LESSON 2 (continued)
Trombone/Tuba
Trombones have possibly the most beautiful pianissimo of the entire orchestra. It has a roundness and richness which has no equal except perhaps in the strings. Unfortunately, the beauty and nobility of the instrument have been overshadowed by the clichéd over-use of the trombone glissando.
While the set of four horns has long been considered the “backbone” of the orchestra, here is an opportunity to try something different: replace the four horns by three trombones and tuba as a harmonic underlay to the rest of the orchestra. There is the instruments’ range to be taken into consideration. The trombones are a little bit more at ease in the lower register than the horns (whose lower notes come with a technical hurdle: the lower the horn goes, the more insecure the intonation and sound production becomes). This is particularly true of soft dynamics.
Close-spaced harmony in the mid-low bass clef range works very well with trombones.
Score of trombones with strings
Listen to trombones with strings
Full brass
Crescendo from pianissimo to forte on brass instruments is very strongly marked, and can bring a mass of sound into an otherwise soft texture. Remember that doing so will allow the brass sound to take over the texture completely. Even three trumpets can easily drown out a full woodwind ensemble.
Score of crescendo with brass
Listen to crescendo with brass