Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 22, 2001 at 14:30:15:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Eb with a German sound? posted by Mary Ann on June 22, 2001 at 12:06:20:
"Their seems to be a specific technique that must be discovered to play these notes on a German F tuba. I just don't have the time or motivation to find it; I need to just pick the thing up and have it play, which it does just fine on all the other notes."
I think you just stated why I am an Eb player. I have heard many other players describe this "technique" of learning to play the low range of an F tuba and how once you do this, the horn is a blessing. I'm not going to say that they're wrong because they have obviously found something that worked for them. However, I will say that this concept never worked for me. I haven't actually spent years trying to find this skill but I have spent months on several occasions. No dice. This skill still eludes me, I never play anything on an F tuba, and I choose Eb instrument/mouthpiece combinations that fill the gap as best as possible. Even the Cerveny 641 Eb I own has these same problems and I have to be very careful in choosing when I use that horn. I'm still searching for a good mouthpiece that will help lessen the difficulties with the problem notes on that horn.
I'm no expert on instrument design but I would say that your original premise (finding a Germanic sounding Eb or F tuba that has all the notes) may be a fool's errand. My current thinking is that the note problems associated with that design are inherent to that sound. They are an inseparable package. Obviously, I don't know this for a fact but this is what I have observed in the horns I've tried. The differences in Eb and F tubing are not the issue. If they were, my Cerveny 641 would act like most other Eb tubas. It certainly does not. It behaves exactly like the stereotypical Germanic F tuba. I have no clue as to what causes these problems in the particular design but then, I still have much to learn. I take solace in the fact that this can't be so easy a problem to fix because this design has been around, in nearly the same guise as it is today and with nearly the same problems, for over 100 years. If a solution were apparent, somebody would have implemented it.
With all of that said, you can do effective things with the right tuba and the right mouthpieces. I am discovering more and more that I am able to achieve a sound very comparable to the Germanic one with my Eb horns. If Yamaha would offer the 621 model in Eb, I bet that horn would do very well in the role. The new Weril may also be a candidate but I haven't played one of those yet myself. The way I figure it, I'd rather have the notes and try to craft the sound instead of having the sound and then find the notes. I know that sounds counter to what I have posted in other subjects but I feel this way now because of the years of not having any success in finding the slots for the F tuba low range. At some point I found the exercise pointless, at least for myself. In any event, I have had the most success having the desired sound in my head and shooting for that with whatever equipment choices I have at my disposal.
Whatever you do, I would advise you to take the time to fully explore your choice. It took many years for me to come to the conclusions I have and I tried very much not to rush to judgement.
My opinion for what it's worth...