Today we’re going to dive into one of the lesser-known members of the brass family, the euphonium.
Specifically, we’ll be talking about the key and the general sound profile you can expect from one of these instruments when in the hands of an experienced player, though we’ve also taken the time to explain other aspects of the euphonium where appropriate.
We’ve also got a small selection of euphonium types for you to view, too.
What Is The Euphonium?
The euphonium isn’t an instrument you stumble across every day, so let us give a small explainer for the uninitiated.
A euphonium is a member of the brass instrument family, as you can tell by just looking at it, and its appearance as a small tuba-like instrument should also tell you that it has a deep, lower sound profile.
It's a valved brass instrument, usually featuring three valves just like a trumpet, though the presence of a fourth valve is possible for experienced players.
As we said, it’s tuba-like in that it has a conical bore instead of the cylindrical bore you can expect to find on trumpets and trombones.
It's often compared or outright mistaken for a baritone horn in terms of both looks and sound, so if you have any experience with one of those then you should feel right at home when playing the euphonium.
The Key
This begs the question “when you do start playing the euphonium, what key does it play in?”
Assuming no valves are being used, the instrument will be pitched at concert Bb but shares a lot of notational similarities with the trombone, both being considered non-transposing instruments that are written at concert pitch instead.
Depending on where the euphonium is played and even who is playing it, you’ll find that it’s played with a variety of clefs.
For example, when at concert pitch you can expect it to perform in the bass clef and some higher-pitched performances demanding the tenor clef, but if it’s played as part of a symphonic band the euphonium can be played at treble clef.
What’s more, British euphonium players have always used it with the treble clef anyway, making that distinction a purely American phenomenon.
Also, European euphonium music may be transposed as a Bb instrument so that the performance is a major second lower than what would otherwise be played.
That’s right, given how it’s a more obscure instrument, there’s very little standardization in how the euphonium is played across the world.
What can generally be agreed upon is that the euphonium plays in the key of Bb and covers the same range that you’d expect from a bass trombone, from Bb1 to Bb4.
Before gaining proficiency with the instrument, beginner euphonium players will also get to know the E and Eb key signatures.
Types Of Euphonium
Now that you have some idea of what sounds to expect from the standard euphonium, it’s worth mentioning the other types of euphonium you may come across.
These have variations, if not outright differences, to the standard euphonium sound, so we’ll go through them right here.
Marching Euphonium
First, let’s tackle a euphonium type that’s made for a specific purpose.
There are no prizes for guessing where you can find the marching euphonium, these are used by marching bands all across the nation and are often accompanied by marching baritone horns too, so the similarity to saxhorns continues here.
It takes a dedicated player to carry these in a marching band, however, because of how heavy they can get when carried around all day.
But what about its sound? The marching euphonium plays in the key of Bb like the standard euphonium and the similar baritone horn, and its notations are written in the C key.
It’s also worth noting that the marching euphonium’s range may be harmed by the fact that there are only three valves. Standard euphoniums have the option of a fourth for more talented players but this isn’t the case for the marching variant, probably to save space and make it easier to carry.
Double-Bell Euphonium
Next, we have a patriotic entry to the euphonium family, the double-bell euphonium. This variant is unique to the USA and uses an added valve to switch between the traditional primary bell and a smaller bell built into the instrument.
What’s more, the second bell is cylindrical so that it can produce different sounds to the primary, conical bell. This means it could theoretically double up and play both tuba and trombone-styled segments.
A very versatile instrument design, as you can imagine, yet younger players are unlikely to know about them as they’ve been in decline since the 60s along with the decline of call and response music, which these designs were perfect for.
They played in Bb, with the secondary bell being able to achieve higher pitches than standard for the typical euphonium.
Compensating Euphonium
This is the professional’s choice of euphonium much of the time, consisting of four valves and a more complicated tubing system to facilitate lower ranges for the instrument. That lower range can be from E2 to Bb1, depending on the ability of whoever is holding the euphonium.
Compensating euphoniums don’t need four valves, as British compensating models get by with three. These three-valved euphoniums would add more tuning to the C2 and B1 notes instead, facilitated through the introduction of extra tubing.
Five Valves
This euphonium type is exactly what it sounds like, though it’s possible to find it referred to as the non-compensating euphonium. It’s rare and based mostly in Europe, so we don’t expect you to have come across this one if you haven’t delved deep into the euphonium.
Using three valves with two side ones, five-valve euphoniums are distinct from double-bell euphoniums which sometimes have five valves themselves, as they developed near the same time period and independently of one another.
With that, we’ve covered the main keys that euphoniums will play in along with the different euphoniums that you can encounter in the wild.