Posted by Rick Denney on March 13, 2001 at 10:25:44:
In Reply to: Re: Fifth valve - Flat *2nd* ? posted by Tony Clements on March 12, 2001 at 21:24:26:
Tony, I tend to agree with you. My guess at a fingering chart (for an F tuba) for a flat semitone fifth configuration would be:
Low C: 4
B: 24
Bb: 245 (makes my fingers hurt just thinking about it)
A: 234
Ab: 2345
G: 1345 (sharp!) or 12345 (same tubing length as 1345 and a flat whole-tone fifth)
Gb: 12345 (sharp!)
F pedal: Open
But my 621 F has a fifth valve with an extension in it that can be removed, making the fifth valve a flat semitone. I've never used it like that, and have always left the extension in place for the flat whole tone.
Somebody in the prototyping of the horn must have thought that a flat semitone was useful, or Yamaha would not have provided the option. That's the person who should respond to this thread, if such person exists, to tell us why they made the suggestion.
Rick "because it 'seemed like a good idea at the time'?" Denney