From trumpet to euphonium

[mthsbandrocks]

So our band is kinda small so our band director asked if anyoe was willing to switch to euphonium. I said I would and I haven't started actually playing it all the time yet, but I will soon.
I really want to play trumpet for marching season and I intend on still going to my weekly trumpet lessons. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my chops okay to play both, or will I have to give up one instrument?

[brassdancer]

It shouldnt be too much of a problem. In fact, MANY people from various instruments switch to euphonium. It seems to be that "catch all" instrument that a band director is always in need of, and thankfully, euphonium is pretty easy to pick up on, especially for a brass player.

I don't think you'd ever have to give up one instrument entirely. I got to college with quite a few euphonium players who also double on trombone and some even on trumpet, and are fairly decent. Here's a few tips though.

1. Take to the euphonium SLOW. It's gonna be hard, but even though you may be zooming through stuff on there, be careful and don't hammer yourself too hard. It's going to affect your trumpet playing if you do.

2. If you can, don't play euphonium and then go straight to trumpet. Give yourself at least an hour to let your lips adjust. I have a friend who plays french horn, and in marching band she plays baritone. She goes from symphony band, straight to marching band with barely anytime to let her lips rest, and lets just say she switched to mello the next year because it became too much of a problem.

It shouldnt be too bad, ad since you are still going to do trumpet, I don't see why you couldnt keep both up. Have fun with it! I am a fellow switcher in need, I switched from clarinet. And now I major in euphonium in college!

P.S. I thought you went to my high school, North Catholic, by your username ...but alas, no.

[trumellotonium]

I switched from trumpet to euphonium and it was no problem at all for me. In fact, I was better at trumpet having switched because the euphonium is a lot harder to cheat on embochure-wise, so it made me stronger. The fingerings are exactly the same (though if you're reading bass clef, a potential problem in itself, what you know as C will be called Bb).

[Deleted]

I could write a dissertation on the differences between trumpet and euphonium, and I think I may end up doing it.

I switched from percussion to euphonium a long time ago, but it was euphonium in treble clef, and only in switching to bass clef did I really learn the instrument. The real difference between the two instruments is that trumpet music is very technical and melodic, whereas euphonium blends in with the background. What that means in practical terms is that because there are fewer notes on a page for a euphonium, each note has to sound really good. A baritone has a naturally dark tone, but in order to play it properly, at least in my opinion, you have to accentuate it with your own tone.

My problem with a lot of trumpets or trombones that switch to baritone is that they look at euphonium music for its technical rather than its musical merit, and I hate it when composers do the same. Keep in mind that you are playing a background instrument and that tone is much more important than on euphonium

There, you've all heard Oscar's favorite rant of all time.