Waltz For Concert Band

[MaestroX]

This is a piece i've started for a local conert band I play in. As i've never written for concert band I'm having trouble arranging the parts. I've attached a score and midi of what i've done so far. Any help and pointers would be great

[reith]

Well, it's a nice piece - fairly conventional harmony handled with excellence and interesting with its glancing modulations. I can somehow hear it coming from a bandstand.

As for the scoring - don't know whether it's my midi card or what but the melody (in 6ths) seems to open with trumpets while the score shows just flutes. (I'll have another listen in a moment - can't call it up from this panel). If the general dynamic is mf, the lower flute may be overwhelmed by the accompaniment and/or wouldn't have the attack necessary for what's a fairly lively piece.

I hate to make these suggestions because you're the composer but is anything else possible - like scoring it for trumpets or giving Fl2 to the oboe? It isn't an ideal pairing, I know.

Anyway, I'll have that other listen....
Yes, it sounds like trumpets and doesn't change when the trumpet part appears on score - that didn't deter me though. It still sounds fine. But this could just be my computer's midi chip.

[Gryvix]

hmm the thirdt trumpet part is too high, I've been playing those parts for years now and even for high level bands they never reach that high. High G is about the highest. Remember to take in account that it got to be transposed, You have to watch this especially if you aim that low-skill musicians can play it, if you aim for them. (I guess it is, since it doesn't look that hard to play) Even the first trumpet is quite high already and needs a decent skilled musician to play it.
The trombone parts, normally you'd have 2 tenors and 1 basstrombone.
Using the euphonium solely as bass is a bit of a waste, it got lots of soloist-potential.
A bit confusing is why you have the countertimes(dunno the exact translation) the papa's in hoempapa in eights and sometimes in fourth notes. It would be easier to just put fourth's throughout the piece and put articulations on them. Normally a decent conductor would now you have to play the papa's short in a waltz, so you don't even have to put the dots on them. but if you want them long, put - on it ^^
Also make sure when using sharp and flats that it makes sense to the musician, amateur-muscians don't have a lot of compassion with composers who use unecessary use of them, even if it makes sense musictheory-wise.
it is easier to have one Eb than a Eb and then a D# for instance or double-#'s or double-b's or B#, Cb,...

[Whataguy!]

Nice piece MaestroX, cute and coy. It would be a good addition to a concert band's repertoire and an interesting tune to play.

I agree with Gryvix that the 3rd trumpet parts are scored too high. Why not go for a more conventional voicing and have the 3rd trumpets play the melody at piano an octave below the lead/1st and have the 2nds play a sixth below the melody? That may work. You could also double the 3rd trumpets with the euphonium(s) and tenor sax to play a nice countermelody when the A melody repeats at bar 16. That may not work, but it's an option to consider. Who knows? It may lead to another, much better, choice.

It would have been nice to have heard more percussion as well. Perhaps a tympani could accent the oom-pahs at the top of each bar with the low brass and bari at piano.

It's all about choices and the great thing about today's technology is that we don't have to whistle up players to try out new things. Good luck with Waltz, man.

[MaestroX]

Thanks for all your comments and great ideas, especially the advice on writing for trumpet. I've avoided it so far but when dealing with a concert band I can't avoid them
I'll also look into giving the euphoniums greater interest. Its my first time dealing with the instrument and I'm not quite sure what to do with them.

[Stenir]

What you could try is some of the following suggestions:

1) The Trumpets are indeed too high. I didn't notice at first it was a concert pitch score. What you may try is to create a countermelody that doesn't move as much (slight counterpoint if you so desire, and doesn't move as many tones away, maybe something like a dotted-half, then three quarters, for example). Let the Trumpets have that, and have the Alto and Tenor Saxophones take the two parts to the main melody. You could even have the Tenor Saxophone take the upper main melody line and the Alto take the lower to mix it up a bit.

2) I noticed this score is missing Horns. Is that your intention? If so, then by all means continue. If it wasn't, perhaps adding 4 Horns would help. The 1st and 3rd Horns could play the melody lines, and the 2nd and 4th could play the chords like the Clarinets (and Trombones in the restatement) are doing.

3) You may also want to add a introduction, but that can sometimes be better left for once you are finalizing the piece as opposed to forcing it to appear on the sheet music as you are composing.

4) Tubas dropping to a low F is alright and is easily accomplished, but for a Waltz you may want them to play up an octave to start with. It would be too heavy of a sound for the opening statement. You can have them return to the lower octave (but make the low F optional with the F above it the note played) during the restatement.

[Majesty]

Nice Waltz! Eventhough the piece is for concert band the composition delicately arranged. Nice touch!

I agree that a little more percussion would be nice, just as long as it didn't ruin the delicate intentions of the piece.

[MaestroX]

Thanks for the comments guys, I'm going to be working on this again probably in a week or so.

) I noticed this score is missing Horns. Is that your intention? If so, then by all means continue. If it wasn't, perhaps adding 4 Horns would help. The 1st and 3rd Horns could play the melody lines, and the 2nd and 4th could play the chords like the Clarinets (and Trombones in the restatement) are doing.

Thanks also for the tips Stenir, very helpfull

The concert band i'm writing for has no horns unfortunalty

[Boneman]

Has it grown?

[Drego]

Originally Posted by MaestroX

I'll also look into giving the euphoniums greater interest. Its my first time dealing with the instrument and I'm not quite sure what to do with them.

Thank you. If it helps, I can offer my assistance, as Euphonium is my primary intrument. All of the parts on your score are in the same key, so I'm assuming that none of them have been transposed yet, so they're all in concert pitch. Although, I see that you wrote the Euphonium part in Treble clef only. In most cases (especially Concert Band music), the Euphonium is written two ways. One is in Bass clef, in concert pitch, just like Trombone (it plays in the same range, too, generally). The other is in Treble clef, in the key of B flat, like a Trumpet. Just in case you needed help, that's how it works. Also, as people have previously mentioned, the Trumpet part is too high, and there are no Horn parts (unsure of your intention there). Same with Bassoon, although I assume your local band has none (that would explain it). Also, I'd look into adding some percussion, especially for a waltz .