Posted by Jay Bertolet on July 23, 2002 at 20:16:11:
In Reply to: Re: Re: 5 valve trade off posted by AARON on July 23, 2002 at 19:54:32:
I would suggest a fingering chart and a good teacher. Obviously, everybody is different but for me, the 5th valve is an essential. I use mine all the time, on every horn I own. Primarily, it helps you play the low range in tune. It also helps to keep your sound consistent through the low range because you don't need to use false tones to get certain pitches that you can play with the 5th valve.
As far as deciding when to use the 4th or 5th valve, it should be used to play notes in tune that would otherwise be out of tune with the standard 3-valve combination fingering. In your case, using the 4th valve for concert C may be necessary. Not all horns are like this but it should be checked. Using 2-4 for concert B is almost required. I'm not sure what you mean when you say that you "sometimes go to the fourth when one and three is uncomfortable" but if you mean that you do this when the other fingering is uncomfortable for your fingers, that is where a good teacher will be very handy. There are very specific reasons for using alternate fingerings and a good teacher will be able to help you learn this. Best of luck to you!
My opinion for what it's worth...