Re: Re: Re: Re: effective ranges of BBb CC EEb F


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Posted by Jay Bertolet on December 09, 2000 at 06:39:03:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: effective ranges of BBb CC EEb F posted by Mike on December 08, 2000 at 23:55:12:

Essentially, you've got it right. But it really depends on the type of horns you choose. For example, if you had two horns and one was an average CC (pick one) and the other was something like a B&S F, you'd be hard pressed to keep both sounds consistent. So the first step is choosing horns that compare "apples to apples" rather than "apples to oranges". That's one of the reasons I chose Eb over F. I felt I could make an Eb sound like a CC more than I could an F. I still have tubas around with different sounds for those occasions when I think it is appropriate. Another tricky thing is selecting the proper mouthpiece to keep the sounds consistent. I used to think that using the same mouthpiece on both horns was the best answer but not anymore. These days I'm more focused on selecting the best mouthpiece match for the specific tuba. I'm confident that if I've selected the right instruments, they'll perform best with the proper specific mouthpiece. I used to think that the consistent feel at the mouthpiece was the psychological trigger for a certain kind of sound (horn to horn) but I don't think that so much anymore.

Your point about slotting is especially well taken. The best example I can think of is the french horn. A french horn is roughly the same length as a euphonium (in F) but plays in the range of the trumpet. And everybody will tell you that french horn is a much more difficult instrument to learn than trumpet. It is because the french horn player is constantly playing into the upper level harmonic partials that the accuracy can suffer. Whenever I'm choosing a tuba for a work, I look at the historical context, the mechanics of the given part, and then my own personal concepts on how it should sound. Usually those factors lead to an obvious choice. But I really try to avoid putting "the square peg into the round hole" because it just makes my job harder. So circusboy's original comment about playing with a big sound on a small horn has to be taken in context. Can you make a truly massive sound on a small tuba? I can't make as big a sound on my Eb tubas as I can on my Nirschl York. So I guess the answer must be relative.

One of the luxuries tuba players have today is the wealth of good instruments available of a given key that can function so differently. In every key of tuba made, I can show you a horn that has a soloistic sound, one that is average, and one that has a huge sound (for that type of tuba). I think more and more, the stereotypes that used to exist between different keyed tubas are disappearing. F tubas are no longer only soloistic, small sounding horns. BBb tubas are no longer just oversized earth movers. I think it is possible to find a horn in just about any key that sounds nearly exactly the way anyone wants. I know it is possible to select a group of instruments that offers the player a complete range of sounds. I think the first step is knowing exactly what you want and having a clear idea of what you're going to be playing on a given instrument. With that knowledge, it should be possible to select just the right horn for your purposes. Always, the right tool for the right job!

My opinion for what it's worth...


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