Re: Why didn't Jake play an Alex?


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Posted by Mike Sanders on June 26, 2001 at 11:37:04:

In Reply to: Why didn't Jake play an Alex? posted by Jason on June 25, 2001 at 23:15:29:

Having played on a very nice Alex CC for some 15 years as my main orchestral instrument, and then switching to a Yorkbrunner in 1984, I can tell you that, once you figure out the somewhat different approach, the Yorkbrunner makes the job much easier. There are folks who will say,"It's not an exact copy of the original." But even if it is only somewhere close to the original Yorks the ease and efficiency that you have with this style of tuba (York style) makes it very easy to understand why Mr. Jacobs stayed primarily with the York tubas considering the respiratory problems he had. I had the opportunity to play each of my tubas for him in lessons and he did enjoy the Alexander sound and even played for me on my Alex. He sounded like Arnold Jacobs no matter what he played on.

One other anecdote that will further explain: a couple years ago I had the opportunity to play my old Alex (which I had sold in 1988) here in the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. I took it in to a rehearsal of Tchaikovsky 4th and after about 15 minutes I put it in the corner and went back to the Yorkbrunner. The tonal output from the Alex could not compare to the Yorkbrunner, and I am refering to quality here also. I just had to work too hard to keep up with the rest of the brass and the orchestra. To varying degrees this is what you get with most of the big 6/4 piston tubas- Yorkbrunner, Nirschl, Holton, etc. I think it was Chester Schmitz who called them "an old man's tuba."


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