Re: False tones vs. extra valves


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Posted by Rex Roeges on December 11, 2003 at 18:32:14:

In Reply to: False tones vs. extra valves posted by Eric on December 11, 2003 at 17:07:41:

This is an interesting topic. I know that I've tried and tried to make false tones sound good, and on different horns, but have failed miserably. My best efforts were on 3 valve Eb's, but I really didn't like the sound. I have not had much luck at all on BBb's. Any false tones I get sounds kind of sick.

However, I really don't have much problem popping out Db's on my 5 Valve CC (1-2-3-4-5 is best in-tune). There's not much call for them, but I practice them anyways, and the facility at the low end helps me when I do have to play low E's and Eb's, which do come up fairly often.

I've wondered similar things. Did the tuba players of 60 years ago (when there weren't that many 3+ valve horns around) know something that we don't (like how to make all those false tones sound good), or was there just not that much call for anything between low E and pedal BBb?

Is there some technique, that I've missed, to make false tones work? It wouldn't surprise me, I certainly have not figured out a lot of other good stuff. If there really is some trick to this, do we really need all the valves that we get when we buy these very expensive pieces of plumbing art-work that we call tubas?

BTW, the concept of electrifying a tuba, to me, is somewhat frightening.

Rex


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