Since I am composing a piece for two trumpets and a piano, I would appreciate trumpet players opinion as to what is the fingered highest pitch a reasonably good non-professional trumpet player can comfortably play in a fast passage.

Yes, I have orchestration books which give me the trumpet range, but I prefer to receive this information from you the players. Once the piece is ready, I hope you enjoy playing it, and I do not want it to be too hard to perform

Thanks in advance!

for a fast passage go with the highest note being a G but feel free to go up to top C's

oh and keep it simple scaleic passages without any stupid jumps!

for a fast passage go with the highest note being a G but feel free to go up to top C's oh and keep it simple scaleic passages without any stupid jumps!

Thank you very much for your response. Please correct me if I am wrong in assuming that by "top C" you mean 6C, namely, the C on the second ledger line above the treble clef staff. I am surprised, though, that you are this generous to let me go that high, because according to the orchestration book by Kennan and Grantham, the highest pitch for common use is 5Bb, the one above the first ledger line above the staff.

As for what you consider as "stupid jumps" I am afraid you are a little bit too late. This tune has been captivating my mind for quite a while, and it is not exactly a Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol (C-D-E-F-G). There are jumps, and I have no way of knowing whether or not you consider them "crazy" or "stupid" by your standard. I am working hard to to develop this tune into a nice piece, and I hope that you and other trumpet players will like it and want to play it once I publish it here. I would love to hear from you then whether or not the jumps are reasonable.

All the best, and thanks again for your comments.

I think that high C (2 ledger lines above the staff) would be possible, but slightly difficult as a 3 year player. Last year in 8th grade, the school's best trumpet out of about 20 middle schoolers could just get a high E flat (three ledger lines), I hit the C a few times, and the next highest note of another player was F (top of the staff). Ultimately I think C would be fine in most cases assuming that the piece is intended for high school experienced players, but you may want to go lower to keep it safe

I think that high C (2 ledger lines above the staff) would be possible, but slightly difficult as a 3 year player. Last year in 8th grade, the school's best trumpet out of about 20 middle schoolers could just get a high E flat (three ledger lines), I hit the C a few times, and the next highest note of another player was F (top of the staff). Ultimately I think C would be fine in most cases assuming that the piece is intended for high school experienced players, but you may want to go lower to keep it safe

Thank you very much for your response. While I am not aiming the piece at any specific level, I do not want it to require a virtuoso to perform it. I just hope that a good non-professional player who likes the piece would be able to enjoy playing it. While I am deliberately non-specific about what I mean by "good" it seems to me that players at the level you describe might be adequate.

As it stands right now, there is a point in the piece where the top C is ideally called for. I tried to get around it by pushing that part an octave lower, which brings the lowest pitch in that part of the piece to the bottom F#. Honestly, I am not too happy with the sound of this register - it does not really fit in here. Another alternative is to change the key, but this will require signature accidentals at the clef (right now there are none). If this is preferable over the top C, then how many signature accidentals would a trumpet player be comfortable with? Should they be sharps or flats? And, finally, what would be the highest pitch you would consider "safe"?

I suggest that you send an example of what you have written to one of us on the list and we can record it for you and add comments. Better yet, find a trumpet player in your area and ask them to play it for you and make comments.

You don't want to spend too much time on the piece if it is not going to be playable.

I would be most comfortable with no more than two or three flats, and no more than one or two sharps, if the key must be changed, but it may be more or less depending on the player, their skill level and how they have been taught. (My previous teacher worked hard on flats the first year I was playing.) I wouldn't go higher than the C in that kind of passage.

TTTimmm: I wouldn't go higher than the C in that kind of passage.

I have no need to go higher than the top C. I am wondering whether or not I should go as high as the top C. Both you and Reedy tell me that you have no problem with the top C. This is very encouraging.

TTTimmm: I would be most comfortable with no more than two or three flats, and no more than one or two sharps, if the key must be changed, but it may be more or less depending on the player, their skill level and how they have been taught. (My previous teacher worked hard on flats the first year I was playing.).

Thank you very much for this information. However, I have already decided to do without signature accidentals. Furthermore, while I intend the piece to be played by C-trumpets, I am planning to eliminate the need to transpose for Bb-trumpet players by providing piano part keyed in Bb as well.

Branson: You don't want to spend too much time on the piece if it is not going to be playable.

You are absolutely right! This is the very reason why I started this thread.

Branson: I suggest that you send an example of what you have written to one of us on the list and we can record it for you and add comments.

Thank you very much for this wonderful idea. I will be very happy to prepare a music snippet containing the top C tune (notes in .PDF file as well as a MIDI realization in an .MP3 file) if you and/or other trumpet players here are willing to play it and send your recording of it, as well as your comments, to me. If you do, please send me a private message containing your E-mail address where I can send the files. Needless to say, I will be happy to send the piece, as soon as it is ready to be published, to every trumpet player who offers me this much help.

I was going to ask about as an orchestration piece I hope the trumpets are in C! why not create some extra copies in Bb aswel instead of the piano park, just put the parts in there just in case.

With regards to range, you are the composer you decide what sort of sounds you want! if you want a high sound, put a high sound in! and make the trumpet players practice!

When I did my orchestration project for uni last month I demonstrated my mutes, range, tonguing speed slurs, what we like, what we dont! and they as a general rule for orchestra trumpets are from C-up two octaves to C or concert Bb but for big band that goes out the window! and many lead players will go up to top G's above that and many pros will go upto to double top C's!

I would love to hear it! feel free to email it to me

sreedy@live . co . uk

Just send me the midi and I can import it into sibeius

I look forward to hearing it!

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