Posted by Jay Bertolet on January 29, 2001 at 17:27:26:
In Reply to: Re: Is it the tuba or the player? posted by Rick Denney on January 29, 2001 at 14:46:42:
Rick, you must be an engineer! Nobody else I know could have projected cause and effect so accurately except someone who actually knows how a slide ruler works. ;-)
Your guess is right on the mark. I did use my Cervany 601 for about 10%-15% of the work I do with the FPO. Mostly it was the Rudy 4/4 with a sprinkling of Eb (mostly opera pit and some smaller orchestral [berlioz, etc.] works). Now, I find myself using the Nirschl for 75% of what I'm doing. Of course, the percentage will level out as the season progresses because we're doing a series of concerts over the next couple of months that are really best on Eb (Fantastique, Midsummernight's Dream, Verdi-Requiem, La Traviata). We're doing the Requiem right now and I'm trying the Willson on that as an experiment. It really is working great, I think the smaller sound works just right for that piece. I'm even toying with the idea of using the Willson on Zarathustra (which is on a future concert with the Mendelssohn). Ironically, we did a quintet gig last weekend and I used the Rudy for the first time in quite a while. And I wasn't nearly as comfortable with that horn as I have been in the past. It wasn't bad but it wasn't as nice. I do believe the York copy design spoils a player in that regard because it changes the standards of how a tuba is supposed to respond. I am now thinking that I need to revisit the issue of what mouthpiece I use on the Rudy because it no longer is having to fill the role as my only contrabass tuba. I think I'll take the opportunity to narrow the spectrum of things I do with the Rudy by choosing a mouthpiece match that gives a better feel instead of more versatility. The Cervany projects so much that I never even thought to try it out in the same way as I am the Nirschl because it never felt all that versatile to me. The Nirschl is a much more versatile horn.
While I'm always looking to use the right tool for the right job (as in not using the Nirschl for Berlioz even though I could), I must admit that using the bigger and more efficient horn more often is a real luxury. I'm glad it makes playing easier. I thought that was part of what you looked for in a tuba.
My opinion for what it's worth...