ok...i;m beginning to learn how to read treble clef for a community band...what i want to know is what pitches do i need to play at on the staff. I'm thinking of stuff like the grand staff,



would that be a double Bb when playing treble? or does is it the Bb that is on top of the staff? i only need to kno this note for a reference...but yah...thats what i'm oh so very confused about.

thanks

That would be the Bb 5 ledger lines above the staff so i guess yeah thats double b flat.

yah...that would be the 4th ledger line up...but yah...so would




be equilvent to 12 spaces up from a tuning Bb...if thats the case...then you would need some very very strong players...but yah, someone in the other foreum said that the Bb om treble would be the tuning Bb..which i like a lot better. but still, is this accuriate?

WAIT!!!! no its not. I have played a lot of trebble cleff and if you play that note bflat 5 then your blend will be wrong and the cord may suck. It is the one on the top of the base cleff. Here is the thing remember that a trombone is a tennor or base instrument and any time a tennor or base plays in trebble clef it is taken down an octive, dont believe me as the bari sax always in trebble clef.

so another words...a middle Bb on the treble clef would be the same pitch as the 1st Bb above the staff (



) ...right?

It all depends on what exactly you are reading. Are you reading trumpet music? Fake books in C? Piano music?

The Bb in the middle of the treble clef is in fact our high Bb, 4 ledger lines up. If you take it down an octave, it will change the shape of the chord, thusly changing the sound and timbre of the music. You don't want to do that.

However, if you are reading a fake book in C, then yes, you can take it down so that the Bb in the middle of the treble clef is your tuning Bb.

A good reference to this is C. The C below the treble clef is the same exact note as the C right above the bass clef. Like in piano music, that C is the crossover point.

i'm reading off a Bb brassband music, i just had rehearsal with them the other day and the way they did it was to read tenor clef, and then add 2 flats onto it. I'm pretty sure the trombones are registered in the key of C in this band, and the music is written on Bb treble. But the way their doing is taking it down an octive. the Bb on the Treble would then be the Bb that sits on the top of the bass clef.

If you are reading it in tenor clef and adding 2 flats, then yeah, it's in Bb, like trumpet music. More than likely you don't have to worry a whole lot about playing in the right octave, so taking it down is just fine.

Can you play it up? If so then I would (now that I know what it is for) if not then no worries.

i could play up...but since i've been playing for roughly 1 1/2 years and don't focus playing on the higher register yet, than i don't have the endurence to play in our upcomming concert (2 hours long) on july 4th...plus, the music that were actually playing, thats would sound out of balance with everyone else. so playing it like we've been talking about is going to do fine enough.

Thanks for all the help everyone...i've really really learned alot and been helped out a lot.

-thanks

G'day Fellas
This problem with reading treble clef is a universal issue. Only encountered in the Brass band world.
First off The Brass band is built around the Cornets. As e all should know the Cornets are transposing instruments. They are pitched in Bb but, When they say that they are playing a "C" they are actually pitching a Bb. Wich is one tone below the note that they say they are playing. So when Trombone players play brass band treble clef (note that this treble clef is different to standard treble clef) They now have become a Transposing instrument. So the "C" in the third line of the Brass band Treble Clef Stave is actually sounding at the Bass clef Bb on top of the stave.

As another player suggested If you can read Tenor Clef than you can play brass band treble cleff all you have to do is to add two flats.

<Added>

Sorry I meant third space