Posted by Anon on November 12, 2000 at 22:34:54:
In Reply to: Re: To swich or not to switch..... posted by MG on November 12, 2000 at 20:11:25:
I have been combing through the archives, trying to get some good material on the subject of "BB flat vs. CC". So far, I've found very little that is articulate, cogent, convincing, or compelling. I want to keep an open mind as much as possible and be receptive to persuasion, but I'm beginning to lean in the direction that the "CC" thing is an expensive fad in this country. (Maybe it's my contrarian nature that makes me rebel against "trends".) If CC tuba usage were so imperative in orchestral playing, why has the "trend" not spread universally around the world? As we all know, there are really dynamite symphony players who play on BB flats. Are they simply uninformed and uninitiated? The same isuue applies in the trumpet world. These days, no orchestral player would be caught dead without his/her C trumpet. This hasn't always been the case in the U.S., nor is it presently the case in the U.K. and other European countries.
I play whatever pitched instrument I like the sound of. My tuba is in CC; my trumpets are in C, in B flat, and in E flat/D. If I run across a BB flat tuba I like, I will buy it (if the price is right), and play it in an (gasp) orchestral setting. It's really hard for me to understand why some college tuba professors pressure their students to play CC tubas to the exclusion of other pitched instruments.
Please, some professionals respond to this question. I, and possibly many others, will be most receptive to persuasive arguments.