Re: Re: Most 'agile'Tuba??


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Posted by BarryTone (rambling) on December 13, 2003 at 21:02:12:

In Reply to: Re: Most 'agile'Tuba?? posted by dp on December 13, 2003 at 10:46:40:

* ARE you a tuba player - meaning is tuba your principal instrument? Thats not precicely clear to me from your post, even though you emphasize you cannot use a BTbn/Euph MP.
But that last note makes me wonder, since you say you cannot play a euph (MP) where does your concept of euph-agility come from?

Yes, I am a Tuba player. I went to College as a Euphonium player but a small old scar on my bottom lip is where my Euph MP sat. The amount of hours I was putting in aggravated the scar tissue and it opened-up on the inside (nice, aint it?) where the teeth wore against the lip (my slightly uneven teeth exaggerated this). I saw dentists and doctors but the conclusion was reached that I'd have to stop playing Euph. Very upsetting. My teachers suggested as I already played Tenor Tuba that I simply move to larger Tubas. I haven't really looked back except I've never fully found the ability to 'throw the Tuba around' in the same way I could on Euph. I am certainly competent on the Tuba and don't have much problem getting around excerpts and the like. It's more for fun home practice where I might play Euph/Bassoon/Cello/trumpet repertoire (etc). I'm not saying these pieces are impossible on the Tuba but I'm just trying to get as close as possible to the fluidity of movement I found with the Euph. Perhaps I'm just better suited to the Euph and will never properly recapture that agility? : (

* what is your playing style? often the "agility" (of smaller horns) comes from the player using a playing style that maybe 3/4 of "tuba players" don't use. Comparatively speaking the players of smaller horns are much more dependent on what I'd call "real" breath control, where most tuba approaches just point and blow. The small percentage of tubists who employ similar breath control(to those lil horn guys), have more agility.

Not 100% sure to what you refer here. Yes, I obviously adjust my air depending on the Horn I'm playing. I use/have used a 6/4 CC(4+1), 4/4 CC(5rv), Besson Eb Sov(4comp pv), Miraphone 183 Eb(4rv) in various situations. Each of these needs a different approach naturally. I should add that I've tried playing Euph and Bass Trom with a Doug Elliott mega-shallow MP designed for doubling. I found more acceptable results on the Bass Trom than the Euph - probably 'cos B Trom parts tend to be reasonably low? Anyway, I'd sooner find a Tuba (albeit a small one) to fill this void if such a beast exists...

* my opinion? Agility is at the face, and predominant in the player, not the horn, BUT if you are insistent on hardware as the basis for your agility, then simply the smaller the better (try a shallow MP too)

It's not my basis for my agility, but I'll sure take any advantage possible : )

Best,
Barry


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