if the player is a very fast runner! If the piece being played is very "busy" in terms of percussion, then additional players will be needed.
Conductor Last but most certainly not least - the conductor! His job mainly is to make sure the band keep to his strict tempo, thus preventing the cornets getting ahead of the baritones, for example! He is usually the Musical Director as well, and will spend many hours with the band in rehearsal. The conductor is usually a highly accomplished brass musician himself.
