Re: Re: BBb vs. CC for music major


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Posted by Rick Denney on February 27, 2003 at 17:36:29:

In Reply to: Re: BBb vs. CC for music major posted by Stefan on February 27, 2003 at 17:05:56:

No need to be afraid of us BBb'ers. We are harmless, heh, heh.

It is, of course, completely okay to prefer a CC, especially if you have found a tuba that matches your ideals, and it happens to be a CC. If a BBb is as worthy as a CC, then a CC is as worthy as a BBb. There is no basis for one holding the other in contempt. Find a good instrument and play it. But attribute the quality to the proper cause. It ain't fair to say CC is better than BBb because your Meinl-Weston 2000 (just to pull a great horn out of the air) is better than my Jupiter, just as I could not prove the superiority of BBb by comparing my Holton to a Weril CC (though in some circles, the Weril might be better, heh, heh). (You didn't do that, of course, but lots of folks do, even if by accident.)

I'm always looking for the real reasons to switch from one to the other that aren't necessarily judgmental of the relative quality. Here are a few:

- Your college program's teachers prefer CC. If you play BBb, you might play beautifully, but unless the BBb is an incredible instrument, there are CC's that play as well, so why fight the system? Playing CC will take away a negative impression, even if that impression is unfounded. That's a good reason for a performance major to play a CC.

- There are more great CC's than great BBb's. My Holton is wonderful, but I had to wait years for the appropriate opportunity to buy a horn like it in BBb, the current bubble notwithstanding. Yet, I cold go out tomorrow and find several horns in the category filled by Yorkbrunners, Nirschls, converted and factory CC Holtons, 2165s, a Gronitzes, or a converted Yorks, with a high likelihood that a one or more will play as well or better than my Holton. And most of them will be better made, too. That's a good reason for a performance major to play a CC.

- A performer may have learned a bunch of bad habits in his first years on BBb, and the conversion to CC may be one step in forcing him to work back through the basics and break those habits (did I get that right, Dale?). That's a good reason for a performance major to play a CC.

- A performer who has professional aspirations should have such a command of instrumental and/or musical theory, either explicit or implicit, that the switch from BBb to CC (or to Eb or F) should be nearly second nature. Thus, a performance major who stays with BBb just to avoid having to learn new fingerings should be made to change as punishment for being lazy. That's a good reason for a performance major to play a CC.

Rick "one of those BBb'ers who can think of many good reasons for performance majors to play CC tubas" Denney


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