Error in Arban

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biorrh
Posts: 1
Joined: Dec 16, 2019

by biorrh »

I suspect that most people are aware of this, but I did not discover it when I took lessons 57 years ago. The last system in Exercise 46 in the Arban book, p. 27, is written in C flat. As such it needs accidentals explicitly showing B double flat, which it does not have. It would be logically written in E, with a D natural on the 24th note in the line. The problem could be solved without changing the notes written by changing the key signature to 8 flats, but I think 4 sharps would be better.

It's particularly interesting to me because in band, and I think most people who practiced Arban were band players, seldom has songs in E, whereas I have seen it commonly in orchestra music.

biorrh
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

Originally Arban's was written for trumpet and was transcribed to C from Bb for the trombone edition.

Arban's for trumpet went from 6 sharps to 6 flats, a reasonable range.

In the transliterated trombone version it now is from 4 sharps to 8 flats. And 7 and 8 flats are VERY uncommon keys.

I was taught to take the Bb exercises and move them up a half step to be in B (5 sharps). You can similarly take the exercises in F and move them up a half step to F# (6 sharps).
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Burgerbob
Posts: 6327
Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by Burgerbob »

There are tons of errors in the Simone Mantia trombone Arban's book.
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timothy42b
Posts: 1812
Joined: Mar 27, 2018

by timothy42b »

To get nit picky, Arian was written for cornet

Conservatory students already played trumpet, they needed to learn valves.
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brassmedic
Posts: 1447
Joined: Dec 14, 2018

by brassmedic »

Yeah, I always LOLed when I played exercises in there with a key signature that contained a double flat. Um, I think not. I always assumed it was a transposition error from trumpet.
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

If the transcribers for trombone were smart, they would have just put the scale exercises from 6 sharps to 6 flats. Other exercises actually work well centered around the key of Bb going in both directions because of the mechanics of the instrument. I understand that the Alessi-Bowman version has fixed this, but I haven't seen it.
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timothy42b
Posts: 1812
Joined: Mar 27, 2018

by timothy42b »

[quote="brassmedic"]Yeah, I always LOLed when I played exercises in there with a key signature that contained a double flat. Um, I think not. I always assumed it was a transposition error from trumpet.[/quote]

Probably so, although I have occasionally run into the double flat in music the local European wind ensemble played.

Db minor anyone?