Re: Re: Re: Re: Best Tone Quality


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Rick Denney on March 30, 2003 at 17:13:59:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Best Tone Quality posted by Dan Bradley on March 30, 2003 at 15:45:55:

People often ask of most triathletes--how do they hold up to the training just for a handful of long, introspective races a year? The answer is that they race to validate their training, not the other way around. The training is the reason they do it--they love it.

That is the whole point in this little sub-thread. For the true orchestral tubist (of whatever skill or position), those widely spaced whole notes are worth the wait if it means getting to produce and hear that sound. They actually prefer the whole notes. If they didn't, perhaps tuba isn't their instrument.

This is along the same lines as the oft-heard advice to those who complain of practicing scales and other fundamentals--if you can't find a way to enjoy that for its own sake, you may have trouble making music your life's work.

That said, the orchestral greats all can demonstrate exception technical ability. Bell did so, and the recording of Jacobs playing the Czardas on the Portrait CD is enough to establish his ability to go toe-to-toe with specialty soloists. You've all heard me praise Pokorny's interpretation of Bach (at least the unaccompanied stuff--the piano accompaniment is often what puts me off). They may laugh about the 160 measures of tacet followed by one whole note, but don't be fooled: The sound they produce on that whole note is why they are there year after year.

Rick "as impressed by those who define the tuba as by those who defy it" Denney


Follow Ups: