Posted by Klaus on December 21, 2001 at 23:51:22:
In Reply to: Re: PT-6 and that darned D! posted by Jim C. (again) on December 21, 2001 at 18:46:18:
I do not fully agree with your line of logic. Being able to play the 6 first pedal notes does not automatically qualify you to play the two notes just above the open pedal.
If one can relax ones embouchure and torso. And still be able to sustain a controlled air supply, then pedal notes are easy on most tubas, that are not of a very narrow bore. These pedal notes are very flexible, when it comes to intonation.
The notes above the pedal are a much harder challenge.
To the open bugle there has been added almost as much tubelength as its own original one. But the average bore is greatly diminished. That alone accounts for a great rise in resistance as measured in terms of general physics.
And the profile goes from mostly conical to having cylindrical components for almost half the way. That makes the establishing of controllable soundwaves much harder. And that no matter how much scientific research the maker claims to have invested in the instrument.
Hence these notes just above the pedal are much less tolerant towards the intonation of the attack. The attack has to be precilely in tune. Not with the actual musical context, but with the note, that the combination of open bugle and activated valve tubing offers resonance for.
If the "resonance" note is more or less off pitch from the in-tune note, that you attempt to attack you will experience a muffled note (from lack of resonance) or a blattering note (from oscillations between the attacked note and the "resonance" note).
There should be ways to overcome the problem.
The first would be first to work with false notes (please read the recent thread on the topic).
The other would be to work yourself downwards chromatically from the notes, that you already master well. But you should do so without having the exactly correct pitch as your first goal. Play with a more slack embouchure, that will allow your lips to discover the "resonance" notes.
When you have got these, then work on sound quality and dynamic control. When these notes are well established in these hinsights, you can start to think of the pitch.
If a note is sharp, you will have to pull some slide to some extend. If it is flat, you will have to change your fingering to one, that activates a bit less valve tubing. And then you might have to pull some slide from there.
Maybe a too complicated explanation to be useful, but it reflects my own way of working.
Klaus