Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [wind-band]

A large musical ensemble consisting predominantly of brass, woodwind and percussion instruments.

Wind bands are also commonly referred to as a concert bands or wind orchestras, amongst other names. The ensemble is predominantly made up of brass, woodwind and percussion players, although a string bass is a common feature, and more occasionally harpists and pianists may be found.

A standard orchestration would be as follows:

  • Piccolo

  • Flute

  • Oboe

  • Eb Clarinet

  • Bb Clarinet

  • Bass Clarinet

  • Alto Saxophone

  • Tenor Saxophone

  • Baritone Saxophone

  • Bassoon

  • Trumpet

  • French Horn

  • Euphonium

  • Trombone

  • Tuba

  • Drum Kit/Percussion

A more complete list can be found on the relevant Wikipedia page.

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Why do wind bands use a concert Bb for tuning?

Back when I was part of my school's wind band, we used to always tune to a concert Bb. Why do wind bands tune to a Bb rather than an A (as discussed here)? I recall our director once vaguely explaining this as being related to the fact that A is a…
senshin
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Should I learn to play from memory in an orchestra

I play in an amateur wind orchestra and I noticed that generally people do not play from memory at all and look into the sheets for the entire piece. I'm no exception for the most part but here and there I tried to lift my eyes up and remember the…
Carpid
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"Only open voicing below middle C!" Really?

Every resource I've seen and person I've talked to has said that putting low voices, usually trombones, in close spacing anywhere below C4 is to be avoided at all costs, due to muddiness. As I arrange, though, this rule is causing me some grief, as…
JAF
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More volume from a Bass Clarinet

I play the Bass Clarinet in a few Wind Bands. A constant problem I've always had is feeling drowned out whenever the band plays in a normal dynamic - the tone and pitch of the instrument are easily lost. I also find myself frequently the only bass…
Chris
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Transposing bass clef instruments for Tuba, Bombardon, and Contrabass

I got myself an old full score of an arrangement for Dutch-styled brass band (fanfareorkest) to copy which the instrumentation is unconventional to me (I believe it's written in continental tradition?), particularly the use of transposing bass clef…
sanerski
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What combinations of wind instruments could mimic or closely resemble the timbre of a pipe organ?

When I say "wind instruments," I am mainly referring to those you would find in a concert band, to be more specific, here's a mock-up list of instruments I could potentially choose from: Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet (Bb), Bass Clarinet (Bb), Alto…
Sam
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Help! I need advice on how to adapt an arrangement

I have an arrangement of Bobby Darin's song "Don't Rain on My Parade" for Vocal, 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, 1 baritone saxophone, 5 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, bass and drums - probably something very similar to the original…
Eliza Doolittle
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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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Teaching hard passages to a child

First off I'm no teacher neither have I studied music. I have played the oboe for 15 years now and play in multiple amateur orchestras. Now I have encountered situations where I'm asked to lead a practice session of the oboes of a youth orchestra…
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Looking for "big & brassy" band finales

I apologize for the crude example, but the last part of "Kyle's Mom's a Bitch" (timestamp: 1:17) is a direct reference to the trope I'm talking about. I've heard finales like these in countless musicals but I've never been too clear on which genre…
user62099
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Choosing instrument for a solo

I am currently arranging a big-band piece to be played by my college big band (4 trumpets; 3 trombones + 1 bass trombone; 2 alto & 2 tenor saxes + 1 bari sax; rhythm section). I'm working on a solo section which is a repeat of a previous chorus but…
yerman
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Sample Library: Orchestra vs Band

I'm an amateur composer interested in purchasing a high quality orchestral sample library like Garritan Personal Orchestra. The problem is that I plan on composing a piece for my schools concert band, and I can't decide between Garritan's "Personal…
user33976