Would any one familiar with trombone exams be able to give me an idea of what my daughter's level on the trombone might be in grade terms? (This is for a summer course in the UK).

She plays from the bass clef only and has a range of just over two octaves from F below the bottom line of the stave to G above middle C.

She can theoretically read the treble clef reasonably fluently from theory classes but hasn't thought about how her top G might be written in the treble clef, so wouldn't be at ease playing a piece which moved into the treble clef. She has no knowledge of the tenor clef (although theoretically she probably could work it out without too much problem).

She is happy sight-reading and playing in up to 5 flats but is not too keen on sharps (apart from F#) and usually writes in either the position for them or their enharmonic name.

She hasn't played any of the pieces on any of the syllabuses (AB or Trinity) and nor does she own any of the books that the pieces are in. She seems to play only pieces by contemporary French composers which are usually about a page long and a bit like a sonatina (ie have three short movements of contrasting style and often a change of key). She also works from the second volume of a German book of scale type exercices.

Hiya

None of the grade 5 and 6 repertoire I have come across go beyond the range you have specified. There may be one or two rogue ones but none that I have seen. Likewise most of the pieces at this level are in flat keys, the maximum sharps being two and that's only in a couple of pieces. Most brass players I know (me included) hate sharps!

Pretty much all exam pieces give the option of bass or treble clef, so they don't move from one to the other.

One thing possibly to note is that generally speaking Jazz and orchestra trombonists (except advanced players) will usually read in bass clef, whilst brass band trombonists read treble apart from bass trom. Hope ths helps :-)

So she should be all right on a course which says it is aimed at players between grades 3-6?



I did know this but wondered how "advanced" you are when you need other clefs. On one of the exam boards' sight-reading requirements it said that another clef (treble I think) was introduced from grade 5, which I found quite surprising. (After all, if you're only playing up to G above middle C there are not that many ledger lines).

[quote name='kerioboe' date='Mar 24 2010, 10:10 PM' post='934483']
[quote name='Juniper' post='933616' date='Mar 22 2010, 01:43 PM']
None of the grade 5 and 6 repertoire I have come across go beyond the range you have specified. There may be one or two rogue ones but none that I have seen. Likewise most of the pieces at this level are in flat keys, the maximum sharps being two and that's only in a couple of pieces. Most brass players I know (me included) hate sharps!
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So she should be all right on a course which says it is aimed at players between grades 3-6?
[/quote]
I would say from your description she is playing at the higher end of that so yes

[/quote]
generally speaking Jazz and orchestra trombonists (except advanced players) will usually read in bass clef,
[/quote]
I did know this but wondered how "advanced" you are when you need other clefs. On one of the exam boards' sight-reading requirements it said that another clef (treble I think) was introduced from grade 5, which I found quite surprising. (After all, if you're only playing up to G above middle C there are not that many ledger lines).
[/quote]
From grades 1-5 the examiner asks whether they are a treble or bass clef reader. after that it is Bass and tenor or treble

Hope she enjoys the course

Keri, reading trombone music in the treble is completely different from shifting clefs on other instrument (it becomes a transposing instrument - it's not about shifting too high up above the leger lines to read easily, as it would be with, say, the cello).



(*Is not entirely sure that made sense, but I know what I mean!*)

I did know this but some advanced (modern) music for bass clef (ie non-transposing) does have bars in the treble clef like the cello - my daughter's teacher was once practising something like this when she arrived for her lesson.

I have just checked back on the exam requirements and it is Trinity which says that sight-reading from grade 5 can include "simple" tenor clef for bass clef readers. This made me wonder if all grade 5 British trombonists are at ease playing the tenor clef and if my daughter is likely to be given an orchestral part which is at least partly written in the tenor clef.

Due to the nature of the the trombone becoming and transposing instrument when reading the treble clef you can simply read the tenor clef as if it were treble clef but just knock off two flats in the key signature e.g. 4 flats would be come 2 flats; 1 flat would become 1 sharp; 2 sharps would become 4 sharps. Careful attention has to be paid when there are accidentals...I've confused myself a little by thinking about it too much so can't remember when to take note of accidentals..sure i'll remember in the morning.

I would expect school and youth orchestras to be careful to provide parts appropriate to the knowledge of their players, but in general orchestra playing you will get both tenor and alto clef trombone parts. The earliest trombone sections (e.g. Mozart Requiem) had one each of alto, tenor and bass, playing from the corresponding clefs, and it is likely that Beethoven and Schumann would have expected the same. I believe the French were the first to use two tenors and one bass, and also three tenors. I don't know about the parts, but the score of Shostakovich's Symphony No 10 (c. 1953) has trombones 1 and 2 on a single alto clef.