Posted by Rex Roeges on February 04, 2004 at 17:52:27:
In Reply to: 4/4 - 5/4 = $$$$'s ? posted by Confusious on February 04, 2004 at 14:24:25:
Euphonium does actually mean something, although it seems that the definitions accepted earlier are slowly going by the wayside.
No, the terms 6/4, 5/4, 4/4, 3/4 tuba don’t really mean much. No, 6/4 sized tubas are not only pistons. My Neptune is a rotary and it certainly is a 6/4 sized horn. I’ve heard that the Rudy Meinl 6/4 sized horn is even larger, and is also rotary.
For example, look at a Yamaha 3/4 sized BBb (like the YBB 103) and another 3/4 sized BBb horn, the Meinl-Weston 20. If you put them side by side, or look at their specs, they are clearly not the same size.
Saying that a tuba is 6/4 size or 4/4 size is as imprecise as saying that a particular horn has a German sound or is stuffy in the low register, or is ergonomically uncomfortable. Clearly, some information is conveyed, but it is far from quantified
There is plenty of frustration to go around on this topic.