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In a regular orchestra the violin takes an important role. Why is it that in marching bands there are no strings usually? To give some context I'm working on a march composition and I like strings because they add a nice cinematic effect but I'm a bit iffy since a regular marching band doesn't have it. Maybe in compositions there are no rules though?

  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been [moved to chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/95262/discussion-on-question-by-foreyez-why-doesnt-a-marching-band-have-strings). – Dom Jun 22 '19 at 02:48
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    Not to rain on your parade, but ... trombones are a bt more water resistant than violins. – user_1818839 Jun 22 '19 at 17:35

4 Answers4

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Marching bands are about volume, projection, and power. A violin can't possibly match the projection of a brass instrument, and thus why they aren't included.

That said, some bands have employed amplified string instruments, like electric bass, particularly for jazz and rock pieces.

candied_orange
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SmartOlGuy
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    Marching bands usually have woodwinds. Flutes aren't particularly loud. – Barmar Jun 20 '19 at 15:47
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    @Barmar: Sitting/marching next to flutes, I tend to disagree with you... – arc_lupus Jun 20 '19 at 16:15
  • @arc_lupus I think they're closer in volume to violins than brass instruments. However, they may seem louder up close because they're also more piercing tones (piccolos even more so). – Barmar Jun 20 '19 at 16:18
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    It was not oncommon in the early 20th century for marching bands to have banjos, one of the few string instruments loud enough. – Lee Daniel Crocker Jun 20 '19 at 17:07
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    In an orchestra, you normally have dozens of violins to 1 or 2 trumpets. Those violins are not going to be heard at all in a field. – Nelson Jun 20 '19 at 17:11
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    This makes me wonder if electric violins *could* be practical in a marching band, and it's just a chicken-and-egg problem of no one bothering to write a decent piece including them since no one uses them. – rococo Jun 20 '19 at 21:15
  • One flute might not be particularly loud, for certain values of "particularly", but I think it can be seen that flutes belong to a section, which is amplification by multiplication. How loud do you expect 30 flutes to be? – Beanluc Jun 21 '19 at 20:54
  • Flutes are also in a higher register and have a more piercing sound. Piccolo flutes in particular pierce above the band in such a way that only a few are ever needed. The instrument commonly included in marching bands but least likely to be heard is the clarinet, which is why it is not uncommon for clarinetists to play saxophone instead in a marching band. (I just played clarinet, but I would fake play sometimes during a particularly difficult marching move.) Saxophones were designed to combine the sound production of a woodwind with the amplification properties of a brasswind. – trlkly Jun 22 '19 at 17:59
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Actual marching bands don't have strings - I'm sure you could extend this list of reasons:

  1. Where would string players put sheet music?
  2. String instruments are expensive and fragile. Whilst you can buy a professional trumpet for a couple of grand, that doesn't buy you a professional quality violin. And although you can repair a dented trumpet, a snapped neck or crushed cello body is much more serious.
  3. Volume - you'd need lots of strings to match the volume of the wind instruments.
  4. The bumps and so on of marching would put the strings out of tune.
  5. Brass instruments are waterproof. Violins aren't.

...and so on.

So although you could write for Marching Band and strings you're unlikely ever to get it performed by actual people.

Instead I'd suggest writing an orchestral march, to be performed by a seated orchestra in a concert hall. There are lots of marches or march-influenced pieces in the orchestral repertoire that you could plunder for orchestration colours.

