Posted by Doug on August 31, 2003 at 21:56:35:
In Reply to: This Hertz posted by Steve Dedman on August 31, 2003 at 20:47:07:
I'm sure the numbers are off and the concepts aren't quite right, but here's my understanding.
A CC tuba is 16 feet of tubing. That means at most it can produce a wavelength of 32 ft/sec. And that wavelength is around the pedal CC, or fundamental. That's the lowest note that can be produced using the acoustics of the horn rather than tongue or lip clicks. Adding the valves lets you lower it, but even with a 5 valve horn, you could never drop a whole 'nother octave.
For comparison: Using finale, take the tuba staff and start lowering the note. Even with a nice subwoofer, the tone eventually becomes distinguishable clicks rather than a tuba sound. The same thing can be heard from Sam Pilafian on the NPR interview done last year to promote Dos Amigos. He did the "tuba limbo" and eventually was just clicking frequencies rather than making a discernible tuba sound.
Keep in mind I'm not an engineer or physicist, I jsut go to school with some of the best ones in the country. Maybe Rick could chime in and set me straight?
Doug