Posted by Different horns, too on November 19, 2002 at 10:55:41:
In Reply to: Re: Expensive Mouthpieces vs. Old Standbys posted by Barry Guerrero on November 18, 2002 at 18:56:03:
Well, you brought it up.....could I play as well on a knock-off Whatever as I could on a Custom Whoopee-Doopee? I'll talk horns because I have so much more experience than with tubas. I ended up with a very expensive custom horn, bought used, for a couple of reasons. It fit me ergonomically way better than anything else I had tried, and was also considerably lighter in weight, which was important too. It was actually very hard to get used to; it took an entire year to get the tone I wanted out of it. I could probably get just as good a sound out of a more brand name horn, but it wouldn't have those two characteristics that caused me to buy the one I have, in the first place.
As for tubas, I've had to buy for the same reasons....ergonomics. I can't reach the pistons even on a small tuba, and so have to buy rotaries. Since rotaries are the only thing I can reach, I am determined to like them and learn to play them well.
Mary Ann