Bass Bone Duets, Tuba Trombone Duets?

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SoVTTb
Posts: 127
Joined: Jun 18, 2018

by SoVTTb »

Hey All,

Increasingly, my musical friends and students seem to be playing the lower instruments of the heavy brass variety.

I was a tenor major in college, and so most of the duet rep that I played with friends at that point was for two tenors, so in the past year or two I've been making my first informed forays into the bass/tuba repertoire.

Here's a spot to share if you have any favorite duet (or small group) pieces that you like for bass bones or including a tuba. I'm happy to hear about bass and tenor stuff you enjoy too, come to think of it; I want it all!

Thanks!
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SoVTTb
Posts: 127
Joined: Jun 18, 2018

by SoVTTb »

To start it off:

- I've enjoyed working on Devil's Waltz, and I'll be putting that together with my friend pretty soon. I'd like to hear what others like that Stephen Verhelst has written, if there are some highlights in there.

- I'm definitely a Michael Davis fan, and I've performed Trombone Institute of Technology a couple times, on recitals and small concerts.
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hyperbolica
Posts: 3990
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by hyperbolica »

I got a collection of jazz duets that I thought was fun for tenor and bass. David Wilborn 8 Southern Jazz Duets. These are actually a lot of fun, and not incredibly difficult. Titles like "Hey, Reb, Pass The Biscuits", and "I Wuz Gazin at the Cajun" and "Miss Sally Visits the Juke Joint". I got it from Hickeys.
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ghmerrill
Posts: 2193
Joined: Apr 02, 2018

by ghmerrill »

Take a look at the Walter Sear Advanced Duets for Tuba. [url]<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.hickeys.com/search.php?q=Se ... nced+duets">https://www.hickeys.com/search.php?q=Sear+Advanced+duets</LINK_TEXT>

They're designed mostly to be played by a "high tuba" and a "low tuba", and some of them have one of the parts that's playable by bass trombone. I've never done this in performance, but have been trying for a couple of years to get a tuba-playing friend of mine to do it with him as low tuba and me as bass trombone. They're wonderful duets mostly in the style of (and I would guess "borrowed" from) Bordogni.

Some years ago Brian Earl and Alessandro Fossi produced a great CD of both volumes of these duets (using a CC and F tuba). You can see/hear a number of these pieces on Youtube.

As an example: [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7AydIfgH-k
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

Quick and dirty: Buy a book of trumpet duets and read them as bass clef (remember to add 3 flats to the key signature). Trumpet music ranges from 3 lines below the staff to 2 lines above. Good for lower bass trombone or higher tuba.
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marccromme
Posts: 457
Joined: Mar 30, 2018

by marccromme »

Song for Japan for two bass trombones

Ten duets for bass trombone by Tommy Peterson (great fun!)

Six jazz duets for 2 trombones (play one octave down) by Lennie Niehaus

Any fun duet you can find sight-transposed to whatever pitch you like (great exercise, I am doing this with flute music 2 octaves down)
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Kbiggs
Posts: 1768
Joined: Mar 24, 2018

by Kbiggs »

More legit orientated, but I’ve used the following for lessons:

Daniel Augustine. JS Bach Duets and Trios

DeFesch. Three Sonatas

Zindars. Ten Duets

Singleton. Twenty Five Baroque and Classical Duets

Second on the Pedersen duets. Don’t forget his Crimson Collop!
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bassboy
Posts: 88
Joined: Jan 02, 2019

by bassboy »

[quote="Kbiggs"]More legit orientated, but I’ve used the following for lessons:

Daniel Augustine. JS Bach Duets and Trios

DeFesch. Three Sonatas

Zindars. Ten Duets

Singleton. Twenty Five Baroque and Classical Duets

Second on the Pedersen duets. Don’t forget his Crimson Collop![/quote]

+1 for the Ken Singleton book. Love that stuff!

Also, if you like early music: Di Lasso Motetti et Ricercari a due voci by London Pro Musica. There's a lot of treble clef in this, but it's great for transposing, reading, tuning, plenty of other stuff. Also you can pick what octave you want to play in, making it just fine for a high or low instrument playing either part. Again, it's early music, but I've had a lot of fun reading these with people.
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SoVTTb
Posts: 127
Joined: Jun 18, 2018

by SoVTTb »

Thanks for the ideas, everybody!

I'm liking the varied genres of the rep choices, and I'll be checking these out bit by bit; keep 'em coming too!
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TubaDavey
Posts: 15
Joined: May 03, 2018

by TubaDavey »

Reciprocity, written by James Meadow. Originally written for Tuba and Tenor Trombone (recording on Tim Buzbee’s “Buzzed” album). Newer additions also come with alt Bass Trombone parts for both instruments.