The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-08-08

Who Wanted to Learn and Who De
eided TO Tackle an Accordion.
! The band was playing loudly In the
Trinkfestbiergarten and the little bald
headed man had his eyes fastened inter
estedly on the trombone player. Wher
the players stopped to recuperate hi
beckoned the man who works the loost
horn over TO his table and ordered TIVE
glasses OF schoenesbraue.
MY name Is Blggs," said the man
whose hair was absent. zone of my
lungs is trying to quit work, and the
doctor advises me to break up Its shift
less habits by blowing brass. The
careless way you yank that pump horn
looks good, and want you to put me
! on
what do you want to known asked
! the musician.
"Just hint about how you handle
that wind machine so nonchalantly,"
'The trombone is very simple" re.
piled the musiker. wiping his lips,
which curled In thick. red volutese.
THE slide is divided into seven shifts.
or positions. about three inches apart.
starting with the lowest note In the
first position--the slide closed--you get
B fiat. Push out the tubes and you hit
successfully A, A fiat, G. F sharp, F
and E."
That's only seven notes." objected
Riggs
Eyes. Getting the rest depends on
how You pucker your lips. In the first
position you can make, figuring up.
ward. Il tat. +. b fat, d, r, d fiat and
c. In the second you obtain A, Il, A.
C sharp. E, G and A. The third gives
you fat, Z fat, A tlat. C, T. fiat and
A fat It works out the same all the
way down.
There are higher notes that | didn't
mention, but you won't want to mon
key with them. But good player has
compass of more than three octaves !"
Biggs looked troubled.
Let me see." he said "You start in
the first position with B fiat"
yes" replied the. other-"that is
provided you are playing in the bass
clef. In the treble clef the first posi-
ton is c."
"Whatr' exclaimed Blggs. ITS one
note one time and another another"
"In the treble clef," explained the
musician. 'the trombone is a fat
horn, In the bass clef 1t is a C horn"
Biggs mopped his brow.
'Say that again, will you" he ap.
pealed
'Don't you see?" came the answer
when the first position Is c it's a
B fat horn. When the same shift IS
B fat it's a G horn"
Biggs unbuttoned his coat.
"You may call this thing simple" he
said. "but If it Is I'll give myself up at
the nearest asylum. You are talking
antonyms."
The musician grinned.
"Well take one thing at q time" he
said 'In getting at what a B fiat
horn is let's consider cornet."
Lets. II it's simpler" said Biggs
hopefully.
ITS because it's always B fat
horn," replied the other. Then he add.
ed, Except when it's an A horn"
Biggs gave sickly smile.
"The lowest note on cornet when
open-when no keys are pressed down
is really B fat" said the bandman.
"But it is called c."
'That doesn't make it c." said Biggs,
"For all practical purposes 1t does"
was the reply. 'There is reason for
doing this, but it's complicated and at
present I'm keeping to simple facts"
"Yes, indeed" murmured Biggs.
ain an orchestra. for instance, when
the first violins are playing in G nat
ural the cornetist's score Is two semi
tones higher and is thus written in d
or two sharps When the violins are
playing in D the cornet player Is toot-
ing in e or four sharps. But II things
kept on this way the cornetist would
soon be lost in confusion Of sharps
and double sharps, so he slips an A
crook on his instrument. That raises
the signature three semitones. When
the fiddles play in A or three sharps
the cornetist is blowing along the easy
path of c natural"
"Look here" said Biggs, "if my
wife is playing Under the Pink Lilac
Bush on the piano. couldn't l play
with her from the song score?"
mot unless you can mentally trans
pose as you go along" said the mu-
sician. "The system looks queer at
first. but it's logical. Its purpose is to
bring the same music within the nat
ural compass of all the instruments Of
band or an orchestra. But II you
are going TO play the trombone you
won't have to bother your head about
any of this, as trombone music is now.
adays always written in the bass clef."
"Then what have you been talking
about 1t for and mixing me up?"
shouted Biggs, jumping up.
'What are you getting mad about?"
asked the trombonist
T'm not mad" replied Biggs. T'm
only going to make my will and buy
an accordion. - Washington Post.