Posted by Rick Denney on July 06, 2003 at 21:38:52:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Remembering the key: BBb? posted by Bill McGrath on July 04, 2003 at 15:15:16:
If you are going to play in all but British-style brass bands, then you'll be reading in concert pitch in the bass clef. If you are comfortable with that on both instruments, then the choice is up to you, it seems to me. And if you've never played in the bass clef, then you'll have to deal with it either way. Most band tuba players use contrabass tubas, but that's mostly because that is what they bring to the band, not so much that the band requires it.
All the community band music I've played in the last few years, with one or two exceptions, sits in the range low Eb to high G. That range sits low in the useful register of an Eb tuba, it seems to me, but not out of it. Quite a lot of band music goes down to F, and often it noodles around in the range from there up to Bb below the staff. This doesn't seem too much trouble for a compensated Eb, though it does require a lot of the valve tubing on the instrument. It is more convenient on a BBb or CC.
And you'll have more trouble finding a selection of affordable compensated EEb tubas like you are accustomed to, compared with the typical four-valve uncompensated BBb which are plentiful and not expensive. The cheap Eb tubas only have three valves, and in my opinion are best suited for jazz where you get to decide how to avoid the unplayable lower notes. You won't find as many compensated Eb tubas of the older vintage, such as your Imperial, because they were never widespread here and thus don't come up for sale. The old Bessons in the U.S. tend to be three-valve student tubas like the deplorable Besson Stratford that was my instrument when I returned to tuba playing.
But none of that really matters. What really matters is getting an instrument and getting started. You can hardly go wrong with any remotely competent instrument, compared to the mistake of not playing tuba at all.
Rick "who'll take any tuba over no tuba--even a Besson Stratford" Denney