Re: Re: Tuba Harmon Mute


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Posted by Klaus on September 17, 2002 at 16:52:53:

In Reply to: Re: Tuba Harmon Mute posted by Doug Elliott on September 17, 2002 at 10:00:50:

I see your idea, Doug!

But mutes are devils, when it comes to intonation. From the trumpets and from the trombones we know, that mutes shall have a good deal of length/volume protruding out in front of the bell rim.

This comes from the fact, that all brass instruments, that are not cylindrical all the way through, have shorter real tube-lengths, than they should theoretical have. The bells apparently have some "forward" shading effect, that appears to to increase with increasing volumes of bell throats and with increasing diameters of bell flares (which implies, that a single F French horn has a longer main tubing, than has an F tuba).

I do not doubt of the appealing sound qualities of your suggested mute design, but I can imagine serious problems with pitch and with "being in tune with oneself".

I have this wonderful sounding bassbone bucket mute made by the father of the Met solobone (the former one at least). The name sadly forgotten, only it starts with Al...). It takes some funny slide adjustments on especially my King 7B, not so much on the older Sovereign. But at least we can make these adjustments on the bones. I am sure, that you as a pro boner have made the adjustments of the main tuning slide as well as of hand-slide positions second nature just to uphold your living in the commercial field.

Only tuba players just can achieve such flexibility in a very much less than immediate way.

A not fully parallel sample: The mentioned bucket mute makes a wonderful sound on my Hoyer single 5-valve Bb French horn, an instrument, that is extremely well in tune with itself. And which has the same length of tubing as the bones (theoretically at least as told of above here). But I had to give up on my plans to use that mute for the that horn. Intonation went far beyond reasonable control options of lips, embouchure, and right hand.

Klaus

PS: Are you into French horn mouthpieces? I need a special 18 mm, inner diameter, rim with a Giardinelli threading.


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