Posted by Frederick J. Young on August 14, 2001 at 13:15:04:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Gronitz double tuba (?) posted by Rick Denney on August 13, 2001 at 19:54:23:
The excess weight comes in part from the double set of slides for the 4 and 5 semitone 4th and 5th valves on my tuba. The production Gronitz's would not have had them.
Perhaps the players who used the old Gronitz full double tubas wanted something that blew more like their old American tubas. That could have been remedied by having Gronitz install a set of double valves. Perhaps they did not like rotary valves which in the double version are slower than piston valves.
I guess I have not been clear to explain that any style tuba such as the York-Brunner etc can be equipped with a double valve system. The goal is to let the tubist have almost the proper length of tubing without pulling slides and to give him/her the choice of ligitimate alternate fingerings rather than the standard ones which are usually no better than the ones they are to replace.
It also takes time to learn to use a double tuba and there is no help available. It took me a few years to adapt to it!