Re: Re: Conn 2XJ playing characteristics


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Posted by Scott Norberg on December 24, 2002 at 17:23:32:

In Reply to: Re: Conn 2XJ playing characteristics posted by Fei Huang on December 24, 2002 at 14:08:54:

That's not what I meant about dynamic ranges. I'll put it this way: say the Yamaha is capable of producing sound levels from 15-80 (a completely hypothetical scale from 0-100). What I was expecting the Conn to produce was loudness from 40-100. But instead I'm getting about 15-75 with the Conn. (Incidentally I haven't played a tuba with a more dynamic range than the Yamaha; I'm making the assumption that BAT CC's can be louder. I've heard that BAT's aren't louder, it's just easier to produce the loud sounds, but that's a different discussion.) Perhaps once I get used to the horn I can learn to play more loudly without the sound spreading. The Yamaha is a much smaller tuba but it plays like a tuba roughly the same size as the Conn. I was surprised at the ability of the Conn to play softly, actually, as well as the loud sounds I was expecting. I have to admit I've only played the Conn in small spaces, though, and what Rick Denney and some other posters have said makes sense. I remember thinking that the softs are still too "present" for solos and quintets, so perhaps that's the issue. I'll try it in a larger space (when I get the chance) and see if I get the same results.

As for the stuffiness, I meant that the sound was stuffy, not that it wasn't free blowing. I can't think of any other way to describe it. My fiancee who plays viola used the exact words to describe the sound. Again perhaps that's what happens when you play a big tuba in a small space, but this is the biggest tuba I've played so I'm still learning.

Thanks,
Scott


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