Posted by Rick Denney on February 04, 2003 at 11:05:03:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Flogging a dead horse... posted by JoeS on February 03, 2003 at 20:08:13:
No argument from me. I will say, though, that I like it when the tuba gives me some sensory feedback. Were I a better player, I might not need it, but in my current and foreseeable state, it helps me to understand what I'm producing.
But I haven't compared the Holton and the Willson in any way that would allow assessment out front, so I can't really predict how they differ to the audience.
As to the tall bell issue, I think the differences in the shape of the flare have as much effect as anything else, particularly in a room where the bell shape affects propagation patterns. I suspect that much of the difference between my 621 F tuba and the tall-bell rotary F tubas traces back to the nearness of the bell to the ears. When I play a tall F, the sound has an ethereal quality that I now recognize as being a higher percentage of the sound coming back from the room instead of directly from the bell. When I play my tall-bell Miraphone in a live auditorium, the sound that reflects back isn't much different from what I hear in my living room. But the York Master and the 621 both reflect a much smoother, rounder sound back to me. The Holton, I think because of the resonance of the bell, is closer to its room sound--that took me aback the first time I played it in our live rehearsal space. That may be part of its magic--what you hear is closer to what you get out front, even though it has that fat bi-radial bell that propagates the sound over a wide pattern.
Rick "who needs all the help he can get" Denney