Brass band

A brass band is a musical group consisting mostly of brass instruments, often with a percussion section. In some traditions other types of instruments like a clarinet or saxophones may be added, but other traditions do not accept woodwinds as part of a brass band.

United Kingdom

Brass bands in the British tradition are limited to cornets, flugelhorns, tenor horns, baritones, euphoniums, trombones, tubas (known as basses in brass bands), and percussion; but not trumpets or french horns, since they are orchestral and Concert band instruments.

Related Topics:
Cornets - Flugelhorn - Tenor horn - Baritones - Euphonium - Trombone - Tuba - Trumpet - French horn - Orchestra - Concert band

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Most bands compete against each other in contests and are graded according to their results from Championship Section (being the highest) to 4th Section, with a separate Youth Section (usually up to and including 19 years of age). The grading of a band can also be indicative of the commitment required, be it a once a week engagement for 4th Section, or 3 or more times a week for the Championship Section bands.

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Competitions among bands usually consist of a performance of at least one of the following:

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a test piece (which may be set by the contest organisers or chosen by the band), a march, a hymn, or an entertainment selection.

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In British National Championships, only one - usually newly written - test piece will be performed by all bands.

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The most important contests, which are all held annually, are the British Open (held at Symphony Hall, Birmingham), the Nationals (held at the ICC in Harrogate and the Royal Albert Hall in London) and the All English Masters (held annually at the Corn Exchange, Cambridge).

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There is also an annual European Championship the venue for which changes every year.

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Marches performed in contests are not usually street marches, since contest marches are usually too difficult for use on the road and are usually played at a faster tempo. Contest marches are a sub-genre in their own right. The most famous march contest is the annual Whit Friday march held in the villages of the Saddleworth and Tameside areas to the north and east of Manchester.

Related Topics:
Tempo - Saddleworth - Tameside - Manchester

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The instrumentation used in brass bands is:

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• Cornet in E♭ (called a soprano cornet)
• Cornets in B♭ (solo(x4), repiano, 2nd(x2), 3rd(x2))
• Flugelhorn in B♭
• Tenor Horns in E♭ (solo, 1st, 2nd)
• Baritones (Treble Clef B♭) (1st, 2nd)
• Tenor Trombones (Treble Clef B♭) (1st, 2nd)
• Bass Trombone (Bass Clef)
• Euphonium (Treble Clef B♭)(x2)
• E♭ Bass (x2)
• B♭ Bass (x2)
• Percussion (x2/3)

The make-up of a Salvation Army Band is very similar to a competing band, except there is no Repiano cornet part and some parts (solo horn, 1st trombone) may use more than one player.

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With the exception of the bass trombone and percussion, all parts are transposing and written in the treble clef, which means that for every instrument, from the big Basses right up to the Soprano Cornet, the fingering for the written notes is always the same. This system, which is unique to UK-style Brass Bands, ensures most parts can be covered when there is less than a full complement of players.

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Many of the UK's bands originated as works bands or bands sponsored (and long identified with) various industrial concerns and coal mines. Of the leading bands, the Black Dyke Mills Band was sponsored by a cotton mill, the YBS Band was until recently sponsored by the Yorkshire Building Society and originally the Hammond Sauce Works, the Foden and Fairey bands by the respective truck and aircraft manufacturers, and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band was composed of miners and members of the associated coalfield community. With the decline of these industries the links between bands and their origins were dissolved, and membership is now drawn from all industries and parts of the community. Sudden loss of sponsorship, however, has caused many a top band to die. The Brighouse & Rastrick Band have operated continually at the highest level without the aid of sponsorship; the band makes money to survive from their regular concerts, by selling recordings and other merchandise, and from public donations.

Related Topics:
Coal mine - Black Dyke Mills Band - Building Society - Grimethorpe Colliery Band - Brighouse & Rastrick Band

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The leading bands in Wales are Buy As You View Band (formally known as The Cory Band) and Tredegar Band and in Scotland, the Scottish Co-op Band (formally CWS Glasgow), Whitburn Band and Kirkintilloch Band. All these bands compete at the highest level in the banding movement.

Related Topics:
Wales - Scotland

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