Posted by Fred Young on May 12, 2002 at 14:17:55:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: 1936 King rotary? posted by Chuck(G) on May 11, 2002 at 16:32:53:
In 1954 I ordered my upright bell. King said they were sending me a 22 inch bell but they sent a 20 inch instead. My recording bell is 24 inches and I always preferred it's sound. Whenever I use it for outdoor concerts I am complimented by about 6 to 10 people after the concert who say that is the first time they have ever really heard a tuba at an outdoor concert.
The articulations are much clearer on the recording bell because the high harmonics which define the articulations don't get lost in the clouds. The low notes are also much better than with an upright bell. When I first got the tuba in 1946 nobody who was a real tubist used an upright bell including Arnold Jacobs who used a recording bell when he could get away with it. Conductors never seem to be happy with advances made in instruments and would rather have something traditional looking than better sounding. When William Steinberg first saw my recording bell in the Pittsburgh Symphony about 50 years ago,he said "Was ist das, ein sousaphone." After he heard it he said he liked it. He was a pragmatic conductor. He and I were in the same Phi Mu Alpha pledge class and stood together in line to receive the doctorate.
At one of my recent outdoor concerts one of the band committee members ( a sax player ) heard how cleanly and loudly I could play all of the sixteenth note runs in the 1812 overature while she was in the audience. She complained it was not musical because 1) it was so clear and 2) that a good tuba should never be heard but rather felt. I had to switch to the upright bell and work about three times as hard to achieve the same results. With regards to the first point, a tuba can and should be as well articulated as a flute, in spite of what some 'great conductors' say. One such 'great' Dr. Dick Strange, director of bands at Arizona Tempe claims clean runs in the 1812 Overatue by tubas is not musical because the double basses in great symphony orchestra never play them that cleanly. With regard to feeling the tuba as it shakes the ground and nearby buildings, that is absolutely impossible from an energy standpoint. No human player or reasonable number of players can produce the required acoustical energy. If we are not heard we can be replaced with mannikins holding tubas!