Posted by Brad on June 25, 2003 at 23:18:52:
In Reply to: Re: A strange low-note thing posted by mike on June 25, 2003 at 13:26:14:
I agree 100% with you on that. After switching tubas so many times to find a free-blowing one that doesn't constrict my range (by that I mean one without a crushed and mangled leadpipe), on almost my one year anniversary of playing any wind instrument, my present was the pedal Bb. I used to fiddle around with some nasty sounding note that wasn't the pedal Bb, but was an open valve combination. I learned I could slur it from the Eb below the low E natural, to C, but was so horrible sounding (Not exactly a perk of a three valve tuba, as I've played music with notes I couldn't play because I don't have the valves for it. One such note was an Eb that I had to take up an octave because of three valves. My tuba instructor told me to work my way down to pedal Bb by going down the scale chromatically, but then he say the three valves and said, oh well, you'll just go from E natural to Bb. Sometimes I feel weird getting tuba instructions because of my instructor in his glory on his Meinl Weston 4/4 CC 4 valve 5th rotary tuba, and me on my rinky dink die nasty (either the convertibles from death or the Caravelle, another "fine" DEG product.) or the out of tune Olds.
I take it I'm still a beginner because I can't play 5 Bb's? Hehehe, I'm working my way up, overblowing the horn every step of the way, I'm at F above the second line above the staff.