Posted by Rick Denney on August 11, 2000 at 08:57:20:
In Reply to: Re: Small A** Tubas (SAT) posted by Bryan on August 11, 2000 at 02:54:40:
Yes, the Jacobs CD is a really ear-opener about the possibilities of a large horn.
But I'm not in that league, and never will be. Yet, I occasionally get the opportunity to play in a quintet. So, even though Mr. Jacobs could play anything, I mean *anything*, on his York, I'm happy with the security of my little 621.
Yes, I know I should be just as secure on a contrabass, and so on. And I know that I would sound a bunch better even on the 621 if I wasn't using the small size of the horn as a crutch. But that sort of playing ability is still a fantasy, while quintet opportunities are a present reality. The fact remains that my technique is vastly better on the small horn.
I once heard a superior player play a Yorkbrunner in a recital with a quintet. I love his sound, and can happily wallow in it all day long like a cat in a sunbeam. But I have to admit that it was just too heavy and just not crisp enough for the quintet sound. But I like the idea of so dark an instrument with a dark-sounding quintet, such as Tony's all-conical ensemble. When we were thinking of a quintet sub-group of a civil-war reenactment band, we wanted to put together two cornets, an altohorn, a euphonium, and a tuba. Alas, we never tried it.
Rick "Need all the help I can get" Denney