Posted by Tony E on February 03, 2004 at 01:16:58:
In Reply to: F Tuba Sound posted by Mark Wiseman on February 02, 2004 at 17:23:04:
Mark,
Great question. Its always hard to describe sound with words, but here's my attempt to describe a couple artists whose F tuba sounds I really like:
The first time I listened to Gene Pokorny's "Tuba Tracks", I was really stunned. It's such a great, "TUBA" sound. So many solo performances on the F lean too far to the "EUPH" side of life for my personal tastes. To my ear, Pokorny's F tuba sound has depth and solidity that is truly rare, but yet maintains the sweetness and clarity so typical of the best F tuba performances. It's just such a wonderful F tuba sound.
Although quite different, I also love Jim Self's F tuba sound...both on his solo recordings and as heard on so many sound tracks. It's so catchy...it has that "makes me want to sing along" appeal. More of a blue collar sound. I think the common element is that his sound also has a clear bass tessitura. Plus, his timing is so punchy and front edge.
If I thought I had the slightest chance of achieving even a speckle of these great F tuba sounds, I'd give it a serious try. But every time I spend a few hours with one, I want to throw it in the nearest lake. Go figure.
Tony E