Posted by Anthony on March 19, 2003 at 14:46:09:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Rapid Passages on Rotaries posted by Rick Denney on March 19, 2003 at 13:30:10:
Wow, that's a really good post, with a lot more thought put into it on the subject than I had. I think I was thinking solely about the distance required for the piston/rotor to travel, and (possibly incorrectly) assumed that the action/speed would be the same on both of them, as that has been my experience with the limited number of tubas I've played extensively. I still maintain that the distance of the valvestroke is the most important factor- though speed of the valvestroke is nearly equally important.
I always wondered what people meant when they described their valves as "light" when trying to sell their tubas, and now I understand!
I guess I am fortunate in that my rotary tuba seems to have very light valves- and someone else can be fortunate, in that my rotary tuba is for sale!
Anthony