Posted by Kevin Robertson on January 13, 2003 at 06:22:05:
In Reply to: A hypothetical situation... posted by Josh Calkin on January 07, 2003 at 23:09:34:
HHHhhhmmmm.
I think some points are being missed here.
To give you where I am coming from, I am a "jack of all trades" when it comes to axes I play. I've been pro for over 13 years, now. Before that I was a low brass major at a small west Texas college. Euph is my main axe, and I've owned my Willson 2900 for almost 17 years, now. But, I have played all the brass, except F horn, professionally, in the last 13 years.
First, every brass insturment(if you include trigger trombones)is a series of compromises, in regards to intonation. The laws of physics dictate that if your open horn is in tune, your first valve, by itself, is in tune, and your second valve, by itself, is in tune, then a 1-2 valve combination is going to be sharp. The laws of physics, also, dictate that the fifth partial will be flat, and the sixth will be sharp, etc. There is no getting around that. That is basic acoustics, and no tuba player will ever change that. However, some horns amplify these tendencies, and others diminish them.
Intonation is in your ear, and in your head.
Me, for instance, I can take a student model King 3-valve bell front, piece of organic fertilizer euph, and get it to play in tune. I have to work at it much harder than my "baby" (the Willson mentioned above), but I can do it. The King amplifies what my "baby" diminishes.
Secondly, tone. (Tuba C)
Tone is a function of head, ear, and breath.
One of my college professors was fond of telling people that, for brass players, that the farther something was from your lungs and your brain the less it had to do with your music. We play wind instruments. They are called that for a reason. They are not "lip" instruments, or "valve" insturments, or even "brass" instruments, in reality. Air, and how you use it, is everything. Especially, for the tubist. Tone concept is what makes your tone. That takes listening to other players, and conceptualizing tone ... not horn or mouthpiece choice. It, also, assumes you've gotten to a point where you actually listen to what comes out of the bell of your horn when you play. If you are not sure you are there, yet, tape record yourself playing sometime. That is a humbling experience.
Next, what you call "articulation".(Tuba B)
You, specifically, reference "fwumps", and "splee-ah"'s. Those are a function of ear, and lip. First, tuba is a large (tube length) instrument, and, secondly, it is a conical bore instrument (tube diameter) instrument. We are back to elementary physics, here.
Tuba is both a forgiving instrument, and b**ch.
If you hear in your head, and buzz the correct pitch, then the horn will most likely play it, thanks to the bore size, and tube length, if not with the best sound. (I was the perfect example of that this morning. I played E naturals on a BBb horn with the first valve down, in the second strain of Semper Fidelis(the pseudo F scale run). They were in tune, and they "spoke", even though the tone stunk.)
On the other hand, if you hear in your head, and buzz the incorrect pitch, you will "fwump", and "splee-ah". No way around it. A good horn/mouthpiece combination might mask some of that, but it will happen.
So, given what I have said, the further it is from your brain, and lungs, the less it has to do with your playing.
A good mouthpiece is more important than having a good horn. You can make a crappy horn sound good with a good mouthpiece. (One suited for you and the horn)
The question comes down to you, as a player. What do you have the most difficulty with? Buzzing the right pitch, having a good sound concept/having a good sound, or getting accustomed to your horn? A horn is only a tool for you to express your personal musicality. Which horn allows you to express that with the least amount of work?
Finding the horn that most easily allows you to express what is in your head, and in your heart is the answer. That is, after all, what music is all about, isn't it?
Personally, to answer your question, I would buy tuba C, listen to every tuba recording I own, over and over again, do lots of pitch precision exercises, record most of my practice sessions, and fight with the horn until I made it get the sound I wanted.
But that's just me. I haven't picked up a brass instrument in 14 years that I have not been able to, finally, get a good characteristic sound out of, eventually.