Re: Re: Re: The Engineered Tuba


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Rick Denney on June 03, 2002 at 22:49:23:

In Reply to: Re: Re: The Engineered Tuba posted by Jim Andrada on June 03, 2002 at 16:31:05:

I think we know what tubas sound great, though it is clouded by the fact that great players are playing them. The tricky bit is defining what is great about the sound. I think a careful testing program could get at this, by measuring "great" tuba sound and reproducing it one partial at a time. I think we could figure out which group of partials and how they are tuned provides the color that people want.

Then there's the propagation issue. I think some tubas sound good because their bell shape propagates sound such that it produces multipath errors to a greater extent than other tubas. These small phase shifts have the effect of smoothing the sound and cleaning off some unpleasant high frequencies. The same tuba up close or outdoors might be ugly.

Some tubas work better in some rooms, and so on. Mike Sanders has said several times that his Yorkbrunner is well-suited to Powell Hall in St. Louis. It might be different in a different acoustical environment.

I think I know what "centered" and "bendable" mean. When I play a well-centered horn, it naturally and aggressively resonates at the correct pitch. When I try to force a different pitch, it fights me. This is probably a matter of the impedance of the tuba, but I need that visit to Amazon for some study materials before going further with that. But my York is more centered than is the Conn 20J, which is more bendable. Either one may be an advantage or a disadvantage for a given player and situation, so we're back to those requirements again.

I'm happy with wheels on the case, but I want the case to be light enough to hang on a shoulder strap (or two) as well. A frame of heavy steel wire, covered by cloth-reinforced plastic, would probably be sufficient for a case. But that would be true only if the instrument were cradled by the body, allowing the bell to float in free air. Foam should be graded so that porous soft foam is surrounded by closed-cell foam, which is surrounded by non-rebounding polystyrene. Using an elastomer foam with high damping properties so that the rebound reduces the acceleration of the shock considerably would be best. Struts that provide rigid compression strength from one side of the case to the other would provide crush strength without depending on the horn to provide it. I'd bet a bit of design work would yield a 20-pound tuba case that could protect the tuba in a five-foot drop. Puncture resistance is the tricky bit.

And so on. I'm tired--I'm going to bed.

Rick "wondering if there are any bad tubas, or if they met someone's requirements successfully" Denney


Follow Ups: