F tuba pedal F

[one.kidney]

So i had a question for you all. When you guys were learning F tuba, what was your way of really nailing your pedal F and getting it really rich and full of tone with no valves? I'm still sort've new to F tuba, but i just wanted to know if you had any useful or thought-provoking responses or methods for doing this besides just, "Do long tones". Is it something that can be worked out, like the low C, or is just a matter of experience and time?

[PaulMaybery]

It's kind of important, that like any note on the horn, it needs to be centered/focused and held on pitch. To that end, corners are a critical element as is a smooth and continuous air stream and an efficient embouchure that does not waste air. I found that actually trying to play melodically around those notes teaches the chops what they need to do. It is so easy to just sort of go somewhere near the note and just give it a healty blast, but add to that control and its a different ball of wax. Playing scales down to it and around it help me assure that its quality matches the rest of my range. A related issue is about the tongue and how it is anchored and pulled back for the release of those notes. Where is it placed behind or between the teeth as a very critical effect on the production of the extreme low notes as does the syllable that is formed in the mouth. Tu or toh - keep the tongue pretty low in the mouth. It is a tricky issue, but the solution needs to be simple and one that does not really need complicated thinking to pull off. Some of those things are almost impossible to describe. Incidentally I never had a moments problem with that note. It always popped for me just fine. Now the notes just above it, well that was another issue. But these days, they are just fine.

[k001k47]

I agree with the notion that mouthpiece buzzing without artificial resistance isn't very productive, but for some reason, learning to buzz low on a mouthpiece helped my low range tremendously. YMMV

[swillafew]

I think of that range as being glorious on the F. The instrument is one half the length of a BBb tuba from that F and also E though C going downwards. The amount of air inside the horn that needs to be moved is mostly likely less than half (it is on my horns). I use the same mouthpieces on both horns.

My "F tuba mouthpiece" that I bought seems to be aimed at featuring the high range at the expense of the low, and with that one the quality is not as good.

If my pitch is bad, I don't think of the horn as being out of tune, but instead "not fully learned".