Posted by jeff on November 06, 2002 at 09:31:42:
In Reply to: british players posted by Timmah! on November 03, 2002 at 13:58:45:
British orchestral players tend to play Boosey and Hawkes Eb tubas here. The instruments have a relatively small bore (about .689") and a very large taper and bell. This makes them similar in many ways to the York-style American tubas which we are used to seeing in BBb and CC.
I think the "bigger, fatter"-ness of the sound is due to the fact that these instruments produce a more compact tone with more color in the sound. Orchestral bass trombonists here also use much smaller mouthpieces than their American colleages (the typical bass trombonist here uses something like a 2G or a 1 1/2G, including the pros, such as Bob Hughes of the London Symphony).
I know when I studied in New York, the trend was to go for the biggest, heaviest, most open tuba setup and sound you could manage. I think this adds to the overall "wash of sound" from an orchestra, but the individual tone colours get lost in the mix that way. With a British setup, it tends to be easier to hear the individual colors of the tuba and bass trombone.
I once read an interview with someone who had studied with Jeff Reynolds in Los Angeles. He said that LA used smaller equipment, and thus got more clarity and color in their sound than some other orchestras which used larger equipment.
Jeff Miller