Posted by Steve Inman on August 02, 2001 at 19:51:48:
In Reply to: Considering F-Tuba posted by Keith Esau on August 02, 2001 at 15:02:39:
As with any key of tuba, you'll find small, medium and large F tubas, with either piston or rotary valves. The small-ish F tubas will sound noticeably different from a BBb tuba (they actually "sound smaller"), yet will sound noticeably larger than a euph. Some larger F tubas are hard to distinguish from a contrabass tuba by sound alone (as an audience member). As Rick pointed out, do you want to sound the same on your F as on your BBb, or do you want two distinctively different tubas that will play different roles in your musician's "toolbox"?
Tubas can also be divided by their tone/voice/sound/etc. Many on this list will describe the wonderful "German F tuba sound", as the type of sound that tends to be somehow mysteriously linked to rotary valved F tubas with the bore and taper characteristic of German (and neighboring countries) F tubas. I do believe my ear can hear a difference between a tuba such as Tony Kniffen's older B&S rotary F, and a YFB-822, for example. I could certainly detect a different voice between the Yamahas (large and small) and a number of the "German" F tubas I tried at the Brasswind last winter. Once you decide between large or small, now we're talking about what "color" of musicial "tool" do you want to own. I really like the sound of a rotary valved F tuba. But . . . .
Finally, how easy is it to use the tool you've chosen? The rotary F tubas have a reputation of being difficult to play in the range from around the D to BBb below the staff. I have played several rotary F tubas, and had noticeable difficulty in getting these notes to play "robustly". (i.e. the resulting notes felt and sounded just like I had tried to play the notes with the main waterkey held open.)
Note: 1) this issue is common to most rotary valved F tubas and 2) it is evidently possible to overcome this issue with lengthy practice (I've heard some players need months to figure out how to overcome this problem).
My recommendations:
IF you want a more affordable, small-ish F tuba that will play easily in the low register as well as everywhere else, buy the YFB-621, used.
If you want a little more expensive, larg-ish F tuba that will play easily in the low register as well as everywhere else, buy the YFB-822, used.
If you want a more expensive, large F tuba that will play easily in the low register, as well as everywhere else, buy the Willson, used if you can find it.
I have not yet tried out the Cerveny F tubas, but Matt Walters at Dillon Music believes the CFB-653 5V Cerveny has the easiest-playing low register of any rotary F he has yet encountered. And his price is very reasonable for this horn. So if you want an affordable 5V rotary F tuba with a workable low register, I've heard this horn is worth trying.
There are many other lovely, rotary F tubas out there in the new and used market that have a wonderful sound, but they may cause you frustration in the above-mentioned range. I'm hoping to find an F tuba that won't require me to learn a special technique to play it in any particular range of notes (except the very high range!).
Regards,
Steve Inman
Kokomo, IN