Posted by Lee A. Stofer, Jr. on November 12, 1999 at 10:42:38:
In Reply to: Re: Switch to Eb, or keep fighting with F posted by Aubrey Foard on November 05, 1999 at 18:02:24:
Aubrey,
As an aspiring orchestral tubist, the F tuba is an important part of the equation, but be careful about blanket pronouncements on the 'inferior quality of Eb tubas'. Many American tubists automatically assume that all professional tubists play a CC and an F, but that isn't accurate. After playing CC and F tubas for over 15 years, I now play a BBb and an Eb, and they serve me best. And, if my needs change, I'll buy another F, perhaps the Meinl-Weston small F (Walter Hilgers model) in silver, which is about the sweetest little F on Earth. I believe that, at the appropriate times, tuba students aspiring to be professionals should have at least some experience on all four tubas- BBb, CC,Eb and F. They all have their strong points and weaknesses.
-Lee Stofer