Re: effective ranges of BBb CC EEb F


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Mike F. on December 08, 2000 at 18:08:28:

In Reply to: effective ranges of BBb CC EEb F posted by circusboy on December 08, 2000 at 17:34:57:

Good question! I think the consensus is that a given person's range, high to low, is about the same on different instruments. Particular horns may have stuffly lower registers, or thin high registers, but this is mostly a function of the player, not the instrument. Here's where the key of the instrument comes in to play: I am convinced that the same not played on different will take on a different tone quality, however subtle or sublime it may be. A middle c (above bass clef staff) is a higher note and will therefore have a slightly brighter tone on a BBb contra-bass tuba than on an F Bass tuba, where it is more in the comfortable register. Not more comfortable for the player, but for the instrument. Check my arithmetic here, but that note on a BBb tuba is the 8th overtone/9th partial (if played open) of the Bb series, and on F tuba it is 5th overtone, or 6th partial of the F series (again played open). That's a pretty significant difference!
Confused enough? let's just say that to the player it's the same note, and that's what really matters, but to the horn it's different, and it may try to sound differently.
MF


Follow Ups: