Posted by Rick Denney on December 13, 2001 at 12:57:30:
In Reply to: Re: TubaEuph Barbershop? posted by Doc on December 13, 2001 at 10:07:32:
Those close harmonies present a challenge all their own. One is that chord thirds below about Bb on the staff tend to sound really muddy, so if the third of the chord is represented in the baritone line, it may need to be raised an octave. Of course, the third is probably usually represented in the tenor part, and dropping it an octave requires care to keep it from being to low. The best tuba quartet literature that I have played tends to spread the chords out as much as possible.
The other challenge with close harmonies is tuning. Singers don't sing a well-tempered scale, and we have to make sure that we tune the chord the way singers do. That means that third really must be played flatter than we are accustomed to playing it in a band or with different literature. We as tuba players are sometimes unused to making those adjustments, because we are usually establishing the chord tonic in brass quintet and other ensembles.
It seems to me that a tuba quartet doing barbershop stuff might be best served by three euphoniums and a tuba, or perhaps a first tuba with a small horn and a light sound instead of the third euph. I also would recommend getting four very different sounding instruments--they will blend better. I know it doesn't sound right, but separation of voicing is critical, it seems to me, in close harmonies.
The TubaMeisters always avoided music with close harmonies, but on the occasions when we could not avoid it, our very diverse instrumentation really helped out. Our first player used a rotary tenor tuba with a straight bell (a Miraphone), and our second player had a Miraphone compensating euphonium. I played my little Yamaha F tuba on the third part, and the fourth player had a Miraphone 186. We never had trouble blending, and the harmonies sounded right because each voice had its own distinct flavor. This is the secret, it seems to me, of the great singing groups who use close harmonies. I don't follow barbershop, but I am thinking of the Mills Brothers.
Rick "who thinks mud avoidance is priority 1 for a tuba ensemble" Denney