Posted by Doug on April 30, 2003 at 19:40:07:
In Reply to: suggested guidelines posted by perfess'r on April 29, 2003 at 12:55:59:
No offense intended Joe, but this is pretty dumb.
I agree with you that most of these questions are not the most constructive ones to ask when it comes to improving one's sound. However, improving mucicianship and sound is not the only reason we use this BBS.
We are all indebted to Klaus's picture archive that he constantly adds to and notifies us of. However, his contributions are in the same league (though nowhere near as elementary) as the questions you so despise. Aside from the sound of the tuba, the one thing that draws me in is the amazing variety of hardware and techniques, the personalities, and all of the funky things we can do to our horns (it's easier to put a belt around a tuba bell than a trumpet bell).
I could spend time practicing and I'd be able to play all of those scales probably pretty quickly. However, the time it'd take to play them WELL is time I could spend doing other things. I'm not in the tuba world as a profession, but a hobby.
The .000000000001% influence many little changes may have (especially on a playing level as low as mine) may seem to you to be not worthwhile, but it's those little changes that intrigue people like me. I'll never play in the NY Phil, but I can use a heavier mouthpiece and say "wow...." when something about my soud changes, no matter how small.
It may be that persistent, inquisitive mind that I and others have (hence why I'm going to be a chemist rather than a musician), but the miniscule things are COOL. I like reading Rick's studies that he's put on his website and posted here. I like the papers done on the effect of the length of the leadpipe. Sometimes I even get a little tingle when I read that blind sound tests distiguished a small difference between laquered and silver-plated horns. Even with my limited abilities, mouthpiece choice is important, in one way for sound, but mostly for comfort. I own a rotary and a piston horn--I play the piston horn more. I like the FEEL in my hands. I have a BBb and a CC horn, I play the CC horn because, well, to ME it sounds better, and geez I like the way it looks.
As I typed that I realized that the real problem with your post is that many of the topics you refer to go deeper than afecting the sound by .000000001%. Many of them touch on or significantly impact our individual enjoyment of playing the tuba.
I hope people keep asking these questions (as long as it's sincere--there are some pranksters who ask this stuff just to annoy Joe, heh heh), and I hope regulars on this board will have the patience and good faith to give honest answers.
Just my $.02.
Doug "really should be studying for his finals right now--ack" G