Brian THOMAS
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    **Real marching bands** don't carry sheet music - it's all memorized. (Yeah, I know,... few and far between) – Carl Witthoft Jun 20 '19 at 13:48
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    Where to put the charts? On the end of the instruments, like most others! Probably wouldn't use a Strad out marching, but any old fiddle would do! Can't see how bumps would untune a violin. Wouldn't really want a clarinet out in the rain - they may/may not be waterproof. Wouldn't want to do the test! True, violins probably are not waterproof... What's the so ons? – Tim Jun 20 '19 at 15:02
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    @CarlWitthoft Maybe it doesn't count as "real", but when I was in my high school marching band (playing trombone) we used sheet music. There were little music holders that clamped onto the instruments, and tiny versions of the sheet music that fit into it. – Barmar Jun 20 '19 at 15:50
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    @Barmar I marched 3 years iin high school & 4 in college, so I know about all those music holders. My point, which was supposed to be sarcastic, is that some top-level bands do in fact memorized there charts and don't need the clip/clamp/screw-on music holders. – Carl Witthoft Jun 20 '19 at 17:18
  • This anwer is largely specific to wooden string instruments. For marching, you should opt for carbon fibre or Stroh violins. – leftaroundabout Jun 20 '19 at 20:29
  • @CarlWitthoft that's a No True Scottsman. Nothing about being a marching band requires not using sheet music. – Jim Cullen Jun 20 '19 at 22:52
  • @JimCullen - except maybe marching over uneven terrain where you need to keep an eye on the ground? – Peter Cordes Jun 21 '19 at 05:29
  • @PeterCordes irrelevant. There are a number of reasons it may or may not be a *good idea*. Doesn’t change the fact that saying you’re not a "real marching band" if you use sheet music is a classic No True Scotsman fallacy. – Jim Cullen Jun 21 '19 at 12:47
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    @JimCullen Chillax, bro. My comment was merely intended as a humorous parody of all the "real $GROUP don't ..." cliches out there. – Carl Witthoft Jun 21 '19 at 12:56
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    @Tim In all seriousness, when possible clarinetists will use a plastic or even metal clarinet for outside use. Similarly, many string players keep a "beater" instrument for all outside performances, even when in a "shed" ampitheatre, simply because of the risk of extreme heat or solarization. – Carl Witthoft Jun 21 '19 at 12:59
  • 1) Marching band music is memorized (most of the time), as Carl pointed out. 2) Brass instruments cost thousands of dollars but I agree they're the more fragile and it's true that there's more chances of irreversible damage on a stringed instrument. 5) That doesn't mean they're _absolutely_ impervious or invulnerable to moisture. So this statement is half true. Wind instruments (but not all of them) more susceptible to water, however. –  Jun 21 '19 at 16:01
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    @CarlWitthoft: Amen. The only time we were allowed to use lyres was during parades - for a halftime shows and competitions, everything had to be memorized. And we were definitely *not* a "top band". Lyres and sheet music just add weight, anyway. Marching with a French horn was tiring enough to where those few extra ounces mattered. – John Bode Jun 21 '19 at 19:24
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As Brian Thomas pointed out, there's a huge difference between a marching band and a musical composition called a "march."
Marching bands are called that because, well, they march. Or in the case of Yale Univ., gyrate madly around the field. You won't find string instruments (mostly), double-reeds, and a few other oddball instruments in a fielded band.
A composition that's a "march" may well feature percussion, keep a strict binary beat (i.e. no 3/4 or 5/4 unless you have mutants with extra legs), and generally evoke pageantry.

Carl Witthoft
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    OP is aware that there are no strings in marching bands - wants to know *why*. – Tim Jun 20 '19 at 15:05
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Because stringed instruments are fragile and not very loud. And, traditionally, just because they don't. In the same way that brass bands don't have woodwinds and string quartets don't have trombones.

If marching bands wanted strings, they'd find a way. Either some harness contrivance, or they'd put them in the 'pit' with the heavy percussion.

And there's nothing to stop you writing for a non-marching concert band plus strings.

But you're right, if you're writing for a particular MARCHING band, it would be sensible to omit strings.

(Anyway, there are, sometimes)

https://www.connollymusic.com/stringovation/what-to-do-with-your-string-players-in-a-marching-band

Laurence
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    Heavy percussion goes on the rolling cart with the keyboards and the amp for the cello, said cello being worn by the cellist in a modified percussion harness. Music folder for the cello is clipped into a harmonica holder worn around the neck. – shoover Jun 20 '19 at 15:52
  • @shoover about music clipped in a harmonica holder I'd object! However, you could always use some augmented-reality glasses. – leftaroundabout Jun 20 '19 at 20:19
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    @leftaroundabout My comment was based on experience. I'd link to a picture, but I can't find any at the moment. Also, I forgot to mention the Posture Pegs. – shoover Jun 20 '19 at 20:33
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    @shoover - [Here's an image](https://web.archive.org/web/20150910134409im_/http://mob.rice.edu/sections/strings/cello_harnesses.jpg) from the Internet Archive – William Price Jul 03 '19 at 19:23