Brass band facts for kids
A brass band is a musical group that plays music using only brass instruments and drums. Brass instruments include the trumpet, tuba, and trombone. These bands create a unique and powerful sound.
There are different kinds of brass bands around the world. One very popular type is the British brass band. This kind of band usually has about 25 or 26 players. They play instruments like cornets, flugelhorns, tenor horns, euphoniums, tenor trombones, bass trombones, and tubas.
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Different Styles of Brass Bands
Balkan Brass Bands
Balkan-style brass bands play a special kind of music. It started in the 1800s in the Balkans. Roma trumpet players were inspired by Turkish marching bands. They turned Folk music into brass band music.
This style is popular in countries like Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, and Bulgaria. The music is often fast and great for dancing the kolo. The musicians are called trubači. Famous musicians in this style include Goran Bregović and Boban Marković Orkestar. Films by Emir Kusturica, like Black Cat, White Cat, helped make this music known worldwide.
British-Style Brass Bands
A British-style brass band usually has 28 players, including percussion. They play a specific set of instruments:
- 1 Soprano cornet
- 9 Cornets (playing different parts like 'Solo', 'Repiano', 2nd, and 3rd)
- 1 Flugel horn
- 3 Tenor horns (Solo, 1st, and 2nd)
- 2 Baritone horns
- 2 Tenor trombones
- 1 Bass trombone (the only brass instrument here written in Concert Pitch on Bass Clef)
- 2 Euphoniums
- 4 Tubas (2 in E♭ and 2 in B♭, often called Basses)
- 2 or 3 percussion players (using timpani, glockenspiel, snare drum, triangle, cymbals, and a drum kit)
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Soprano cornet
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Tenor Horn
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Baritone horn
Most of these brass instruments have a conical shape inside. This gives British-style brass bands their special bright and mellow sound. All the music parts, except for the Bass Trombone and percussion, are written in Treble Clef.
British brass bands have a long history of friendly competitions. Many bands were started by local industries and communities. In the 1930s, there were about 20,000 brass bands in the U.K.! Today, these bands are popular in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and other parts of continental Europe and North America. They hold yearly contests to find the best bands.
The Salvation Army, a Christian church group, has used brass bands since 1878. These bands are a big part of their organization. The most famous Salvation Army band is The International Staff Band in London. Salvation Army bands can be different sizes, depending on how many musicians are available. They often teach children to play brass instruments from a young age, sometimes starting at 7 or 8 years old. Many larger Salvation Army churches have a Junior Band for kids (7–18) and a Senior Band for adults.
Low Countries Brass Bands
Fanfare orchestras are a type of brass band mostly found in Belgium and the Netherlands. Some are also in Germany, France, and Luxembourg. Unlike British bands, fanfare orchestras also include saxophones. Many fanfare orchestras are part of the military, while others are civil groups. They are an important part of the culture in some areas.
In the second half of the 1900s, many British-style brass bands also started in the Low Countries. They are often part of a music group that also has a fanfare orchestra or a concert band.
New Orleans Brass Bands
The tradition of brass bands in New Orleans, Louisiana began in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These bands often included trumpets, trombones, clarinets, saxophones, sousaphones, and percussion. Their music was a mix of European military band music and African folk music. This style played a big role in the start of traditional jazz.
Some early New Orleans brass bands were the Eureka Brass Band and the Olympia Brass Band. The Treme Brass Band is also well-known and has members who have greatly influenced New Orleans brass band music. These bands are famous for playing at New Orleans jazz funerals and second line parades.
Hip-Hop and Funk Brass Bands
In the 1970s and 1980s, New Orleans brass bands became popular again. Bands started to mix traditional styles with funk, hip hop, and bop music. Famous bands in this style include the Soul Rebels Brass Band, Rebirth Brass Band, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
This music often uses a sousaphone instead of a Double bass to play the bass-line. The sousaphone might play a traditional jazz walking bass-line or a repeating riff. Trumpets, trombones, and saxophones play melodies and harmonies over the bass-line. They often add lots of improvisation. A typical band has two percussionists. One plays a marching bass drum with a cymbal, and the other plays a snare drum. Sometimes they use more percussion, cymbals, or even Scratch DJ's.
This style of brass band music has spread beyond New Orleans. You can now find bands playing this music in Japan, the Netherlands, Scotland, England, Australia, and many cities across the United States.
Polynesian Brass Bands
The Royal Hawaiian Band was started in 1836 by King Kamehameha III. It is the second oldest and only full-time city band in the United States. In recent years, special brass band traditions have also grown in Tonga, Samoa, and other parts of Polynesia. The Māori of New Zealand also have their own brass band styles. Some of these unique sounds are now being shared with the world through recordings and band tours.
Festivals and Contests for Brass Bands
Many festivals celebrate brass bands. The Tarragona international dixieland festival in Spain features not only dixieland bands but also brass bands from around the world. These include the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from the USA and Boban Marković Orkestar from Serbia.
In the United States, the Great American Brass Band Festival is held every year in Danville, Kentucky. This event brings together brass band fans from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The North American Brass Band Association also holds an annual competition. It is similar to the contests in the United Kingdom and Europe.
In cities like Boston, Seattle, and Austin, there are festivals called HONK!. These festivals bring together street brass bands and other groups from the U.S. and Canada, and sometimes from other countries. They feature Balkan Brass Bands, New Orleans brass bands, and other community bands.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Tanzanian Police Force brass band
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E♭ and B♭ Tubas
See also
In Spanish: Brass band para niños
