Posted by Steve Bloom on October 05, 2000 at 00:01:50:
In Reply to: F Tubas vs. Besson 983 Eb posted by Fletcher Wanna-Be on September 28, 2000 at 23:34:32:
The main reason for playing an F tuba is the pitch of the instrument and the ease with which it is associated with the CC fingering, making it a good choice for the orchestral and professional tubist. Just as the BBb and Eb are best suited to "band" keys such as Eb, Bb, Db, etc., the CC and F are better suited for "orchestral" keys with lots of sharps and of course C and F work OK. The F tuba has its own personality and there really isn't (nor should there be) a replacement for it. I've had literally dozens of horns over the years and have been fortunate enough to play all four keys in different settings. Actually, although I'm not the most proficient with the F I consider it the best trade-off for all types of literature and it is the most fun to play. If you look at the fingering progression, it is BBb below the staff, changes to CC between G and C, and then reverts back to BBb fingering up through F again. A fascinating instrument. The Eb, on which I've played the longest, can certainly play the F parts in any setting but unfortunately anything with sharps becomes a situation where your fingers may cramp with all the unusual valve combinations. The other, more obvious quality that you have mentioned is the historically poor low range of the F tuba genre, making the Eb a better choice for those who want a solid low range. Fortunately, the makers have been getting it and the newer designs such as Yamaha have eliminated this problem. Bottom line is, play what you play best on, and forget what key it's in unless you're looking for a type of sound you can't get with that pitch of tuba. My opinion, FWIW.