Posted by B.G. on April 29, 2003 at 14:23:07:
In Reply to: mpc to brighten 186CC for quintet? posted by Steve Inman on April 28, 2003 at 22:50:59:
Steve,
For quintet use, you could go so far as to use a Miraphone Eb/F m.p. on your 186. I bought a Miraphone "Winston Morris" Eb/F m.p. from Lowbrasswerks (Tony Clements) about 18 months ago. Now, that was one of the smallest of the four or five Miraphone Eb/F's that Tony had in stock. He carries their entire line, and you might just ask him what would be the next step down, in size, from the TU23 (C4) that he mentions below. I like this type of m.p. for soloing and high quintet literature because they usually still have enough width that it's easy to jump around from high to low (particular good for more modern works), yet the shallower cup and relatively small throat helps keep the sound smaller and brighter. That also helps to keep your high range up to pitch. These wide but shallow type m.p.'s can be a bit harder to slur smoothly on, especially if you're used to more Helleberg style pieces, but your sound will be a bit brighter, and your articulations will probably be real clean as well. They probably help you to play real soft in a quintet setting while still using a CC tuba, as well.
just a thought,
Barry Guerrero