Posted by Klaus on March 13, 2003 at 21:57:14:
In Reply to: Different tuba fingerings -- a survey posted by AW on March 13, 2003 at 21:08:53:
Fingerings should be no problem whatsoever for players with a profound understanding of our diatonic notation system!
I have had the good fortune to have had in-depth the most prominent ragtime-pianist in my country. He truly surprised me, when he reported on having a "second-act": He was the first-call bassline caretaker, when our most prominent pro one-book-30+ players-on-call-happy-jazz-band had to operate without the options of electric amplification.
I asked about his tuba teacher: Myself!
How did you do it?: Pawnshop Mahillon 3 pistoner. Appeared to produce a BBb triad when the pistons were left alone. Took a front view on the thing. Short tubing allocated to the 2nd piston. Double length tubing allocated to the 1st piston. Triple length tubing allocated to the 3rd tubing. Most likely representing lowerings of a semitone, a whole tone, and a minor third respectively. Proved true. With a bit of math I was up and running.
Okay! Peter Fahrenholtz
http://www.netby.dk/Nord/Rosengade/piano/fors_us.htm
is a beyond category musician.
Yet I liked his taking the problems down to earth.
My sense for fingerings basically have been developed trough woodshedding on two valve bassbone and 5 valve single Bb French horn. Letting me learn to think in tube lengths. And introducing a major disaster at some point of my career: when I was playing in the low range of my first 4-comper, a euph, I consequently played a semitone flat. Because the horn did itself, what I was accustomed to do myself: handling the oddities of combining several valves. A re-educated brain eventually mastered these problems.
Fingering is an important part of playing low range conical brasses, but by far not the most important. Creating worthwhile music by means of a well educated and/or naturally gifted breath system is the core problem!
Klaus