Re: does yamaha make a good f


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Posted by Rick Denney on February 11, 2003 at 13:12:57:

In Reply to: does yamaha make a good f posted by Brandon on February 11, 2003 at 11:41:23:

As with anything, it depends on what you expect it to provide for you. A big symphonic F it ain't, but a 621 will do just about anything else.

You asked for a few comments. Here's more than a few:

I've owned a Yamaha 621 F tuba since about 1991. I bought it is a demonstrator at the end of the first season of demos, and it is an early model of the instrument (#72).

The 621 has a surprisingly large sound, and this sound is made larger by use of a real contrabass mouthpiece. You won't need a PT-64 for this one. The tuba came with a Yamaha 67B4, which is shallow with a tiny backbore and initially was unusable, and in my improved state I like it better but I still think it bottles up the low register of the instrument and makes it sound like a euphonium. I'm using either a Warburton custom which includes a large and deep Hellebergish cup and a medium backbore, or a Doug Elliott 132-2nR4, which is quite similar to a Conn Helleberg (the big one) except for a rim like a PT-48. The Doug Elliott gives me a bigger sound but the Warburton is a bit more agile. In short, this tuba works well with large, deep mouthpieces and medium-size backbores if you want to fully appreciate the low register abilities it has. Thus, you can choose mouthpieces for it the same way you would with a big tuba--large and deep for big, low tones, and smaller or shallower for high soloistic stuff.

You can't underestimate the power of the low register on a 621. It seems so small, but instead of the usual uncentered feeling of the low C and surrounding notes, the 621 just opens up and plays these notes as if they were on a contrabass. The instrument has a huge workable pitch range compared with other tubas. At my level of inability, I get several whole tones more range on both ends compared with my big horns, even when I use the same mouthpiece. I think this is the 621's real strength--it is easy to play well, and will provide good results in challenging conditions. I know a number of pros who love mine when they play it, and at least one who has bought one in response to trying out mine. Mine was recommended to me and tested before I bought it by a symphony pro.

If it has any intonation problem, it's the G at the top of the staff. Some days I have trouble with it and other days I don't, probably because that note tends sharp on my BBb tubas and I get used to pulling it. If you go too far with the large mouthpiece thing, that G gets a bit worse. Of course, that G has several alternate fingerings.

There has been much debate about the sound. I would call it characteristic but not as resonant or colorful as some other F tubas. This may be a perception of the player. The sound is definitely a true F tuba sound, and it provides a distinct voice in, for example, a tuba quartet. I played mine in the TubaMeisters between a Miraphone C and two euphoniums, and our blend was excellent with no mud. That is perhaps the best feature of the sound of the 621--it is clear and focused and blends well.

I use my 621 for brass quintet and other small ensembles. Some argue that a contrabass should be used in quintet, but I think it depends on the quintet. If you do a lot of baroque literature, the 621 will provide a narrower sound that works well with pieces intended for two trombones, but it will also open up for modern literature. It is the only F I've played that will do the baroque stuff and also provide the low register needed for modern stuff.

For a piston F tuba, the bore is actually rather large, being the same as a Conn 52J or a Getzen G-50. The bell shape is not unlike older Bessons with a fast taper in the bell stack and not as wide a flare as modern horns. A wider bell flare might be just about the only improvement I could think of.

I have heard the 621 used in orchestral applications, and it does work. The Damnation of Faust, for example, is fine on this instrument. But, as with all F's, if you push it too hard, it will get strident, and a larger instrument may be better for works like Symphony Fantastique, and other big works that need F tuba. That said, I've heard it used on SF, and the performer sounded wonderful on, even sitting next to a world-class symphony pro who was using a B&S Symphonie model.

Rick "who's taking his 621 to quintet rehearsal tonight" Denney


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