Posted by Rick Denney on May 10, 2002 at 12:17:32:
In Reply to: Re: CC or BBb posted by Austin H. on May 09, 2002 at 21:46:35:
Oh, I dunno. I've played lots of BBb tubas, and lots of CC tubas. I think they overlap quite a bit. The very best C tubas I've played were a bit better than the very best BBb tubas I've played, even my own. But they cost 2.5 times as much, too.
On the other hand, I've played many C tubas that I would not have paid a nickel for if it meant giving up my current BBb tuba. Methinks your blanket statement has a few holes in it that experience might fill in, or maybe not.
For the person who asked the question (an adult amateur), I say stick with what you know. You aren't likely to be able to spend what it takes to do better than the good BBb tubas on the market. Some folks (dp comes to mind) switch to C partly to challenge themselves in a way that breaks through complacency. It's hard to argue with that, but many folks may not need such mental tricks, or may not have objectives that make such effort worth the time required.
Were I counseling a high-schooler bound for a college music program, though, I'd probably counsel the switch to CC. Why? It would save him the trouble of having to explain to narrow-minded (on this subject) professors and students why he is sticking with BBb. Getting through the program is hard enough without being behind (at least in the minds of those other folks) before you start. And the fingering issue should not be an issue for a pro-bound player. My sense of tuba players at that level is that they can play tubas with any pitch with little difficulty. If they can't make the switch readily, maybe they ought not to be pro-bound.
Rick "thinking advice for we untalented amateurs shouldn't always be the same as it is for pro-bound hotshots" Denney