Posted by Aubrey Foard on November 05, 1999 at 18:02:24:
In Reply to: Switch to Eb, or keep fighting with F posted by Brad on November 05, 1999 at 12:35:43:
For me this doesn't make sense. I have been saving up every penny to buy an F horn, which also means forgoing a European tour with a band. Once I get my F tuba (Miraphone Premium), I will realize that all the money ($5500) that I have worked to earn was worth it. Or so my peers and teachers tell me.
Having said that, I think there are very many reasons why you should stick with an F horn. The most prominent being that almost everyone I know who's my age and older has one an uses it for solo work and high orchestral literature. There are other reasons too : most professionals use it, most of them have a gorgeous sound, and people who I've spoken to believe that, in general, Eb horns are lower quality than F horns.
There are many more people on this BBS who can elaborate on this subject way better than I can (Al Baer comes to mind), but maybe you should think about getting another F horn instead of switching to Eb. Hope that helps. -Aubrey