Written out warm ups for Brass

On longer cues that incorporate the brass only briefly and only on some sections of the cue, it is easier for the players if you help them with a “written out warm up” rather than throwing them into cold water by requesting a big and bold fortissimo entrance, maybe even quite high, out of the blue.

In general these entrances will be better and containing less splits etc. if you write a few subtle brass bars before that entrance so the players have a few moments to get warm and prepare for their big entrance. This usually doesn’t apply for very short cues, however, especially when brass players had a long time without playing in a piece, the results will be more convincing with this method.