Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [march]

March, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band.

March, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band.

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Found in an 1800s newspaper--what kind of march notation is this?

Does anyone recognize this musical notation? It looks like a bunch of vertical bars. Is it supposed to be read by a machine? It was found in an issue of Scientific American from 1846. I'm guessing the "C" at the beginning means common time, as it…
keej
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Why doesn't a marching band have strings?

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…
user34288
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Why do marches usually end with a repetition of the last note?

In many marches, such as the following, the last note of the melody is repeated emphatically (or repeated an octave above). Often using sforzando, marcato, or fortissimo possibile. Here are a few examples: The Gallant Seventh King Cotton Stars and…
American Luke
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What makes a Turkish March a Turkish March?

I can only find 2 pieces called Turkish March. There is the 5th movement of The Ruins of Athens by Beethoven. Then there is the infamous Rondo Alla Turka by Mozart. And when I search Turkish March Beethoven, I usually get a piano…
Caters
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Tuba, 4th valve extension?

I use a three valve tuba, but have been playing around with 3d printing an 'extension' to replace the main tuning slide with another valve that could direct the air flow through a longer pipe, just like in 4-valve tubas, but cheaper and lighter (so…
Matthew
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What is the “Trio” in a march?

During a band rehearsal the bandmaster may ask when playing a march: Let’s start from the trio! a) What is meant by this term? b) where does it come from?
Albrecht Hügli
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What beats does the horn typically play on in a 2/4 march?

Wikipedia states: French Horns tend to always carry the rhythmic backup of a march. For example, in cut-time marches, they are typically assigned upbeats (the + of 1 and 2) to provide the "pah" for the stylistic "oom-pah" sound. In 6/8 marches,…
American Luke
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Why don't most high-tension marching snares have an inner hoop or any reinforcement on the snare side?

High-tension marching snares have an inner hoop where the batter head is placed to prevent its shells from collapsing—due to the high tension from Kevlar heads being tuned to higher pitches. If this is the case, then why don't most marching snares…
izayoi9300
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Did American drum corps ever utilize the tuning slide of valveless bugles for more notes?

I used to be a member of my school's drum and bugle corps in middle school whose entire brass section is composed of US regulation bugles in G (if I'm not mistaken) which are are valveless. They used the tuning slide to gain access to more notes…
izayoi9300
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Are repeats, segnos, and coda markings "bad style" in marching band music?

Nearly all marching band music (not classic marches, mind) that I've seen in my five years of performing experience has been written without any kind of repeat signs. However, I've recently seen some marching arrangements of jazz standards that did…
JAF
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What instruments are asked for in this original Sousa score?

This answer by @NReilingh inspired me to trawl the web looking at Sousa music. Feeling that the clarity of orchestration contributes a significant amount to this music, I was pleased to find this original manuscript score of The Stars and Stripes…
Bob Broadley
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What kind of things should trombones do in marching bands in the following case?

I'm trying to write some simple stuff (kind of) for brass marching band and not entirely happy with how it sounds. (But this might be because of the MuseScore sounds.) I have a trumpet playing the main melody and main voice. A cornet is following…
Mister Equis
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Can a Rondo also be a Theme and Variations?

I am composing a piece that I have nicknamed "The March of a Hero" and I noticed something. If I separate the piece out into sections, I get this: Introduction - A few slow arpeggios to introduce the hero A - March theme, comes back multiple times,…
Caters
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How fast should I set the metronome for agitato?

What would the numeric tempo range be for a march marked "agitato"?
Nachmen
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Classical music vs March music relationship

What is the relationship between March music and Classical music? To the non-musician they seem to be interchangeable or at least largely overlapping. But I find March songs much more enjoyable and lively than pure, centuries-old classical songs…
Sridhar Sarnobat
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