Flute, Clarinet in B flat, Oboe, Bassoon, French Horn, Trumpet in B
flat, Tenor Trombone,
Euphonium/Baritone and Tuba are the instruments which are commonly
found in wind bands. Trumpets, Trombones, Alto,Tenor
and Baritone Saxophones are found in Big
Bands whilst Dixieland Bands have Clarinets, Trumpets, Trombones and
Tenor Saxophones. Flute, Clarinet in B flat, Oboe, Bassoon,
French Horn, Trumpet in B flat, Tenor Trombone and Tuba are found in
orchestras.
Which instrument?
"So which instrument should I choose?" I hear you asking. Well,
the instrument that you'd really like to play. This might sound a
bit obvious, but if you are being directed towards or persuaded to play
a particular instrument, you should ask that person why he/she wants
you to play a particular instrument. Is it because it's good for
you, or are there other reasons, like it's the instrument that's needed
to make up an ensemble, or the instrument which no-one is currently
playing? You should choose the instrument that you really want to
play.
Having said that, there are fewer students who choose the Oboe,
Bassoon, French Horn and Tuba, largely because of their cost. You
will be welcome anywhere if you play one of these instruments.
This is not to say that players of other instruments are any the less
welcome, but there are simply more of them, so competition for places
in orchestras and wind bands will be extremely keen. The four
most popular instruments are Flute, Clarinet in B flat, Trumpet in B
flat and Alto Saxophone.
The best way to choose an instrument is to do a little research and
then try some for yourself. Most music shops will allow you to
try instruments that you want to play. If you'd like to know what
each instrument looks and sounds like, please visit the outstanding web
site of The
Philharmonia Orchestra: http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/thesoundexchange/the_orchestra/instruments/
Physical considerations:
You should also consider the shape of your mouth, the state of your
teeth and the length of your arms. If your top lip has a loop
which is below the centre of your top lip, you are going to have
difficulty playing a trumpet or a flute. If you have two front,
centre teeth which are not absolutely flat, or if you are going to need
orthodontic treatment (which usually involves wearing braces), then
it's not going to be easy for you to play a brass instrument. If
your arms are very short, playing the flute or trombone could be
troublesome. For the flute, there are headpieces with a curve in
them which will allow small, beginning flautists to be able to play the
Flute more easily. For the trombone, there are slide extensions
which help young trombonists reach the 6th and 7th positions.
Basically, if you really want to play a particular instrument and are
prepared to overcome any physical difficulties that playing that
instrument presents, no-one is going to persuade you differently.
Which brand? New,
second-hand or rent?
Having settled on a choice of instrument, you will now need to choose
from a vast range of instrument manufacturers. You don't
necessarily have to buy a new instrument. Most universities,
colleges of music and conservatoires have students who are always
seeking to upgrade their instruments and who want to sell their current
instrument. This is a good way to buy a good quality, secondhand
instrument. Some music shops run a warrantied, second-hand
musical instrument purchase scheme and if you don't want to buy an
instrument
outright, why not consider renting or hiring an instrument? That
way, if you don't like the instrument after having played it for
a few months, you can always return it to the shop and try another
instrument. If
your budget isn't large enough for an outright purchase of the
instrument of your choice, or you don't want to take the risk that you
may not like it, you could always consider hire-purchase
or rent-to-buy.
Yamaha and Conn-Selmer instruments can be
found almost everywhere in
the world. Both manufacturers make a wide range of instruments
from student to professional instruments. Their instruments are
well-made, reliable and can usually be repaired in the country of
purchase by factory trained technicians. Conn-Selmer is a large
instrument manufacturing group which includes these brands:
Please click on any of the brand names to be taken to their respective
web sites.
When you buy an instrument, please buy a music stand. As I say in
my iBegin® books: Please
buy an adjustable music stand, as you won’t be able to play properly
with your music propped up on a bookshelf or chair. This is just
as an important part of your playing as forming an embouchure,
adjusting your airflow and reading the notes. It is, in fact, just
as essential as the instrument itself.
Changing instruments
Once you've become
proficient in playing your instrument, you might want to play other
instruments. Easy changes to make are: Flute to Piccolo;
Oboe to Cor Anglais; Clarinet to Bass Clarinet (or Alto Clarinet if you
play in a Wind Band); Alto Saxophone to Tenor or Baritone Saxophone;
Trumpet to French Horn; Trumpet to Cornet or Flugelhorn; Trombone to
Bass Trombone; Euphonium/Baritone to Tuba. Clarinet to Saxophone
is a fairly common combination, as the fingering of the bottom octave
of the Clarinet is the same as the Saxophone family. If you are
learning your instrument to play in a brass band, then you'll be able
to switch to other brass band instruments with relative ease, with the
exception of the trombone.
Which clef should I learn for
lower brass instruments?
If you want to play Trombone, Euphonium/Baritone or Tuba in a wind band
or
orchestra, then learn bass clef. If you want to play in brass
bands only, then learn treble clef.