Posted by Jay Bertolet on April 04, 1999 at 17:18:48:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Tuning Slide Adjusters posted by Tom on April 04, 1999 at 12:22:53:
Good question! Actually, the trick is that I don't hold the tuba in my lap. I use one of those DEG tuba stands so my right hand on the valves is sufficient for me to balance the horn and keep it upright. It is something I had to spend some time learning though because I don't use a thumbring on my tuba so the balance on the tuba stand HAS to be right. My tuning device is operated via a T-stick that is about where the valve slides are located. If you're familiar with Rudolf Meinl tubas, it is almost exactly in the same spot as the 3rd valve slide stick, just a few inches taller. The stick is at the top end of a long rod that traverses the entire length of the tuba, with the bottom end terminating at the connection with the slide. Also, I had to learn to use mine without the spring loaded part of the device that has been discussed recently. For me, one of the hardest parts of learning to use the device was learning to be able to "feel" where the center position was without looking at the slide so I could automatically move the device back to the "neutral" position after adjusting a given note.