Re: BBb(s) with (good)/best intonation?


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Posted by Matt Walters on July 14, 2001 at 20:25:42:

In Reply to: BBb(s) with (good)/best intonation? posted by Steve Inman on July 14, 2001 at 08:46:24:

To answer your question about the most in-tune BBb tuba. I have seen more people be more consistantly in tune with a new vesion, King 2341. That's the one with the fixed upright bell. Charlie Krause brought up a point that sound is important. He's right but you shouldn't judge a diamond by looking at only one facet. Sure, if you pick up a tuba and you think it is the worse sounding horn you ever tried, pass and go on to the next one in line. Even if your favorite professional tubist plays that exact model, pass. But most sensible people will do that without being told.
After you have found some horns tht produce a sound in the realm of your tonal concept, then check out the other facets. Can you get a clean articulate sound? Can you play it in tune? Can you deal with how it fits on your lap? What about leadpipe height? Just as there are no perfect houses, there is no perfect tuba. There are however, wise choices.
1) Sound. You can't make a 3/4 Eb sound like a 6/4 CC. Get some choices that can do what you need from a tuba. Get a smaller tuba if you want to only play quintet.

2) Clarity. The best tuba sound in the world is useless if you splat, foof, and spleeahh an entire career's worth of bad notes per gig. Do you think the guys signing the checks will say, "Never mind that the tuba player was missing every other note and it always sounded like he was playing behind the beat, he had a great sound. Let's hire him back." I don't think so. Here is a news flash. The rest of the music world can't tell and doesn't even care the difference between a good tuba sound and a great tuba sound. They all know when we miss notes or play poorly for any other reason!

3) Intonation. Even amatuers can tell when someone is out of tune. Again, once we step out of our little micro circle, we find the majority of people (those who pay to listen and those who hire) don't know what an ideal tuba sound is. Heck, we can't agree on that ourselves. Most of us however, can quickly size up a tubist with intonation problems.

4) Comfort/fit. An uncomfortable tuba, even with the most beautiful sound in the world, gets tiresome real quickly. Some things like leadpipe height, or thumb ring angle can be easily fixed. Comfort is important. I'd rather be on a date with a sweet Plain Jane than the prettiest of shrews.

5) Affordability. Most of us have to make compromises based upon financial resources. If you can barely afford a $6000 tuba and the $13,000 tuba sounds a little better, it may be time for some serious soul searching. Does it sound 20% better, not 2% beter? If you are a good enough player that you seriously have a chance at a major symphony gig, and it plays better in all respects, then you'll have to just save up another year. One thing to remember. I haven't met a professional tubist yet, that said the reason he/she got the job was because they were playing the right brand of horn. A good horn makes it easier.

6) Dynamics. Can you control this horn soft as well as loud?

7) Slightly better sound quality. Now after a person has met the above criteria, then if the decision still has to be made, pick one horn because you like the sound a little better.

Someone might ask where is an amatuer tubist like Matt Walters coming from. Well, I do get to meet a variety of brass players, not just tubists, at Dillon Music. I listen. Let me ask this. When you aspiring tubists send in your casette tape for the audition comittee, what do you think they are listening for? They sure as heck can't judge a tuba's tone quality from a tape. With studio technology the way it is and/or the variation in recording equipment, no audition committee would try to. They CAN tell if you played with clarity, in-tune, in tempo, and if you were struggling (Tension from wrestling an awkward tuba can sound like tension from being insecure.) or not, to play the horn.

Most people don't know what Arnold Jocobs sounded like, but they all know when I miss a note! So, I built a responsive, articulate horn that doesn't need a lot of slide manipulation and alternate fingerings. It gives me less missed notes. The rest of my missed notes are just my lack of practice, and inattention.

That is my opinion about that subject and I reserve the right to change my opinion as my experience changes.



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