A Very Special Day


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Posted by Tony E on November 09, 2002 at 14:51:16:

Yesterday was one of those special days that come along all too infrequently.

The day began when I and fellow tubists Dan Oberloh and Chris Barnes headed out together on a road trip to see Keating Johnson, professor of Tuba at Washington State University. Six hours later , we were there. A lot of tuba talk can take place in a long car ride, and it was fun to learn each others stories a bit more fully.

One of the reasons for the trip was for Keating and I to get our 6/4 Holton BBb tubas into the same room, and see how these horns compared and differed. Another was to play the new Falfner BBb. And, of course, any tubist who’s had a chance to hear Keating play couldn’t help but want to have an opportunity to spend some time with him.

On the physical differences between the Holtons…my 1964 horn is probably 4 years older than Keating’s. With the exception of a dent that happened when Arnold Jacobs dropped the tuba, his horn is in factory like condition. Mine had endured a harder life, and shows more visible signs of dent’s having been removed, etc. Keating’s horn has a different leadpipe than mine…it’s longer and continues to wrap around the bell toward the player for a couple inches more than mine. His bottom bow also is about an inch longer than mine and looks more natural in its flow into the bell piece. My bottom bow looks like the radius is just short of being as complete as it should be to make seamless flow into the next piece. Finally, the engraving on the bell has a different text and appearance.

On the sound of the Holtons... Here’s some phrases that came to our minds: “Two peas in a pod”, “kissing cousins”, “twin sisters”, “striking family resemblance” The first thing that hits you is the amazing similarity in the essence of the sound these instruments produce. Yes, in terms of tone, timbre, and voice. But also in terms of presence, And, in terms of the acoustical action of the instrument. By that I mean, how it creates and radiates sound. It’s a sort of broad, omnipresent, non directional, non-source specific sort of action. Yet within that description, a clear (albeit, broad) core and forceful projection.
Dan and I played a BBb concert scale, and it could have been one tuba just as easily as two. In fact, once we’d find each other, I literally wouldn’t be able to tell he was playing if I didn’t know it already. They’re that similar…not just in pitch, but in essence.

On how the Holton’s play… Very similar feel, although some differences. They react to what happens in the mouthpiece very similar manner. You’d basically use the same technique for either horn. Also, there’s the same detonation effect, a sort of micro-delay, between the mouthpiece and the bell. However, there were some differences. I felt Keating’s horn was slightly more focused in its sound…a hair less broad (certainly by that I don’t mean smaller). I also thought Keating’s horn has slightly more resistance, whereas mine blows just a bit more freely. Those two observations are probably connected. On the intonation, Keating felt that mine played more smoothly throughout the register. I could detect the areas Keating was talking about on his horn, but like my horn, his is a very flexible instrument with respect to making adjustments to the pitch at the mouthpiece.

On the Falfner… We only had a brief time to play the Falfner that Keating has come to love, but we all had the same first impressions. First, this horn has lightning fast response. It’s very CC like in that respect, and noticeably faster than the Holton. The Falfner really physically radiates as you play it. In stark contrast to the Holton, the sound is very focused. Keating has used the term “solo sound”. Dan described the sound as being like a shaft. The Falfner is more like a spot light, where perhaps the Holton is more akin to a flood light. I later joked that if you were armed with the Falfner, you could point it at an obnoxious director and blow him off the podium…sort of like a tuba bazooka. It’s an extremely clean and clear sound for a BBb. Also, this instrument can really play big when it needs to. I’m looking forward to reading Keating’s reflections on this instrument, once he’s formed them more fully.

Finally, just let me say how fortunate we are to have a statesmen like Keating Johnson within our community. An amazing player, a textbook of experience and knowledge, and a gracious man. It was truly our privilege to spend an afternoon with him.



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