trombonist learning to sing treble clef scores
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    This discussion was created from comments split from: Congregational Singing Range.

    BedfordRick, a new forum user -- writes about his experience as an instrumentalist learning to sing from treble clef for the first time, and feeling uneasy about the process:
  • BedfordRick
    Posts: 8
    If someone has already mentioned this, I missed it. I wouldn't exactly say that this is four-part harmony, but I have memories of attending the church of Christ services as a boy, where they sing a capella. The men sing one part while the women sing the higher part. I'm sure that they probably harmonize the parts if they can't get that high or low. I remember singing the men's parts, though I was less than six years old. I just sang as low as possible and only got an idea of how the notes related to each other from the music.

    I have attended other churches that only display lyrics on a projection screen and it drives me crazy trying to anticipate the melody.
  • BedfordRick
    Posts: 8
    I had no intention, when I just signed up to leave the above comment, of talking about my choir experiences, but comments above open the door.

    I have been talked into joining two choirs that I ended up quitting with a bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to get along with everyone but felt constantly sabotaged.

    I knew that I was too needy but had hopes that my special needs would be kept in mind. I also realize how difficult that task would be if my needs conflicted with other's needs, but I don't think that was the case. I never was privy to others asking to keep their inabilities in mind, anyway.

    I don't have any vocal training, but besides often getting compliments about how nice they like my Baritone voice, I can only read Bass Clef music (I have been a Trombone player) and the lyrics have always been beneath the line of music in my hymnals. It's not that I don't want to learn new things, it's just difficult. I have never learned my scales or to read music written in other clefs, but I do know that the Treble clef sign circles the G in the octave above the equivalent G written in Base clef. That knowledge, along with some music software allows me to print off my own music, written in Base clef, with the lyrics printed below the staff. Both of my Choir directors knew my limitations and yet would make such major changes just before the service that my music, that had taken me practically all of my spare time each week, would be practically useless, forcing me to do what I couldn't do. I often felt embarrassed and humiliated when my mistakes seemed to stick out, and the directors always made me feel like they were upset that I couldn't adopt. I'm now two months shy of my 70th birthday, though I'm talking about maybe 2004 and 2007.

    Any thoughts?
  • BedfordRick
    Posts: 8
    Oops! "adapt".
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Welcome to the forum, BedfordRick!

    Some parish choirs sing a lot of unison music written in treble clef and only a little that uses four-part harmony and the bass clef. That's usually because of the repertoire choices they make; and sometimes due to the small size of the choir. Choirs with such limited repertoire don't attract skilled singers, so those choirs don't grow in size or skill.

    I hesitate to suggest more work for you, but let me offer an idea. Check in your city or town for a local community chorus. They tend to be bigger than parish choirs, and they more often sing music in 4-part arrangements (sopr/alto/tenor/bass), with the bass part written on the bass clef; so that could fit well with your past experience.

    They often take in new people around Labor Day and New Year's, or even other times in the season, so ask. I'd recommend this to anyone in a parish choir, since most parish choir directors are trained primarily in organ, and you may get the benefit of a more skilled choral conductor by going to a community group.

    Eventually you ought to become familiar with singing from treble clef, but I think it's more important at this point that you have a good singing experience *somewhere*, whether in the parish or elsewhere.
  • TheUbiquitous
    Posts: 70
    For what it's worth, I am also a trombonist who was frustrated by treble clef for years. That trepidation is slowly going away.

    * I'm playing through a hymnal, in an effort to learn harmony.
    * I'm starting with hymns I already know the melody to.
    * After a while, I sing along.

    Learning scales --- or remembering, if you've played recently enough that you still have the ear for scales --- helps a lot, especially with (scale-based) hymns.
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