Posted by Chuck(G) on March 14, 2003 at 12:30:52:
In Reply to: Different tuba fingerings -- a survey posted by AW on March 13, 2003 at 21:08:53:
This post has me perplexed on a couple of levels. I don't understand what Florence Foster Jenkins has to do with it (I do own the CD, though) and I don't understand why the Portstmouth Symphonia or Mrs. Miller weren't also discussed. And I think that Miss Frances sang much better than FFJ.
But I'm really baffled when someone asks to see a fingering chart for a "(fill in the blank)" tuba. Don't they understand how a tuba works? If not, some important part of their education was left out.
So, for me, working out the fingerings on a tuba in whatever key takes less than an hour (considerably less if the tuba has only 4 valves) with a tuner; most of it is finding out alternate fingerings that work better. Committing the particular instrument to memory takes about a week. Becoming facile enough to play it in public, about a month, maybe less. Remembering what horn I'm holding along with what bar of rests I've just counted, along with the key and time signature--well, maybe in my next lifetime.
They say that the first thing to go as you age is your short-term--um, er, what was I talking about?