Re: tall bell vs short bell


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Posted by Kenneth Sloan on January 18, 2003 at 16:06:03:

In Reply to: tall bell vs short bell posted by DaveC on January 16, 2003 at 09:35:04:

When Joe S. commented on one tuba's bottom bow being further away from the bell than aother, I don't think he was commenting on a difference in sound. The comment was in the context of *measuring* the bottom bows, and then comparing the tubas using these measurements.

The point is that if the bottom bow is FURTHER from the bell, then we should expect it to be SMALLER. If you want to compare the diameter of the tubing, then you should take care to measure the tubing at comparable locations.

By the same token, it makes little sense to compare "bore" (size at the 2nd valve) between two tubas - one of which (usually piston) has a very short distance from mouthpiece to valves and another of which (usually rotary) has a very long distance from mouthpiece to valves. Any differences you hear are more likely to be due to the different placement (along the open bugle) of the valveset than they are to be due to sheer size.


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