Posted by Barry Guerrero on March 20, 2003 at 12:50:24:
In Reply to: PLEASE ADVISE - NEED A TUBA posted by dogger on March 20, 2003 at 12:11:06:
If you're playing both big stuff (bands) and small stuff (quintets), CC may be your best all around option. However, if you're comfortable and satisfied with playing BBb, then by all means stick by it. You asked about the difference in fingerings. Well, have you ever had to transpose a song down a whole step? That's what the fingerings would be like. When you see a Bb, you'd finger it like an Ab. When you see a C, you'd play it open like a Bb, and on you go right up and down the scales.
The majority of CC tubas have five valves, so you would need to learn when and how to work the 5th valve. I suggest that you first learn to play CC as though you were transposing from a BBb. In other words, if you're used to working four valves on your BBb, learn to play CC with just four valves in the begining, until you're comfortable with that. Then learn to work the fifth valve after you've become comforatble playing CC with just four valves. This whole process might take less time than you think.
If you have the opportunity, I'd suggest that you try out playing some CC's first to see if it's a sound and feel that appeals to you , before committing. Some people may disagree, but I believe that you should think of Eb or F tuba as augementing either a BBb or CC tuba. At this point, I'm lock into using an Eb on everything, it can be a LOT of work to keep up with the big boys, and to deal with low range fingerings. I intend to buy another CC sometime in the future, if and when the economy improves.
Good luck,
Barry Guerrero