Re: Re: F Tuba: American or German?


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Posted by Kurt on July 12, 2000 at 21:08:25:

In Reply to: Re: F Tuba: American or German? posted by Jason on July 12, 2000 at 11:41:43:

Wow, what a neat gathering of ideas! Thanks to everyone for your input. Actually, though, I didn't make myself very clear in my original post: by German vs. American, I meant not only the obvious differences in design (i.e., rotary vs piston), but more importantly, the difference in sound/timbre. To my ear, those who choose to play the rotary horns usually produce a richer, more vocal-ish sound, albeit a bit "brighter." On the other hand, their piston-pumping pals seem to produce a darker, more bass-like tone quality. Forgive my generalizations and weak descriptions, but that's about the best I can do on a full stomach! My primary question is this: what makes one person choose one type of horn vs the other? If I may hone this question a bit, what makes a seasoned professional switch from, say, a German rotary instrument to an "American" piston instrument, after 20+ years of outstanding music making? A change in concept? A desire to improve the low register?


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