Re: Re: 7 Valve Tuba


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Posted by Jay Bertolet on January 25, 2001 at 11:10:03:

In Reply to: Re: 7 Valve Tuba posted by Frederick J. Young on January 24, 2001 at 17:55:25:

With all due respect, I think your characterization of York copy tubas as "outmoded" is at the very least unfair. I won't dispute your claims about the harmonic content of pedal notes on current tubas because I've never experimented with an oscilliscope to see those results myself. I will say that the range of human hearing is such that frequencies in that range are difficult for most people to hear, let alone distinguish clearly. Perhaps a higher concentration of upper harmonics on those notes makes them easier to clearly distinguish.

As Rick Denney pointed out in his post, any tuba player playing in any ensemble would be adjusting pitch during performances no matter what horn he played. This is the reality of ensemble playing. While the horn you designed may have superior intonation, is it flexible enough to allow sufficient intonation adjustment during performance? Perhaps achieving the proper balance of accurate intonation and adjustment capability is the direction all this is headed. I think if it had been me, I would not have designed such a horn as a double tuba. As a player myself, I don't see the pressing need for a better sound in the pedal range. The equipment I have right now works for me just fine in that regard. I think I would have focused on improving the intonation and doing so on an instrument that had very real practical applications. Your double tuba, while an interesting idea, seems to me to be completely impractical for use in the real world, especially for those of us who make our living daily on the tuba.

I applaud your committment to innovation and improvement of the tuba. Such work must be done to ensure our continued survival. I hope you will continue to work on your ideas. Hopefully, an instrument can be built that improves the acoustical problems of the tuba while still addressing the players' desires for specific sounds. We've had this conversation before (on this BBS in another thread) and I sincerely hope you'll come to understand that the sound produced by those "outmoded copies of the old York" is exactly what many professional players are seeking today. Why not develop a tuba that plays better in tune with that same sound? I bet you'd sell quite a few.

My opinion for what it's worth...


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