Posted by AW on November 29, 2003 at 23:28:21:
In Reply to: is a 5th valve necessary? posted by Carlo Stanghellini on November 29, 2003 at 08:39:20:
There are three notes the 5th valve (the usual flat whole tone) is most useful for: C#/Db below the staff, F#/Gb below that, and the low F a half tone below that. For lower notes, it's a matter of just using enough valves, and perhaps a slide pull, but one doesn't play fast down there (or no one can tell if fast notes are in tune down that low). I'm told that occasionally, someone might find the fifth valve helpful in tuning some notes above the staff.
Recently, I borrowed a small 4-valve CC tuba (a Yamaha 621). I found the low F was easy to play in tune (fingered 14) if I pulled the first valve slide. For the F#/GB and C#/Db I would normally finger them 235 on my larger CC tuba. On the small 4-valve CC tuba, fingering 24 and pulling the 2nd valve slide got them in good tune, but it was hard to do well on the fly. Frequently, the Db has to be played quickly, and then pulling the 2nd valve slide doesn't work well. If the 4th valve slide had been easier to pull, that might have solved the problem. All tubas, of course, differ.
In short, I find the 5th valve indispensible for playing three particular notes quickly and easily in tune. It is also very useful in the bottom range (below low F), but not indispensible. Although I do some slide pulling with my 5-valve CC tuba, it is only to improve some notes that otherwise can be easily lipped into tune. I do not like to pull slides to fix notes that are way off tune.
To sum up: any tuba can be played in tune, and can play all the notes from pedal on up. Only the amount of skill and effort required varies. A 5th valve can make some of it easier.
Allen Walker