Posted by Roger Lewis on March 18, 1999 at 18:42:25:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Playing 2 or more types of tubas posted by Jay Bertolet on March 18, 1999 at 13:10:05:
I agree with Jay and want to throw my $0.02 into the discussion. I tend to think of it more as one horn, four sets of fingerings. What you want in an F tuba is not so much that it "sounds" like your CC, but that it "feels" like your CC. Nohing is harder than going from an open CC to a stuffy F and trying let your trademark sound come through. Harvey Phillips described soft playing as " a large man speaking quietly". The same is true for high playing - same ease and finesse with a different voice. I've found that I get the same sound (for the most part) out of a fibreglas sousaphone as I do out of my Yorkbrunner - because that's what I hear in my head.
You need to be able to switch back and forth between horns at will with no loss of confidence or fumbling around. In other words, you need to be fluent in every aspect.
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening.
Roger Lewis