Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Big Time Eb players


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Posted by jeff miller on October 07, 2001 at 16:13:12:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Big Time Eb players posted by Tim C on October 07, 2001 at 14:27:17:

I'm totally guessing here, but I would suspect that he was in fact playing his Eb, as that is certainly his "first choice" instrument.

When I moved here about 6 years ago, I was firmly of the belief that the Eb tuba was an unacceptable instrument for playing in a full sized orchestra. I thought it was too small to match a CC, and too big to match the brightness of an F.

In the hands of many players, that is certainly true. However, there are a number of players here who can do things on Eb tubas that we CC tuba brainwashed Americans would not believe possible on first hearing. Remember, the Eb tuba is a British tradition, and players here REALLY know how those horns work, and how to play them.

How many of you have actually listened to recordings of British Orchestras using Eb tubas?
I know that I never had before moving here; I just assumed that anyone using that size, key, and model of tuba would sound a certain way.

May I suggest that you try listening to a few of these players, who use(d) the Eb as their primary instruments:

John Fletcher - London Symphony (late '60s - mid 1980's) and the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Patrick Harrild - LSO mid 80's - present
Owen Slade - Fine Arts Brass Ensemble, London Philharmonic, London Brass, and film soundtracks (including Chicken Run, I believe)
Oran Marshall (Or is "Oran Matza..."?)

These guys can/could all produce truly huge sounds of very high quality on Eb tubas (sorry Mike, I've never heard you play, but I'm sure your sound is big if it's like every other part of your personality...)

As Mike said, an awful lot of people with 4/4, 5/4, and 6/4 horns produce small, unfocused, bright sounds. It is all down to the player at the end of day.

I might also mention that in a lesson once, David Fedderly played my 4/4 Hirsbrunner CC into a decibel meter, and then played my Yamaha 822F with the same amount of breath, and to our suprise, the Yamaha was louder by perhaps 5 decibels.

Jeff


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