Posted by Steve Inman on August 31, 2001 at 09:52:10:
Just a quick post for discussion (not meant to start a war).
I've just been catching up on my BBS reading (vacation day today 8-D ), and I again
read the comment about a CC tuba "The only difference is that the tubing is 2 feet shorter".
But isn't this a misnomer? Yes it's true that the open C on a CC tuba uses tubing that's two feet shorter than the open Bb on a BBb tuba. But what about notes using valves? This suddenly would seem to throw any basis for comparison out the window.
The note CC on a BBb tuba (4V) actually uses lots more tubing than the CC on a CC tuba -- much more than merely 2 feet! The difference is ( 2' PLUS the length of the BBb 4th valve tubing). So this note is much "worse" for a BBb! (Strange those BBb players somehow seem to play this note reasonably well when required!)
The notes below BBb would actually seem to be an advantage for the BBb tuba, because the CC tuba has to add a LONGER TOTAL AMOUNT of valve tubing to the "open instrument" to achieve the same note. I.E. AAb on a BBb tuba has 18' of (mostly) "bigger" tubing and the length of the 1st valve tubing. The AAb on a CC tuba has 16' of (mostly) bigger tubing and then uses a longer total length of some combination of tubing from whichever valves your CC needs. Based on this, shouldn't I expect the BBb tuba to be the better choice in the low register?
It would seem to me that instead of quoting the phrase "CC has a 2 foot advantage", we should suggest folks play the instruments and decide what kind of response they want for themselves. I'm sure the bore of the instrument and the taper of the larger tubing also have an effect. And once you start adding valves, how can it be said that this 2 foot difference in the length of the "open instrument" makes any appreciable difference at all? And if it doesn't, they why mention it as a consideration in CC vs BBb? (Especially when giving advice to younger players who are trying to make a decision on their next horn, for example.)
For your consideration from Kokomo, IN