I had an opinion offered to me this evening by a phenomenally good Sally Army instrumentalist that has left me deflated. My band, as is the wont of British brass bands, is working up a test piece, and this one features rather a uncomfortable, unmusical melody between top F sharp and top Bb (treble clef). It is slow, and sustained and at a dynamic that is too quiet for me to play comfortably. It also has a phrase mark midway which if taken is opening me up for at best a clumsy and heavy rearticulation, or worse, a split. The phrase is just about doable in one breath if played as quiet as I dare. He has suggested playing louder (this then leads to having to breathe) but at the same time criticised my sound and lack of support. The guy is a cornet player (and therefore little better than a bagpiper, or vuvuzela-ist in my considered opinion) but this has got me thinking.
I have never had any negative comment about my sound before, so I am prepared to put this down to the zoom audio quality. The lack of support thing is puzzling though because I cannot support this any more than I am, unless there is some hideously amiss with my playing. I will record the passage, and upload the sheet music, and obviously welcome opinions. The piece as a whole is much too difficult for the section it has been chosen for, and although it pains me to say it, this solo passage would work a lot better on a baritone. To my ear the intonation is fine and certainly the E2 is a great help because the notes don't need any help. (my tuner says the same, and I'd like to think I'm sympathetic enough to adjust to what is happening around me)
It's also in G minor so the flattened third sometimes sits uncomfortably with other instruments on the root, but most of the time it's a tiny fraction under, which is ok if the root and fifth are bang in tune. (Edit there is a top Bb against a G so technically a chord is Gm!)
We have separate euphonium parts at this stage so my colleague is unable to help. I am aware that what is just about doable in the practice room becomes impossible on the contest stage. I always like to have multiple options open to me, just in case, but there is nothing here that suggest itself.
If anyone is interested the piece is Pilgrim's Progess by Rodney Newton.