Index of Articles

My Friends in the Lower Octave
by Denis Wick
Edited from Denis Wick's Facebook page (where it was posted on Dec. 16, 2014). Used with permission.
Denis Wick has had a long and productive career as a player and teacher. And for much of that time he has been working on the "hardware" side of music to develop better equipment for players (you can learn more about that on his business site, www.deniswick.com). I personally own many pounds of Wick mouthpieces and mutes, as one example....

Adams Brass makes some amazing euphoniums, which are all built by hand. This type of production enables incremental improvements over time, as well as enabling customers to special order an instrument that is most suitable for them.

You can order a euphonium with...

Metal thicknesses affects the tone and power-handling, and it is felt a bit in the agility with which the horn negotiates intervals. The thicker the metal, the darker the sound, and the better it will handle...

What Is a Double-Bell Euphonium?
What Was It Used For?
What CAN It Be Used For?

On the Double-Bell Euphonium Facebook group, observers and new users are asking questions about this unique instrument. To provide a decent knowledge base, I borrowed some of my article "The Euphonium Family," revised it, and added much more content.

The double-bell euphonium is arguably one of the oddest brass instruments to be mass-produced in the 20th century. An...

The Wisdom of Werden, Talking Euphonium with David Werden
Trey Reely
Part 1, from February March 2023
(Used here with permission of The Instrumentalist Magazine)

Editor’s Note: Mr. Werden had so much intriguing and useful information during our recent interview that we have divided the article into two parts. This first part covers many practical playing tips for directors and players. In the next issue [included here], we will go into more depth on his remarkable...

FOR BRASS TEACHERS
Carl "Doc" Severinsen:
How Great Is the Difference?
Reprinted with permission of
Getzen Company, Inc.

This is a question that has come to my mind after observing and playing with a wide range of school musical organizations in recent years. Most students and some teachers would lead me to believe that there is some great mystery or miracle within the gap that separates the "finished" players from the "unfinished." Many of the questions...

Some thoughts on playing the euphonium
by Geoffrey Whitham

Published with kind permission of British Bandsman:
www.britishbandsman.com

It is advisable for the euphonium student to learn the extensive use of the 4th valve. Most players think that the 4th valve is for extending the range into the pedal register. While this thought is correct, the 4th valve, like any other valve, has its natural harmonics and, in combination with the other valves, can achieve...

Mouthpiece Design

originally written by Tranquillo Forza
summarized for this site by Silvano Franzi

I have observed that several euphoniumists do not have a precise knowledge of how a mouthpiece is made and how it can influence the sound we get from our instrument. This is due, in part, to the scarce or almost non-existent literature on the subject. To remedy this, I would like to point out an interesting work written by one of my compatriots twenty years ago which examine...

Dublin Silver Band: Brass Band 101
(used here with permission)

List of roles for every seat in the traditional British Brass Band

The Brass Band is too often mistakenly treated like a brass ensemble or EVEN a wind band. These are a few concepts that are what set the brass band apart from other ensembles.

• The brass band should be thought of as a combination of many 4-part ensembles stacked on top of one another:
  • Front row cornets
  • Back row cornets
  • Horns
  • Euphoniums

...

Alex Iles is the group admin for Trombone Pedagogy on Facebook. He just posted the thoughts below, which are sound advice for anyone contemplating an audition. Alex gave his permission to re-print it here.

We held principal trumpet auditions yesterday and I thought I'd share some thoughts and observations from the other side of the screen. We listened to 32 players. 6 played a semi final round. 3 played a final round (with conductor added to committee). We chose two of the finalists...

ME, MYSELF and I:
Are Orchestral Brass Players Losing the Concept of Being Team Players?
by Douglas Yeo
(comments below by Gene Pokorny)

Used here with permission - D.W.

Over the past two decades, there has been a veritable explosion in the development of the modern trombone. Players are now confronted with a dizzying array of choices in mouthpiece, bells, leadpipes, valves and slides. Many manufacturers offer the player the chance to put together...