Re: Re: 7 Valve Tuba


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Posted by Ed Heckman on January 24, 2001 at 21:36:52:

In Reply to: Re: 7 Valve Tuba posted by Frederick J. Young on January 24, 2001 at 17:55:25:

In my mind, there are two issues that would seem to get the way of the acceptance of such an instrument.

First, I'm under the impression that your King weighs quite a bit. How much does it actually weigh?

Second, cost is an issue for most players. How much would it cost for, say, Miraphone to produce such an instrument if they built it to the same relative standards of their 186? What about Willson, or Hirshbrunner, or Yamaha, or any of the others?

I'm personally sick of pulling slides, or doing major lipping to get a note in tune. I would love to be able to be able to play every note as in tune as notes on a piano. But if it means I can't afford a horn, or that it's too cumbersome to handle, then that's worse than the current situation.

Doggon it. I didn't want to make this message sound like I'm jumping down your throat, but I'm afraid I'm not succeeding too well at this.

Personally, if I could find a horn that always played in tune (with no extra work on my part), that has a great sound, that I could afford, and that I could handle, then I would be all over it in a second. Maybe the 7 valve monster King is a good step in that direction. I don't know. I am sure that horns equipped with various combinations of triggers, extra valves, and with slides that are within easy reach are all attempts to design an instrument that fits within these conflicting constraints.

What will a tuba built 100 years from now be like? Maybe it will be made of some material other than brass. Maybe it'll have fancy electronics embedded in the valves. Maybe it will look completely different to what we're used to now. Or maybe it will be almost exactly the same. I don't know. What I do know is that it's primary focus will still be on making beautiful music. And I'm sure that discussions over the tradeoffs inherent in designing music instruments will continue, as will the need for practice.

Ed "What the" Heckman


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