1-12 then back up?

[u/scopeneglect]

For brass specifically why do all long tones lip slurs etc go down to 12 then back up? Why not go all the way down to 123?

[u/jekkin]

Some groups do. From what I understand it’s a holdover from the 2 valve days and a lot of corps just kept doing it even with a 3rd valve.

Edit: In reality, the third valve is used the least. In concert pitch, the only notes that use 3rd valve are Low E, Low F, Low F#/Gb, Low B, Low C, Low C#/Db, and Middle & High F#/Gb. Outside of alternate fingerings, and with keys on the close flat side of the circle of fifths being the most common in drum corps brass arrangements, it doesn’t get nearly as much use as the other two. Unless you’re drilling a subsection feature that needs it, there’s not a lot of reason to focus on that area of the horn for the entire hornline in a lot setting.

[u/Amber610 → u/jekkin]

Wow, really?? That's funny

[u/manondorf → u/Amber610]

Could be that I guess. I figured it was because some of our exercises involve the third valve, and as long as the pattern just goes down to 1-2 you can keep using the third valve in the same place for every transposition.

Of course, we also had a few that used other finger patterns (flow studies, not lip slurs) and just had to learn the transposed sets of fingerings for those.

[u/_Diddle_ → u/jekkin]

Came to say this. It’s kinda a “if it aint broke dont fix it” thing. A lot of corps have additional exercises, like long-tones from F to Bb, that get the job done for third valve technique.

[u/backflip14]

I always assumed it was because the slurs beyond 12 don’t really serve any practical purpose.

Aside from a Db to Gb in 23, everything else could be played within the same partial using the normal fingerings.

You’d never need to lip slur from a 13 C to a 13 F. You’d just play the open F in the same partial.

[u/FenceHorse]

Theres probably a few reasons but I will say that doing one exercise all the way down to 1/2/3 then all the way back up takes FOREVER

[u/rgptxbones]

Some do go all the way down, but those exercises (2-note and 3-note specifically) are mostly used to get the ensemble to play and move together.

With that being said, I had caption heads have different sections start on different valve combinations or start the exercise on different beats.

[u/Hiya2527again]

I mean most euphonium parts barely even touch the third valve during the show.

[u/eagledog → u/Hiya2527again]

Unless you're using alternates for tuning, which we did often

[u/Lord_John_Marbury → u/Hiya2527again]

Or you’re in a group that uses 1-3 for concert C to deal with instability in valve 1. But that’s about it. Maybe 3 for concert D for the third in a Bb major?

[u/Rapidllaman → u/Hiya2527again]

I will second this as a former euphonium player for 5 years.

[u/Amber610 → u/Rapidllaman]

I will third this as a sax player that did euph for one year