Posted by Les Smith on May 31, 2001 at 12:30:12:
Two tuba hardware questions on which I solicit opinions:
1. In the past some messages on this board seemed to imply that a mouthpiece will affect the tuning of an instrument--i.e., use of a particular mouthpiece will make a tuba play sharper, use of other another will make it play flatter. If this is true, what specific aspects of a mouthpiece raise or lower pitch of the instrument? Cup? Shank? Bore? What? And _how_ does each aspect impact pitch? Does a shallower cup, for example, make a tuba play sharper?
2. I suspect that many tuba owners store their instruments upsidedown when not playing or practicing--i.e., bell-down. Even when all tubes are cleared before putting the instrument away for the night, there is still water that gathers and drips down onto the valves and seems to displace the oil. Would there be any advantage to using a display stand for storing, so that the instrument stands upright when not being played?
Les