Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 22, 2001 at 14:54:55:
In Reply to: Sharp vs. Flat posted by Tubist on June 22, 2001 at 13:46:48:
Without knowing your approach to intonation I should ask a couple of questions. Do you set your tuning slides to a neutral position which allows all notes to be easily tuned or do you put your slides where they can fix specific notes? I ask because if your 5th slide is out a ways, you could easily move it in for the whole excerpt and use the 245 combination without disturbing other pitches, since it is unlikely that you will be using 5th valve on any other notes than low E. Also, I'd check the positions of your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th slides. The fact that your 234 fingering is flat is very odd in my experience. If anything, that fingering should ride a little sharp. Exactly the opposite for the 245 fingering, which in my experience should ride a little flat if anything. If you find the fingerings and slide positions to be accurate and render the intonation you describe, you might try playing low E using just 34. That is the smallest alternate fingering adjustment you could make to raise the 234 fingering.
In any event, there is no positive preference to playing the low E either flat or sharp. Both will sound bad in the context of E arpeggios. If I were in your position, having established that the intonation really couldn't be corrected by alternate fingerings or slide pulling, I would practice playing the low E with a piano or other fixed pitch source. Practice hearing the note accurately in your head and then trying to duplicate the correct pitch on the tuba. There is so much wiggle room in that range that it is easy to get sloppy and miss the centers of the notes. Maybe a return to that fundamental might help. Of course, this is all guesswork without actually hearing you play. A good teacher would be able to advise you better after hearing you. Good luck on your audition!
My opinion for what it's worth...