Posted by js on November 09, 2001 at 19:01:42:
In Reply to: Ophecleide? posted by Devin on November 09, 2001 at 18:32:08:
After reading this, click on Klaus' link.
Ophicleide:
Imagine a baritone saxophone with a l-o-n-g neck and instead of bent around like a saxophone, it is bent around like a small skinny tuba. Yes, it has tone holes and pads like a saxophone...from medium size to huge. Just like a saxophone, you mostly use the fundamental and first overtone. The fingering system is crude compared to the boehm system, sort of like the bassoon. The mouthpiece is about the size of a trombone mouthpiece. The sound is sorta like an...ophicleide. (Actually, stick a trombone mouthpiece in a bari sax and start trying to find the pitches and get the very best sound that you can manage, and you'll come sorta close to replicating the sound of the ophicleide.)
These became pretty much obsolete when most people who were interested in a bass brass instrument discovered that tubas were louder, but of course they were used many, many years after tubas were originally developed.
Get the picture?