I also suggest that although it’s hard for a complete beginner to learn both clefs at the same time, it becomes harder the longer you leave it once ‘stuck’ in one clef to learn the other. Whilst it is perfectly possible to ‘transpose’ another clef once you have learned the first (often treble clef readers do this) I don’t think it ever gives the same competence, and makes sight reading new music much harder. I would advise that any trombonist who wants to be a versatile and busy player, and play for a range of ensembles in different styles, should learn to play confidently in both clefs ‘natively’. Bass clef for bass trombone only really applies in the brass band, where the bass trombone is the only instrument to play in bass clef (apart from the timpani - brass bands are a bit weird like that! Even the tubas play in treble clef as transposing instruments!) The benefit of all the instrument parts being in treble clef is that a player can swap between any of the valved instruments and not have to learn a new set of fingerings for the notes. This is not the case, and even the first trombone parts in orchestras and big bands playing the highest parts are typically written in bass clef, often with lots of ledger lines! (Unless written in tenor or alto clef). One misunderstanding often made is that bass clef is only for bass trombone. Treble clef - this is almost exclusively used only in brass bands, but is also useful if you want to read trumpet or tenor sax parts in a jazz band: Here is a quick summary of the uses for the clefs:īass clef - the most versatile clef, used in lots of ensembles: Whilst treble clef is often chosen in group lessons where there might also be trumpet, baritone or euphonium players, and possibly is a bit easier to understand for a complete novice because the ‘open’ notes (where the slide is fully closed) play the arpeggio of the C major scale, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best choice. So how do you decide which clef to start learning at the beginning? This essentially comes down to what style of music you want to play, or ensemble you would like to join. a Bb in bass clef is played in first slide position, whilst in treble clef it’s in 3rd position). In practical terms this means that the slide positions are different when playing treble versus bass clef (e.g. Well not for a trombonist! For reasons which occurred way back in history, the trombone plays in concert pitch when playing music written for it in bass clef (like a cello or bassoon does), but when reading music written for it in treble clef the trombone becomes a transposing instrument in Bb (like a trumpet or tenor sax). For someone who maybe has learned to play piano already, or has studied some music theory, then the question is quite confusing in itself after all a ‘C’ in treble clef sounds the same as a ‘C’ in bass clef, right? One question that often comes up for a beginner starting out on trombone is which clef to learn to play in and why.
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