end of shank

[Dan Schultz]

... until mouthpiece manufacturers develop an exact size for the end of their shanks it's not going to make much difference.

And I would respectfully submit, that until TUBA manufactures develop an exact size for their receivers...


Thank goodness for Matt Walters!
MF

There is truth in what you say. However, I submit that I have a dozen different mouthpieces with a dozen different shank dimensions. Where I'm going here is that what tuba players often perceive as a mouthpiece cup shape making a difference in how their horns sounds might actually be how the taper fits the receiver.

[KevinMadden]

Thank goodness for Matt Walters!
MF

I love my horn's AGR!!!

[Chuck(G)]

Thank goodness for Matt Walters!
MF

I love my horn's AGR!!!

Then you should thank goodness for Steve Dillon. He holds the patent on it.

[Mike Finn]

Thank goodness for Matt Walters!
MF

I love my horn's AGR!!!

...just for the sake of clarity, I was referring to the post by Matt Walters describing (defining) the various shank sizes. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who copy/pasted it to a Word document for future reference. Anyone got a link? There was even talk of making it a permanent addition somewhere, maybe in the tips section.

MF

[Dan Schultz]

What is the consensus regarding the optimum mouthpiece/receiver gap for a tuba?

[Chuck(G)]

Blow smoke gently into a bass. Play for as long as it takes for the smoke to come out. That's how fast air moves through..

How does one play and blow smoke through a bass at the same time?



...and even though I said pretty much the same thing, I can appreciate the original question. The end of the mouthpiece isn't far from the throat--and changes to the throat can have a significant effect on playing characteristics, as can things such as leadpipe taper.

[Donn]

Now very little air goes through any brass instrument.

Relative to the volume of the tuba, that's sure true, but relative to our puny lungs it can seem like a lot sometimes. At the narrow end, it isn't obvious that the air flow is insignificant.