Posted by js on September 02, 2002 at 02:15:38:
In Reply to: Re: tuba musical performance - pet peeve posted by Steve Marcus on September 02, 2002 at 00:34:36:
Rather that promote or berate recordings of performances of specific pieces, couldn't I just refer to the technique of the 'cello or the piano, where such skips are more effortless?
Our forte is our "forte", whereas these instruments' strength is more flexibility.
Even though flexibility on the tuba is difficult, I don't think we should bring overcompensation for that difficulty to light in our performances.
Micky has a point. If someone wishes to interpret a line in such a way, that's perfectly fine...but to do it just because it simply physically "feels good" to blatt out low pitches (and soon thereafter becoming deaf to one's own tricks) is tragically limiting.
It reminds me a bit of trumpet players who are taught to emphasize the sixteenth note after the dotted eighth, because the sixteenth tends to not be audible at quick tempi. After a while, their execution becomes so quick and efficient that the sixteenth now speaks perfectly well - but is far too loud next to the dotted eighth. Unfortunately, the trumpet player has become so proud of their ability to execute this feat (and so insensitive to their own overcompensation) that their over-repair of a weakness has ruined their music.