Posted by And the heretic says on April 10, 2002 at 14:39:50:
In Reply to: About that tuning... posted by Steve Dedman on April 10, 2002 at 11:29:23:
No problems with your 56J beyond what is normal with all good tubas.
No problems with your tuner.
I could kick in a remark of the fingering 235 being better than 24 for C# below the staff, but my main point would be this one:
You have gotten a better musical tool in the shape of the 56J. I probably have read about your previous tuba, but I do not remember it. I am sure the 56J was bought because you loved it potentials.
My diagnosis of your problem is:
insufficiently developped integration of the 56J into your musical personality!
You have not gotten the 56J under your skin yet. When you play with you ensemble, that very ensemble acts as an ear crutch for you, pitch- and sound-wise. If you want a more urbane wording: the ensemble provides you with clear and "readable" musical framework, within which you can utilise your achieved instrumental skills to adapt to the standards you want to be yours.
The task now is to be able to reach these standards while playing on your own.
There are many ways to go for that.
Play very loud and very quiet through sequences of intervals, that very easily can controlled for pitch by ear, only in rare cases by tuner. The first page of intervals in Arban is good for that.
Play easy, slow, and non-modulating tunes. Be especially aware about scale steps ## 3, 4, 5, and 7. Play such tunes in in ALL keys through all of your range. And that even if you have to play the same tune 24 or 36 times.
Chromatic scales are strictly no-no's. But by playing tunes in adjacent chromatic keys you can check whether certain notes work equally well as leading notes and as tonicas. Or as thirds and as dominat sevenths.
Stopping for now. Ask on.
Klaus