Posted by Doc on November 13, 2001 at 15:18:16:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: can-o-worms posted by js on November 12, 2001 at 23:31:15:
I played with a bass tbone who offered his opinion of my Kurath 5/4 by saying, "I like that horn, we sound great together, just like Kleinhammer and Jacobs or Harwood and Deck." Of course it was a compliment, but it made me think of the different jobs a tuba has in the orchestra. Not to minimize our job or our importance, but sometimes you are like an extra bass, doubling their part. Sometimes a 4th t-bone. Sometimes you and the bass t-bone sound like one instrument(Kleinhammer/Jacobs perfect example). Sometimes your just the tuba. I thought about intonation in all those situations. Each is critical, but I've always found it a little easier to tune with the basses with a big belled horn. My Rudy 3/4 tunes well in the other situations, but I love the BAT sound. It has that sound that covers everything. It has a lot of presence, foundation. Not what I would play in a quintet, maybe. I'm interested in trying a MW 45slp to see if it has that same BAT/big belled sound characteristics, but on a smaller scale.
Whatever the science says, a great sound is a great sound, and in-tune is still in-tune.
Do what you must to make it happen.
Doc