Posted by Joe Baker on October 17, 2000 at 08:59:09:
In Reply to: Various Valves posted by Ragin on October 15, 2000 at 23:19:37:
I think that, in addition to the observations already made with regard to cost, size, and reliability, there are a couple of other things.
First, it is the change in sound, not the resistance, that causes bone players to want a more open valve. The problem is that the trombone is otherwise SO straight through that putting the tight turns of a valve into the works really affects the sound. A tuba starts out more tightly wound, so the difference in sound when you add a valve is MUCH less noticable (typically not at all).
Second, as a trombone player you do most of your note changes using the slide, and the valve is used quite a bit less. A tuba does ALL of its tubing length changes with valves. This means that speed and reliability are more important in a tuba's valves.
So, since openness is much less an issue, and speed and reliability is much more of an issue, tuba players want the fast, reliable, tried and true (especially when improvements in a tuba cost thousands, not hundreds, just to try!)