Brass Band

30 Original Chorales and Warm-ups

Grade 4 | 17 Mins

30 Original Chorales and Warm-Ups have been designed to develop the more important aspects of band playing by providing material that can be used at the start of a rehearsal to test balance, dynamics, tuning, flexibility and articulation. Band directors are encouraged to adapt them to suit their own band by focussing on specific musical challenges which may need to be addressed.

Dynamics and tempo indications are not given and should be chosen by the band director as is deemed appropriate. For example, No 15 can be used for ‘long note’ practice to develop tone and stamina by adding a crescendo and diminuendo to each note at a suitably slow tempo.

Chorales

All the chorales are four-part, distributed as follows:

Soprano: Soprano Cornet, Solo Cornet, Repiano Cornet, Flugel Horn, Euphonium, Mallet Percussion

Alto: 2nd Cornet, 3rd Cornet, Solo Horn, 1st Horn

Tenor: 2nd Horn, 1st Baritone, 2nd Baritone

Bass: Bass Trombone, Eb Bass, Bb Bass

To keep the trombone section in three-part harmony, 1st and 2nd Trombones share the Soprano and Tenor parts between them.

Warm-ups

The warm-ups are intended to develop:

Balance, intonation, ensemble and interval awareness (1, 2, 3, 13, 14, 15)

Articulation and ensemble (20, 21, 22)

Flexibility (23, 24, 25)

New keys and time signatures (27, 28, 29, 30)