Posted by Andy Miller on September 14, 2001 at 16:29:29:
In Reply to: Re: PT-6 as a quintet horn? posted by Bill Jagnow on September 14, 2001 at 12:32:29:
You are correct sir! I played my PT-6 in the Paramount Brass for over 5 years. Mostly due to the fact that I had no other horn, but the guys also liked the sound. Actually I did use my PT-10 F tuba on occasion, but that was rare. Our repertoire (mostly transcriptions) required a tuba with a good low register. The PT-10 just doesn't work for me down there (mostly C below the staff for some reason, pedal notes are a breeze).
As for balance, blend and agility, I would just use my Conn Helleberg 7B, pretend that I had a small horn on my lap, and never accept "can't" as an excuse. A lot is based on concept...it's easier to make a big horn sound small than a small horn sound big.
It also depends on your quintet's concept of sound and what their philosophy is...you want to fit in and not be stubborn. We liked playing with large full sounds that could reach the back of concert halls, much like the CSO Brass Quintet of old.
Now that I'm playing with the faculty quintet here at Western Michigan U., I find that I have to use the F tuba much more...although the low C still gives me trouble. If I was smart enough to learn fingers fast, I'd go buy an Eb tuba and live happily ever after!