Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

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Canadian_tubist
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Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by Canadian_tubist »

Hello, this seems to come up from time to time, so thought I'd do a transcription myself. Copied from the Novello edition, I've got the first movement done so far and will post once I'm done the others. Enjoy! https://musescore.com/user/50758335/scores/29874656
2nd movement: https://musescore.com/user/50758335/scores/29877374
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BramJ (Wed Dec 03, 2025 12:16 am)


1957 Conn 25J, also have a 34J's recording bell
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by Canadian_tubist »

1957 Conn 25J, also have a 34J's recording bell
1966 Boosey and Hawkes Imperial BBb 3-valve compensating
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by BramJ »

Not an Eb player myself, but I'll share it with my neighbour in the brass band
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Canadian_tubist (Thu Dec 04, 2025 11:12 pm)
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by arpthark »

Great! This was quite an undertaking.

My only comment/nitpick is that the first movement (and most of the third movement) is not really in the key of C major (or A major for Eb instruments). Sections definitely emphasize the key of concert C major, but those are sort of few and far between. I would have done it without a key signature and just added in the necessary accidentals as needed. The Gregson isn't atonal, obviously, but it's sort of pandiatonic in sections.
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by Canadian_tubist »

BramJ wrote: Thu Dec 04, 2025 10:21 am Not an Eb player myself, but I'll share it with my neighbour in the brass band
Great! I just fixed the last errors, as far as I know. Enjoy!

Good point arpthark, it isn't really that C major-y. I did find this easy to read with the 3 sharps and it would've been much more effort to add all those sharps to each note, which are really my main and selfish reasons.
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prodigal (Fri Dec 05, 2025 6:59 am) • arpthark (Fri Dec 05, 2025 9:08 am)
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by prodigal »

Canadian_tubist wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 1:06 am
BramJ wrote: Thu Dec 04, 2025 10:21 am Not an Eb player myself, but I'll share it with my neighbour in the brass band
Great! I just fixed the last errors, as far as I know. Enjoy!

Good point arpthark, it isn't really that C major-y. I did find this easy to read with the 3 sharps and it would've been much more effort to add all those sharps to each note, which are really my main and selfish reasons.
In the spirit of sister and brotherhood with our Treble clef reading friends, I think this is cool. The original is for tuba and brass band, correct?

Sorry, I did it with a Symphonie and piano. Tried to run through it last week, oh chops, where art thou! :bugeyes:
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Canadian_tubist (Sat Dec 06, 2025 3:15 am)
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by bloke »

Years ago, a local community band asked me to play that piece and I shrugged my shoulders and told them that I'd be glad to.
(I played it on the same instrument you did.)

I practiced it at home and - don't misinterpret this is bragging, but -
having never messed with it before - I found that it all sort of played itself. It's in easy keys, and it's all predictable patterns and so on.
I played through several times with a big full sound and felt like I was ready to play it with that community band.

The thing is that (some) community bands are loud. Yes, some of them are amazing but others never master playing soft and they sort of have a dynamic range between forte and fortississimo. (f- fff)

The first run through went fine, but I barely had enough chops to make it to the end of the third movement, because I was playing so loud - so as to be heard over the band. :laugh:

Between that rehearsal and the one a week later, I ran through that thing over and over again playing it at "outdoor dynamics" so that I'd be able to play it with that band and safely make it through the piece playing it that loudly. It would prompt Mrs bloke to ask "What the hell are you doing in there?" :laugh:
Last edited by bloke on Fri Dec 05, 2025 9:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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arpthark (Fri Dec 05, 2025 9:08 am) • prodigal (Fri Dec 05, 2025 9:22 am) • Canadian_tubist (Sat Dec 06, 2025 3:15 am)
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by arpthark »

Canadian_tubist wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 1:06 am
BramJ wrote: Thu Dec 04, 2025 10:21 am Not an Eb player myself, but I'll share it with my neighbour in the brass band
Great! I just fixed the last errors, as far as I know. Enjoy!

Good point arpthark, it isn't really that C major-y. I did find this easy to read with the 3 sharps and it would've been much more effort to add all those sharps to each note, which are really my main and selfish reasons.
Of course. There would be a lot of sharps added in those sections that are in concert C major and I think if you're used to reading Eb treble clef in those keys it's totally fine. Just had to wear my music theorist hat for a moment. Didn't mean to take anything from your work here -- great job!
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Canadian_tubist (Sat Dec 06, 2025 3:16 am)
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by prodigal »

bloke wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 7:57 am Years ago, a local community band asked me to play that piece and I shrugged my shoulders and told them that I'd be glad to.
(I played it on the same instrument you did.)

I practiced it at home and - don't misinterpret this is bragging, but -
having never messed with it before - I found that it all sort of played itself. It's in easy keys, and it's all predictable patterns and so on.
I played through several times with a big full sound and felt like I was ready to play it with that community band.

The thing is that (some) community bands are loud. Yes, some of them are amazing but others never master playing soft and they sort of have a dynamic range between forte and fortississimo. (f- fff)

The first run through went fine, but I barely had enough chops to make it to the end of the third movement, because I was playing so loud - so as to be heard over the band. :laugh:

Between that rehearsal and the one a week later, I ran through that thing over and over again playing it at "outdoor dynamics" so that I'd be able to play it with that band and safely make it through the piece playing it that loudly. It would prompt Mrs bloke to ask "What the hell are you doing in there?" :laugh:
I think at my recital, my friends were looking for me to crash on the "We've only Begun" lick there in the last movement with the high G. (No problems there!)

I like the weirdness of the second movement, granted, I'm a second movement kind of guy!
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Re: Gregson Tuba Concerto in Eb Treble Clef!

Post by bloke »

The clarinetist and I agreed that the second movement was to be played in a jazz/blues style.
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