Posted by Marty Neilan on January 25, 2001 at 11:13:01:
In Reply to: 7 Valve Tuba posted by Jay Bertolet on January 24, 2001 at 15:21:29:
I just wanted to add this, and apologize if it has already been touched on in this thread.
My reason for not wanting a seven valve tuba:
Every time you add a valve, you have the potential to add stuffiness to the horn. Even if the valves are 'perfectly' aligned (and are they ever to .000001"?) you are still sending the air through additional bends and soldered joints. It would seem to me that it is necessary to strike the right balance between free blowing and the number of valves. Dependent valves can solve some of this, but then you lose a lot of your alternate fingerings available.