Posted by Rick Denney on February 28, 2000 at 17:41:39:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Eb / F and CC posted by John Cradler on February 27, 2000 at 18:51:53:
I've also used the F in bands for the top octave in old war horses. The resulting sound cannot be had from a section of similar contrabasses. The director of the Michigan band, whose name I shouldn't be forgetting, once spoke at a conference I attended, and claimed that any decent band should have an Eb or an F to round out the tone. A section of CC's might not need this rounding, though.
I use the BBb anytime I need a big sound. I only wish I had the opportunity to need a howitzer, so mine is more like a two-pounder. I use the F for all ensemble playing, including quintets, quartets, and a 12-piece Civil War re-enactment band. By the way, I don't come from the same perspective (planet?) as big boys like Mr. Bertolet, but I find that my 621 F has more of the small contrabass sound than any other F I've played, except for the 822 (and that one sounds *too much* like a contrabass). No low-register stuffiness there compared to the other F's I've auditioned. Perhaps if a decent Eb had come my way at the right time, that would have been my direction. The ancient Eb I just bought may or may not be a horn that will fill the gap between BBb and F, but it's still too rough to know what it will sound like.
I used the F when I played in an amateur orchestra, and the music was written for a smaller horn. That group was quite small, and my playing never exceeded a healthy mf.
I also have a euphonium that I keep because in my dreams I get to play the Bydlo on it. Only in my dreams, of course.