G-flat major?

Push pull stroke

Push pull stroke

Platinum Member
I'm playing the mallet/aux parts for "Kiss Me, Kate", and I would like to cordially invite whoever wrote the parts in G-flat major to kiss my butt. Who has time for that? I work 60 hours a week and have two kids under age 4. I don't have time to even mow my own yard, let alone learn mallet licks with 6 flats plus accidentals. LOL
 
Push pull stroke said:
I'm playing the mallet/aux parts for "Kiss Me, Kate", and I would like to cordially invite whoever wrote the parts in G-flat major to kiss my butt. Who has time for that? I work 60 hours a week and have two kids under age 4. I don't have time to even mow my own yard, let alone learn mallet licks with 6 flats plus accidentals. LOL
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It might be easier than playing it in F# though ;)
 
My school orchestra is rehearsing Verdi's 'Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves' for a choir concert. It's in F# major. A bit tedious for young violinists.
 
Would it have something to do with concert pitch?

It's probably scored for everyone else in G but if you're playing percussion like glock or xylophone you can't tune those down a semi-tone.

Massive ball ache!

Just imagine what Zappa's percussionists must have gone through :)
 
mikyok said:
Would it have something to do with concert pitch?

It's probably scored for everyone else in G but if you're playing percussion like glock or xylophone you can't tune those down a semi-tone.

Massive ball ache!
)
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No, most of the instruments either transpose a whole step up (so A-flat instead of G-flat), or are at concert pitch. Supposedly it's for the singers, but the whole thing could be taken a half-step up or down with no problem for the singers.
 
Push pull stroke said:
No, most of the instruments either transpose a whole step up (so A-flat instead of G-flat), or are at concert pitch. Supposedly it's for the singers, but the whole thing could be taken a half-step up or down with no problem for the singers.
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Bloody singers! Can't think of a singer who wouldn't want to sing half a step down unless they were a bass singer.

Transposing when you're not a trumpet player is even more hassle.
 
Which version of Kiss Me Kate are you doing? The original or the 1998 Revival? Don Sebesky did the arrangements for the revival the original was done by Robert Russel Bennet who was the master of these sorts of things. Would it have "something to do with concert pitch?"
Mallets are in concert pitch as are strings, flute, oboe. Bb is the most common transposition you make when arranging. Broadway scores are never written with the key for the instruments in mind because they hire the best players. It's all about the singers.
 
MJD said:
That would put him in G# and thus a whole step higher than he needs to be.
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I actually thought about this about 10 min. after I posted it.

I left it to see if anyone would catch it. :)
 
Puts almost everything on the ebony's. With the right mindset, shouldn't that make it easier?
 
MJD said:
Which version of Kiss Me Kate are you doing? The original or the 1998 Revival? Don Sebesky did the arrangements for the revival the original was done by Robert Russel Bennet who was the master of these sorts of things. Would it have "something to do with concert pitch?"
Mallets are in concert pitch as are strings, flute, oboe. Bb is the most common transposition you make when arranging. Broadway scores are never written with the key for the instruments in mind because they hire the best players. It's all about the singers.
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Singers, my butt. There's zero need for this. You don't ever see g-flat or f-sharp as a key signature in the orchestral or choral or operatic repertoire. This is just hateful and unnecessary. And I can play g-flat just fine. I just don't like having to learn mallet licks at the last minute in key signatures that never get used outside musical theater. LOL. And this is the revival, not the original. I'm not sure I would have even taken the gig if I had known it was the revival. There's some really stupid percussion writing in a lot of recent Broadway stuff.
 
vxla said:
No offense to the OP, but the key signature isn't what's difficult about that book. Plus, G-flat major has way more to aim for than C-major does.
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So you think those two double stop runs in g-flat would be HARDER in C? I mean, sure, a lot of licks are easier (though not all) when you have some flats/sharps to work from. But those two damn double stop runs are killing me. I needed at least another week with the book to be able to pull them off at tempo. As it is, I'm just playing the right-hand notes in them. And I'm still missing random notes in the score, just because I don't have time to get set for a lick, because I'm coming from cymbals or whatever. Those instrument changes really are impossible in a couple spots. For real.
 
Push pull stroke said:
Singers, my butt. There's zero need for this. You don't ever see g-flat or f-sharp as a key signature in the orchestral or choral or operatic repertoire. This is just hateful and unnecessary. And I can play g-flat just fine. I just don't like having to learn mallet licks at the last minute in key signatures that never get used outside musical theater. LOL. And this is the revival, not the original. I'm not sure I would have even taken the gig if I had known it was the revival. There's some really stupid percussion writing in a lot of recent Broadway stuff.
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Actually they use those keys in those genres all the time. Maybe not as frequently but they do use them. I'm not a great fan of modern Broadway arranging either(Jonathan Tunick is an exception).
 
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