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Typical brass section for pop or jazz?


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That'd be for a big band in jazz. Smaller horn sections can be any number of combinations, from just a trumpet and a tenor to an alto, tenor, two trumpets, and a trombone. Outside of big band writing, I don't think there's any standard template to follow, and what instruments you use will largely be dictated by the sound you want, or, in a live band setting, by who you actually have in the band (eg. you might prefer the sound of a trumpet and tenor, but if you can only find an alto player, you take what you can get.)

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I think bare minimum would be a trumpet and either a tenor or alto sax (preferably a tenor because they're both in Bb, so you'd really only need to write one horn part if you wanted). A brassier, more aggressive section might have two trumpets, a tenor, and a trombone. That would be a bit brassy sounding, though; you could sub out a trumpet for another saxophone without losing much volume but giving a more balanced sound. I think that's what Chicago used back in the day.

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(preferably a tenor because they're both in Bb, so you'd really only need to write one horn part if you wanted).

That's the slacker reason (especially when writing in a DAW or notation program when you can write everything in concert pitch and transpose if needed). I'd choose a tenor and trumpet because a tenor has a nicer sound (IMO) than an alto - it's more mellow and warmer - and a tenor doesn't overlap as much, pitchwise, with a trumpet.

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