Posted by Rick Denney on August 19, 2003 at 23:49:52:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Horn Resistance Again posted by Mary Ann on August 19, 2003 at 17:49:30:
The tubing from receiver to first valve on my Miraphone is about 28", while the straight-in pipe on my York Master is only 16.5". This is typical. Some newer rotary tubas have shorter leadpipes. Parantucci, for example, runs the leadpipe into the bottom port of the fifth vavle, which takes away the long loop over the upper bow. And there are some piston tubas with tuning slides in the leadpipe. But most piston tubas have shorter leadpipes.
So, the valves are later in the bugle with rotaries, which might explain why they have a larger bore. Personally, I just think rotary tubas have a different taper design, perhaps acting as the dual (taper inverse) of the typical piston tuba with its widely flared bell. That and four bucks will get you a cup of coffee.
As to the whole issue of resistance, I have a hard time with it. I'm not sure I know what it feels like. Some instruments seem to resonate easily, and others have to be pushed. Some are stuffy, which for me means that it takes more air than it seems like it should for the resulting sound. But I've played instruments that seemed warm and open that others describe as stuffy, and I've thought instruments to stuffy to be unmanageable that others thought were wide open. So I don't trust my impressions on the matter.
My Holton, which is a York copy, is easy to play. The only physical work required is when using the fourth valve down low, but that's true of all my tubas except the YM, which has a fourth valve bestowed by the gods. I have not so much air, so if it is easy to play, it must have lots of resistance, right? I find it easier to play than the Miraphone, which seems a bit stuffy and stiff by comparison. But I find that my Yamaha is not stuffy at all, though it has a limit beyond which it will not go.
I will continue to remain confused about stuffiness and resistance, and just classify the tubas that come my way as being either easy to play or hard to play, and good-sounding or not.
And I will not judge any playing characteristics of any tuba by the inner diameter of the second-valve tuning slide. I haven't found much connection there, either.
Rick "permanently confused" Denney