Posted by BillMac on June 25, 2001 at 08:23:28:
In Reply to: Eb with a German sound? posted by Mary Ann on June 22, 2001 at 10:38:55:
There is an ee flat with a German sound-- I think! For thirty years or so I played a Besson ee flat,maybe five or six different ones. I always had reservations about the sound and latterly the build quality,but the tuning was good even if you had to work at the top end to keep things in tune.About 18 months ago I bought an Antoine Courtois ee flat which I liked very much--it was more open in its sound but had a few tuning problems at the top end but again,nothing you could not overcome with a little care and using alternate fingerings.
Last year,thanks to a windfall and my still unsatisfied curiosity I started thinking about what might be out there ee flat-wise. I stumbled on the Gronitz web-site and found that they made an ee flat.I knew a little about them since I had blown one of their famous F Double Tubas and had read John Fletcher (LSO) on this company in his writings 20 or so years ago.The ee flat was not dear at the time because the £ Sterling was sitting very well against the D' Mark so I bought the one they had in stock.
When it arrived I thought I had made an expensive mistake,it was so small! However ,after a "get to know you "period of a week or so,learning new fingerings for the bottom end,slowing the air down a little and very importantly,sorting out a compatible mouthpiece (Josef Klier),I discovered I had the most magnificient ee flat tuba on my hands that anyone could wish for.
It does have a very distinctive sound which I can only describe as "German".It could not be confused with an American or British ee flat and although my experience of Willson's,Hirsbrunners etc.is non-existent because of geographic constraints, I suspect that even amongst the other European makes, it still sounds distinctive.
It's not all plain sailing--the top e is not the instrument's best note altough it is better on other types of mouthpieces and I still have to fight against the instincts of 30 years ++, when it comes to some of the fingering,but the sound is something else.The top is pungent with a little sweetness whereas the bottom is rich ,dark and powerful. The instrument has a "bite" to the sound which I can only describe as being what a lot of tuba players recognise as "German". If there is a better word to describe this particular sound quality I'm very willing to listen. Until this better word comes along ,I'll stick with "German" as epitomising all that is good with this one particular style of instrument and probably playing as well.
I like the Gronitz more every day!