Re: OK, I think I FINALLY understand.


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Posted by Joe Baker on December 18, 2000 at 11:08:02:

In Reply to: OK, I think I FINALLY understand. posted by Joe S. on December 17, 2000 at 03:00:28:

Boy, for guys who know so much, you sure don't know much. I thought it was common knowledge that to be a euphonium either it has to be silver plated or the player has to use a towel on his lap while playing ;)

This seems similar to the taxonomy of species. If you have two sap-suckers, one with a straight beak and one with a curved beak but otherwise identical and capable of reproducing together, they are two 'species'. But two dogs that look COMPLETELY different are just different breeds of the same species. Who gets to decide? And how do I apply for the job? So if two instruments are the same except for bore size and shape, are they the same instrument or two different instruments? That depends on whether (at least) one of the similar instruments is a trumpet, a trombone, a baritone, or a tuba.

It also brings to mind my high school years (many years ago). Perhaps it was a local phenomenon, but we were loathe to call our instruments 'tubas' because we thought it sounded kind of nerdy. We referred to our instruments as 'bass horns' instead. But they were still tubas! Well, I grew up a little, removed the corn-cob from my B. A. (not T.) and learned to just play the dern thing and forget about what anybody calls it or what they think. I would respectfully suggest that we all take a similar approach to the naming of that certain valved low brass instrument in the key of Bb.

Joe "You say tu-may'-toe" Baker


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