Re: CC vs. BBb


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Posted by Rick Denney on November 17, 2003 at 17:26:11:

In Reply to: CC vs. BBb posted by wondering on November 16, 2003 at 22:29:46:

Yes, most pros in the U.S. play CC's. Most pros in England play Eb's. And most pros in Germany play BBb's when they're not playing their F's. They all sound great to me.

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to be a pro, and have the drive to be a pro, then you'll need and want to be able to play all tubas in all keys.

If you don't want to be a pro, and you already know how to play BBb, then why change? There are wonderful BBb tubas out there, and some of the most wonderful examples cost thousands less than comparable C tubas.

Do CC's play better? As a player, you might notice a difference. The audience won't. My band director (a top professional tuba player) came up to me upon my first visit to that band and asked if my tuba was a CC (it was a BBb). He'd heard me play, and my incompetence was more than enough to mask any difference (assuming there is any difference, which I don't assume), and he couldn't tell by looking. The notion that a CC sounds better than a BBb, all else equal, just doesn't hold up. People make the judgment because amateurs play BBb's badly, while pros play CC's well. Of course they sound better! But it ain't the tuba.

Rick "who has played only a very few CC tubas that felt and sounded as good as his favorite BBb" Denney


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