Posted by N.Dwyer on January 14, 2002 at 20:46:16:
Here's one for you folks with cabin fever and large libraries. Why does nearly every reference made on this forum and in most instrument catalogues except the German language edition of Meinl Weston refer to the C tuba as a "CC" tuba? Organists have for centuries used a system to describe all the notes of the keyboard, starting with AAA (called the sub-contra octave), CC (contra), C (great), etc. Using this convention, the F and Eb tubas are described correctly by their open pitch. The BBb designation as a contra bass instrument is correct, as it lies at the upper end of the contra octave. If a tuba were actually "CC", it's open pitch would sound nearly an octave below the BBb! Is this just a convenience used to indicate that the C tuba is considered part of the contra family even though it is actually at the low end of the great octave? Octave envy anyone?