Re: Re: Re: Keeping a good beat


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Posted by GC on July 08, 2003 at 14:01:58:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Keeping a good beat posted by Not quite together on July 08, 2003 at 12:59:46:

At that figure for the speed of sound, a 20-ft tuba will take a couple of hundredths of a second (a tiny time, but noticeable for people who are really attuned) for the pressure wave to traverse the instrument, but there's more involved that this. Some bass tones "bloom" more than others, which takes a little time. Particularly on low notes, the motion of the lip in the mouthpiece takes a little time. If you're listening to yourself, a horn with a tall, narrow bell will beam your sound straight up, and you may have to wait for sound reflection from the ceiling to hear much of your attack. Add all of these together, and the delay may be noticeable. However, most of us tend to compensate for this without really thinking about it.

People's perception of tempo is about as fragmented as their perception of intonation. There are entire schools of thought on how to place the beat for bass players in jazz (and different schools of thought within the various jazz genres), rock, country, and so on, and disagreements can become extremely contentious. There's no single answer.

Since you are sometimes there as the only tuba player, talk to the conductor before a rehearsal where you're solo, and tell him about your concerns. Ask him to pay attention, and afterwares ask whether he thinks you're on, before, or behind consistently, and adjust accordingly. If you bring his attention to it, he may speak to the other players about how to handle it at a later date.


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