Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: finding a quintet


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Posted by Chuck(G) on December 20, 2002 at 12:37:58:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: finding a quintet posted by Rick Denney on December 20, 2002 at 12:06:12:

"Her thesis is interesting. Maybe that explains why you are so disturbed when you have to move the first-valve tuning slide during play, heh, heh."

"Heh-heh" yourself. It's possible to build an instrument that doesn't require the player to play with slides. There's no excuse for a horn that requires it, unless it's a matter of 13 combinations on 3-valved instruments (then, I'm perfectly willing to adjust the slide, secure in the knowledge that there's a good honest physical reason for it). As long as we put up with lousy intonation on instruments, the manufacturers will continue to produce instruments with lousy intonation.

And pulling slides isn't possible for every note--when you're playing that figure of 16th notes, you can't do it. So you blow notes that are out of tune and hope that no one notices. This is not the way to live.

And some players overdo it. Consider a BBb tuba where the typical 1st slide pull is one inch. By my back-of-the envelope calculations, this amounts to a tuning change in the flat direction of 11 cents. Why not set the slide a half-inch out and settle for a mistuning of 5.5 cents on 1st valve notes? This is well within the range that can be effortlessly lipped. And if notes are further than that out of tune, I'd start looking for alternate fingerings.

If I wanted to move slides, I'd play a trombone.

Okay, I've said it and have donned the bullseye...


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