Re: Re: Re: Conn CC Tubas!


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Posted by scientist on October 26, 2002 at 00:53:17:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Conn CC Tubas! posted by TubaDude on October 26, 2002 at 00:00:19:

Well.............

I've played dixie stuff all over the world on CC, BBb, F, and EEb tubas.

It just doesn't matter much.

Currently, I'm using an EEb thing most of the time, so I'll comment:

The C stuff fingers like G on a BBb tuba - EZ
The Dm stuff fingers like Am on a BBb tuba - EZ
The F stuff fingers like C stuff on a BBb tuba - EZ

Hell, its all EZ if you work yourself in all the keys. I'm a "nervous sort" and often I find myself (OK, I'm psycho) - without even realizing it - quickly fingering major and minor "scales in thirds" in all twelve keys with my fingers on the steering wheel when driving down the highway.

Your comment mentioned that your reading is best on a CC instrument. If you're reading dixie stuff, you're not having enough fun. Work more at familiarity with the tunes so that you don't have to do that. I can't think of a worse hell than reading lead sheets on a dixie gig, nor a better heaven than playing with a world-class front line (perhaps even strangers to me) and having everything "click" on the bandstand with no rehearsal.

Here's a final comment: Besides playing tubas in a four normally-found keys in dixie bands, I've played tubas with 3,4,5,& 6 valves in dixie bands. Here is where you and I will embrace each other regarding "comfort zones": As I've spent a lot of time (oddly enough) improvising on valve trombone, I've finally decided that only showing up with a 3-valve instrument just might be best for me. When I show up with more valves, I tend (of course) to use them. That's just fine for bass lines, but when they point to me, my solos sound much more like something I "wouldn't mind having recorded" when I can work with my plain-ol' three-valve patterns set up from all of the valve trombone rides that I've taken over the years.




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