Re: Re: Re: Why is low range bad on F's?


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Posted by Rick Denney on December 12, 2001 at 12:02:38:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Why is low range bad on F's? posted by John C on December 12, 2001 at 08:21:12:

I never have understood this. My 621 F sounds like a tuba. A small tuba, yes, but still a tuba. I can put a tuba mouthpiece in my euphonium, and it also sounds like a tuba--a really small tuba, but a tuba nonetheless. When I put a euphonium mouthpiece in my F tuba, it sounds like a euphonium, a really big, gassy euphonium.

The small F has a depth of sound between a contrabass tuba and the sort of tenor tuba (played with a large mouthpiece) that we were talking about a while back. A euphonium sounds like a different instrument to me.

I don't know why the rotary F's have a low register that requires special treatment. Every rotary F I've ever played, plus a few piston F's, have required this treatment, regardless of size. The big Willson F did not, and my small Yamaha 621 does not, so it isn't size. But the B&S, Meinl-Weston, Alexander, VMI, and Miraphone F's that I've played required that special handling to one extent or another. Another thing I've noticed is that the F tubas that don't have that problem can use as big a mouthpiece as a contrabass, but the F tubas that do have the problem seem to do better with an "F tuba" mouthpiece.

When you use a mouthpiece halfway in size between a contrabass mouthpiece and a euphonium mouthpiece, then you do get a sound halfway between a tuba and a euphonium, it seems to me.

Rick "who thinks we ought to specify the mouthpiece with as much care as the instrument" Denney


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