Posted by Karl H. on October 24, 2003 at 10:51:12:
In Reply to: WHICH F TUBA? posted by BIG PHIL on October 23, 2003 at 12:56:13:
I start with the basics:
Do I like the sound?
I like for an F tuba to sound different from a CC/BBb tuba. The Willson piston F has a pleasant sound, but it sounds like a small CC or a really large euphonium (warm and fuzzy, but nothing exciting). I want my F tuba to ring; to have a clarity of articulation and an almost briliant quality in the upper register.
Does it/can I make it play in tune?
I don't mind moving aroung the 1st valve slide some, but I don't want to be jerking aroung all the others. I will also use some alternate fingerings. But I want the horn to be close enough that I am able to move the pitch easily and quickly("in tune" varies with the situation, yes?) without slides/valves.
How does it play in the dreaded F-hole register?
The first time I played an F (lets not discuss when that was!) I couldn't get anything to speak below the staff. I got better, and F tubas have gotten much better. The Willson F piston is easy to play in the lower register; the best low register I've played on a F. Don't always assume that a difficult-to-focus low register sounds bad just cause it feels bad. I've listened to recordings where I played notes that felt terrible but sounded fine.
How will it be used?
Some people might put this first: I assumed since you have a CC that it (the CC) is your main instrument, and you're looking at an F for something else. I use an F for solos, chamber music, tuba quartet, brass quintet, and appropriate orchestral literature. I don't expect an F to "do it all," but if I did I might look at a Boosey and Hawkes Sovereign Eb: Fletcher seemed to do well with it (!) and I bet many of our English friends would agree it is a fine choice.
What do I play? I found a great old Alex F (thanks Mike) that I love. It has that classic F tuba sound that really sings in the upper register, it plays very well in tune (really!),and I've gotten so I can handle the low register well enough that the audience can't tell it's harder for me.
Karl "no, I'm not selling it" Hovey