What to do with this 5. Valve? (BBb Tuba)

[Ulli]

Hello,
some time ago I bought an old BBb Tuba 'Opera' from Cerveny & sons (not synove, as usual). I wondered about the 5.th valve slide, which overtops the bell. The slide measures around 37- 40' (95- 102 cm) and sound as a sharp D (- 40 ct). Also may be a long 1.th valve.
But I don't find no combination, what fits with the other valves.

Any guess, what to do with that 5.th valve?
Ulli

[Easy Mac]

A 5th valve is normally a long 1st valve.

On Eb four ledger lines below the staff, with a 4 valve Bb tuba you are supposed to play it 14, but this is terribly sharp. You can pull out a lot or you can play it 124, which is very flat. In truth, it needs to be 4th, 1st + 1/2 of 2nd to be in tune. So 5th is 1st + 1/2 of 2nd. Now you play low Eb 54 instead. It is like 1st with a slide pull. It is like a correctly measured whole step (1st valve) for a tuba in low F (like a Bb with 4th down).

If you play trombone, if you have an F attachment, to the trombonist it is not a 4th valve like on a euphonium — they don't think like that at all. To them a valve that puts the horn a P4 lower actually puts the horn in the key of low F. Of course, all the slide positions much be stretched out to be in tune with the trigger down.

Bb trombone - normal 3rd position to descend a whole step
F trombone - long 3rd position to descend a whole step

Bb tuba - 1st valve to descent a whole step
Low F tube (Bb tuba + 4th valve) - 5th valve to descend a whole step

For me, the first way of thinking of the 5th valve is easier, but on an F tuba with six valves it is easier to think of the tuba with the 4th valve down as a tuba in C, and 5th becomes the C tuba's 1st valve. So then the 6th valve becomes the C tuba's 2nd valve. I think this is easier to figure out if you play a British-style 3+1 compensating tuba. 4th is separate, like the trigger on a trombone. The three valves are like the handslide. Then add in one or two more valves (which would not be physically possible to work, but try to imagine this anyway) and you have a three valve tuba with a trigger and then two more valves to allow you 1st and 2nd when the trigger is down. If you then move that 4th valve from the side of the tuba to the right hand little finger and the 5th and 6th valves over to the left hand you have the same thing in a much more familiar form.

So low F would be like trigger, and then low E would be trigger + 6th, and low Eb would be trigger + 5th. Low D would be trigger + 56, and so on.

On a five valve tuba it would be like this, but with the adjusted whole step valve, only, and not the adjusted 2nd valve. I wish they would make a 6 valve Bb tuba in 4+2. I think that would be a lot of fun to play, but it would be pretty heavy, too.

I hope this post did not make things worse for you.

[greenbean]

Nice explanation, Easy Mac!

[GeoffC_UK]

Does this help or hinder?
https://olemiss.edu/lowbrass/studio/fin ... gering.pdf

[Ulli]

Easy Mac, thank you for your explanations. I' ll try it.
GeoffC_UK, thank you for the fingering chart. Most other don't show the use of the 5 th valve at a BBb Tuba.

Ulli