REALLY LOW

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 7:09 pm

It's not likely you'll see music written that low very often. That being said, I find taking stuff down an octave just as moronic as trumpets playing up an octave. It usually sounds like S..T

You might want to do it while you are practicing at home but don't subject your ensemble, orchestra, or concert band to it.

MikeMason · Post by **MikeMason** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 8:04 pm

IMHO, it's infinitely more important and useful to have a great low f and Eb(2 below the staff),and to be facile in that register.I have a pretty solid double low g,but only use it to impress my friends(and anoy everyone else

).

Phil Dawson · Post by **Phil Dawson** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:45 pm

Boanerges wrote:Okay - all those who want to make sub-contra sounds with an instrument other than a bass drum or a large pipe organ will need to look into acquiring an Octobass or build one themselves.

Here's a website for an Octobass - the lowest note being C at 16 Hz:

http://www.xray.it/octo/

The site is in Italian so use Google's online translator.

Cheers,

Why bother? I can already play that pitch on my CC. You can really play that low if you PRACTICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As for those of you who don't believe try a bit more time in the practice room.
Phil

Cheers, Phil
Boanerges

MartyNeilan · Post by **MartyNeilan** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:02 pm

TubaTinker wrote:It's not likely you'll see music written that low very often. That being said, I find taking stuff down an octave just as moronic as trumpets playing up an octave. It usually sounds like S..T You might want to do it while you are practicing at home but don't subject your ensemble, orchestra, or concert band to it.

Ditto what the Tinker said!!

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:06 pm

At some point it just becomes Thut...thut...thut...thut...

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:56 pm

Yes, for example the last note of a rather bombastic piece that has the whole range playing, and the sub contra note adds the last bit of texture, or an equally loud pedal building up to some really loud and/or really technical and/or fugal sounding section. Too much of the subcontra notes is like being made to eat a 1/2 inch thick slice of juicy roast beef at every meal, to the exclusion of other food until you finish the roast beef slice. The first couple of times are great, but by breakfast of the third day, if not sooner, it starts actually being nauseating.

Steve Marcus · Post by **Steve Marcus** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 1:10 am

Extremely low notes have been used occasionally for special effects, e.g. Encounters II. But there are at least three tuba solos that have pedal F in the "melody:"

Hock from Homage to the Noble Grape by Goff Richards.

Beth Lodal's arrangement of Visions Fugitives by Prokofiev (listen to Gene Pokorny's recording).

Chuck Daellenbach's performance of Rossini's Largo al Factotum in the Canadian Brass video/DVD, "Home Movies" (not on the CD recording).

Dean E · Post by **Dean E** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 9:49 am

DP wrote:Um, the frequency range for actual hearing varies, although the "complete audible range" is acknowledged to be 20-20,000 Hz, even a healthy young person can only hear up to 17-18 kHz. (actual ability to hear high frequencies drops with age: by age 55 men can't hear above 5 kHz and women above 12 kHz!) . . . .

I would qualify that a bit. The threshhold sensitivity to perceive higher frequencies drops and the volume required increases. We still hear the pitches if there is enough volume behind them.

DP wrote: . . . . Women tend to have better audio hearing at high frequencies, especially after 25 years of age or so. The ear's sensitivity also varies significantly with frequency.

Men have been in noisy, industrial jobs more than women. Industry is where a lot of hearing loss occurs. Rosie the Riveter probably had hearing loss equal to that of the men she worked alongside.

I spent many years in machine shops and factories, and have upper-frequency losses. My last factory job, which fortunately was for the summer only between undergrad and grad school, was as a tool and die maker in a forge factory. They forged items ranging in size from rail car wheels on down, and the noise was horrible. I had a ringing (tinnuity) for years, and now my audio charts show a high frequency hearing loss. I can still hear, but only when the volume is turned up.

tubatooter1940 · Post by **tubatooter1940** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 11:36 am

Super low notes are great on the last note of a piece. They emphasize, impress and rattle the walls if you don't have to rush them.

tubatooter1940 · Post by **tubatooter1940** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:29 am

tuben wrote:Another point to consider is the other orchestration at the time. If you're playing with any sort of rolling percussion (timpani, snare, bass drum, etc), then your nice pedal note, no matter how loud is likely to be covered by the drum.

Robert I. Coulter

Not if you're playing thru my P.A. system!

LoyalTubist · Post by **LoyalTubist** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:43 am

I had a terrible illness some ten years ago that made about most of my teeth fall out. But I never stopped playing the tuba and it hasn't really affected my playing--except for low notes. If I have to play a piece with a lot of low notes, I have to take out my lower plate and I can actually play louder. I still have all my incisors, so mouthpiece placement has never been a problem. Just, if you just saw me play a concert and we were doing Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, please allow me to excuse myself to take care of my mouth before I speak to you. Thanks.