Posted by Lew on April 23, 2001 at 10:10:41:
In Reply to: Re: About different cultures posted by Jay Bertolet on April 21, 2001 at 10:11:32:
I would agree in theory, that "what matters is how you sound, not what key of tuba you play." But, almost every college level tuba performance program in the US has students playing CC tubas or to a lesser extent F tubas. I would also say that the vast majority of professional orchestral tuba players use CC tubas for the majority of their playing and switch to a small CC or F for small ensembles or special pieces that require a different sound. BBb and Eb tubas are primarily used in Middle School through High School, or in bands, either in college or community bands, most of which are non-professional.
I agree that it is important for a tuba player to be versatile and be able to play a variety of instruments in a variety of keys, but the answer to the question is that in the US, CC and F tubas are the instruments of choice for the majority of pros.