Posted by Greg Crider on May 04, 2001 at 07:38:31:
In Reply to: Re: 4/4 or BAT posted by Dave on May 03, 2001 at 15:10:01:
It's interesting to me that many tuba players want a brighter, lighter sound in smaller ensembles, but the other instruments (from my experience and the opinions of most other players I've talked to) prefer a darker, deeper sound from the tuba. I still believe that a lot of the difference comes from your personal tone quality and ability to play cleanly and with intensity than the horn (so long as you have a good instrument). Some players will have a bright sound on any horn, some will have a dark tone. Some will handle low volume levels easily, some will struggle.
If the BAT you're using gives you problems in this situation, by all means don't use it. However, my comment was that some (not all, by any means) BATS work fine in small situations, so don't make a blanket condemnation of their use. Try it and see what works for you. If you can't get the sound and control that you need with your BAT and your lip, go with a smaller horn. If you can get the results you and your fellow players like with a BAT, then use the BAT.