On The Face Too! – for intermediate brass ensemble

On The Face Too! – for intermediate brass ensemble

On The Face Too! is to the secondary school brass teacher as On The Face! is to the primary: namely a collection of pieces for intermediate brass ensemble in various jazz and popular styles, aiming to give a ready supply of material for concerts and assemblies, which nevertheless still allows for the developing technique of the young players to whom it is addressed.

Generally speaking, the technical diffculty of the material here goes no further than ABRSM Grade 4 or 5 (even the first trumpet part never goes higher than a written G), though some pieces (in particular Get Funky!) will offer considerable rhythmic challenges.

The pieces here have been scored for a basic ensemble of four parts (as opposed to the three parts of the previous book), namely: two parts for trumpets or cornets; one for horn in F or E Flat (which can also be played by a trombone or euphonium); and a trombone/euphonium bass part.

Once again, optional parts are included, this time for tuba (which largely duplicates the trombone part, sometimes at the octave below), and for drums/percussion. Given the jazz and pop bias of many pieces, the drums will of course add considerably to the whole, but even as rhythmically based a piece as Get Funky! has been written to work effectively without percussion.

As in the first book, the pieces can be played one to a part, or doubled up as required. The tuba part might perhaps work best within a larger group setting since it mostly doubles the bass line, though in some pieces it can replace the trombone part if desired.