Re: Re: Re: AMERICAN & GERMAN


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Posted by Tabor on February 18, 2004 at 13:27:06:

In Reply to: Re: Re: AMERICAN & GERMAN posted by Rick Denney on February 17, 2004 at 10:24:27:

(to me, the American style horns sound "broader" while the German style horns sound "darker"

I think that with the Holton, it might have more to do with the shape and size of the bell than the flare. I am a classically trained singer, and one thing we study is how variation the shape of an opening (the mouth) changes the characteristics of sound. (not that anyone else pays attention in vocal pedagogy class) The wider the opening, the more of an "ah" vowel is formed. The "Ah" vowel is brighter, (consisiting of more overtone energy) therefore carries better than the darker "oh" vowel. The overtones that are resonated change with the shape of the opening.

The smaller the opening, the more of an "oh" vowel. In voice, this is further complicated, however, by the infinate possible positions of the tongue and the variable soft palate. The variation of the soft palate, I would say, is similar to how the bow and shape of the bell before the bell flare resonate sound. This is why we can make any vowel sound very different. More or less resonant etc..

The Holton tuba has a very wide bell, which approximates an "ah" vowel as it relates to voice, and it has a slow taper, which approximates an open, raised soft palate. (lots of space inside) In voice, this is a good combination for both projection and clarity. This is all, of course, a subjective comparison as tubas can't exactly "sing one pure vowel" but produce a sound which is resonant through many frequencies across the vowel spectrum.






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