Posted by Tony Clements on December 01, 2003 at 09:48:41:
In Reply to: Re: Re: is a 5th valve necessary? posted by Tony E on November 29, 2003 at 16:38:23:
I didn't REALLY meant to sound so flip about my comment. In my experience 2&4 notes (B, E) are sharp, unless something is done about the total length of the tuba (Pull 4th, pull2nd or main slide). Low Eb is way flat (1,2,4), low CC and BB are unplayable on 4 valves. This is for BBb tuba, CC would be a step higher. SMALL discrepancies can be accounted for with a slight change in air SPEED, but one always wants the instrument to be the proper length to ensure a centered tone and accurate pitch.