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   Mx. Aria Stewart (aredridel@kolektiva.social)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 18:27:09 JST Mx. Aria Stewart

   Okay you know what's an example of social construction?

   Brass instruments.

   Like, we know what a trumpet, a trombone and a tuba are right? Nice tidy categories, neatly separate functions?

   WELL LET ME TELL YOU

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     Mx. Aria Stewart (aredridel@kolektiva.social)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 18:27:08 JST Mx. Aria Stewart

     in reply to

     Are all horns brasses? No.

     Are all brasses horns? Also no.

     Are all brasses made of brass? Also no.

     Are they all bugled? Nope. Do you play with an embouchre? not always. Do they all have reeds? Not even predominantly.

   • Embed this notice
     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 18:27:08 JST pettter

     in reply to

     @aredridel No, I'd say that no brass instrument has a reed, and that's the precise distinction between brass and woodwinds. Which ones are you thinking of?

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     Mx. Aria Stewart (aredridel@kolektiva.social)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 18:27:09 JST Mx. Aria Stewart

     in reply to

     You've got bugles, saxhorns, alphorns, saxophones, euphoniums, a zillion varieties of horn and maybe reeded horn, in allll kinds of sizes, reduced to a standard-ish selection for a particular era of western European music. What are the lines between these things? Fuckin' arbitrary. In context composers would pick what they thought people might have access to (or as a 'watch this, this is for THAT weird fuckin' instrument), or because there was a standard set for a particular military band

     So why are the categories what they are? Barely consistent mutual agreement.

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     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:18:05 JST pettter

     in reply to

     @aredridel Really? I don't think I've ever encountered that. Not saying you're wrong of course - I've only a very specific experience, if quite varied in style and genre. Is it like in symphonic or classical contexts, or more in the funk/ska side of things?

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     Mx. Aria Stewart (aredridel@kolektiva.social)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:18:06 JST Mx. Aria Stewart

     in reply to

     • pettter

     @pettter the saxophone gets called brass in a lot of contexts

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     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:22:31 JST pettter

     in reply to

     @aredridel An interesting point on the so to speak other side is the flute, which is often classed as a woodwind despite in the absolute majority of cases containing no wood whatsoever, not even a reed.

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     Mx. Aria Stewart (aredridel@kolektiva.social)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:27:21 JST Mx. Aria Stewart

     in reply to

     • pettter

     @pettter marching band for one, where woods are absent save flute. Not always but it’s a weird case.

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     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:27:21 JST pettter

     in reply to

     @aredridel You're talking american marching band here? I've been in a few in Sweden, and the saxes have always been part of the woodwinds here (we usually have a bunch of clarinets as well)

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     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:36:03 JST pettter

     in reply to

     @aredridel This is a fairly representative example of a very good and complete swedish marching orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJLEFMtzT10

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     Mx. Aria Stewart (aredridel@kolektiva.social)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:36:04 JST Mx. Aria Stewart

     in reply to

     • pettter

     @pettter yeah, American. Interesting having clarinets! They’re a rarity here in marching

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     Mx. Aria Stewart (aredridel@kolektiva.social)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:41:17 JST Mx. Aria Stewart

     in reply to

     • pettter

     @pettter ooh yeah we have a marching band tradition separate from military bands, with different, often simpler music. Military band music really puts people through their paces!

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     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:41:17 JST pettter

     in reply to

     @aredridel Right, the New Orleans kinda style? Or is that a different thing?

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     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Wednesday, 25-Oct-2023 21:41:39 JST pettter

     in reply to

     @aredridel (and yes, it does :) )