Posted by Mary Ann on April 03, 2003 at 09:50:33:
In Reply to: Re: bass bone posted by Mike Solms on April 03, 2003 at 09:19:19:
Yours is one of several very informative posts, and I will visit Doug Yeo's web site and read everything there.
The only problem with multiple valves and multiple slide positions would be the time needed to reach the instinctive level for how to play a note....but once again, being a string player, I'm used to that; on violin there are many ways to skin a cat, depending on which arm is better at what...do you want to jump around with your left hand or with your bow arm? And making those decisions on the fly is rote for string players. French horn also has fingering gymnastics available, but not on the level of violin.
I think I was very lucky in my tuba buying to get two instruments that fit me so well, with not much trying out before hand. I did try and send back a couple of piston tubas before I got my hands on rotaries, though, and I'd druther not spend the shipping $$ to do that on a bass bone, so maybe I'll try to find some locally to try out, and see if this is going to work. My engineer brain says it would like a lot of valves for playing efficiency, but the tiny little body says it doesn't want to carry all the weight...so maybe there is a good compromise.
Many thanks to all for the info.
Mary Ann