Re: Testing and evaluating horns


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Posted by Michael Russo on March 06, 2001 at 22:44:24:

In Reply to: Testing and evaluating horns posted by TubaJohn on March 06, 2001 at 20:48:13:

I hear people try out horns everyday. I play new instruments everyday myself. The most important thing to listen for is the SOUND!!!! That's what you have to live with. You can almost always fix pitch problems. (If there are problems that are not fixable, you usually won't need a tuner to find that out!)

If the sound in the "cash" register is what you are looking for, check the low end and the high end for playability. A low register that's too stuffy, or a high end that won't slot well for you are not good choices.

If after those steps, you still like the horn, go try it in a different space. Sitting really close to a wall can help too. Anything that will make the horn sound different. You want to make sure that the room you are in is not giving a false return.

If you still want to check for pitch things, now is the time. People that come in and put the tuner on the stand right away are usually cheating themselves. It's the sound that is most important.

One last thing. Bring ONE mouthpiece to try tubas! Some horns are very mouthpiece sensitive, but you can't find that out if you are changing mouthpieces all the time. What ever mouthpiece you use the most is the one you should use when trying horns. If the tuner test passes, then try some different mouthpieces if you want. I've seen people come in to try Eb's and F's and they will bring their Eb mouthpiece, and their F mouthpiece. That's adding too many variables. (It is smart to have a Big tuba mouthpiece and a little tuba mouthpiece, but don't use them both to try the same horn until you have narrowed down the search!)

So here's the easiest way to go about this task:

1) Sit in the same spot (I forgot that, but it's important!)
2) Find a horn that SOUNDS the way you want
3) Check the low end and the high end
4) Make sure the sound is not because of the room...move to a different space. (I have to admit that I don't even do that as much as a should!)
5) Check pitch (It's best to use your ears, but a good tuner is OK, too!)

That's how to find a horn in 5 easy steps. If only is were so easy I should have found the perfect F tuba by now. The main thing to realize when going through this process is that the PERFECT instrument doesn't exist. (Even the CSO York has it's fair share of problems) If you are looking for something that will make you sound better...good luck. If you are looking for something that will help you play eaiser...you are on the right track. If you are looking for a tuba or euphonium that will let you produce the sound that is in your head....now you're in the right mind set!

I hope this helps!

Take care!

mike russo
Brasswind
(800) 348-5003 ext. 2266


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