Re: is a 5th valve necessary?


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Posted by Doug Whitten on November 29, 2003 at 10:11:06:

In Reply to: is a 5th valve necessary? posted by Carlo Stanghellini on November 29, 2003 at 08:39:20:

I do not think a 5th valve is "Necessary," but is often worthwhile. Some 4 valve tubas seem to play better than their 5 valve counterparts. Of the few Cerveny 601s that I have played, I do seem to prefer the 4 valve models. However, some of that may be due to my lack of familiarity with the 1/2 step tuning of their 5th valve. Although I would be able to do just fine without a 5th valve, I don't think I would choose to.

For the playing you describe, I would be more concerned about the size of the tuba than how many valves it has. The CCB 601 is a pretty big tuba. It would certainly work for small ensembles, community bands, etc; but it is a much larger horn than is needed for these situations. You may be better off with a more versatile 4/4 sized tuba.

I, personally, really like large tubas such as the 601, but it does go against conventional wisdom for the playing you describe.


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