6/4 Tuba intonation

The bulk of the musical talk
Post Reply
CooperBayliff
bugler
bugler
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2022 8:55 pm

6/4 Tuba intonation

Post by CooperBayliff »

Why do a lot of 6/4 tubas have intonation issues? Can all the intonation issues be fixed by just pulling slides?
MW 195P Fafner - Doug Elliott MP
User avatar
Sousaswag
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 317
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:12 pm

Re: 6/4 Tuba intonation

Post by Sousaswag »

Some are better than others

Short answer: Yeah, you can pull slides and play them in tune. I'm no designer but my understanding if the tuba tapers too much or too little, they'll have pitch problems.

I'm guessing all these 6/4 questions are coming from when I told you I wouldn't buy one for college, so I'll give you all my opinions here... Again. You can take it or leave it. I'm not that much older than you and was JUST this excited when I was buying my first CC. Do your research. Just Google stuff and click the TubeNet links and read through them, broken as they are.

Sidebar: I'm an elementary band teacher who also teaches private tuba students. I also went through college as a tuba player and did the thing. I'm not a "professional tuba player" but I know more than enough to steer you in the right direction.

I don't recommend 6/4 tubas to any of my students who have been interested in purchasing a CC horn. Here's why.

Resale. This doesn't apply to the German stuff. The Chinese stuff depreciates a lot. That means, if you buy one of these things for $10,000, you might only get $8,000 for it should you sell later. If you were to buy a Meinl Weston Thor for $10,000, you'll likely be able to get $10,000 back for it should you sell.

Playing characteristics- Coming out of high school, most students aren't ready to play such a big tuba. The 6/4 is a different animal. They're harder (for me) to sound clear, a LOT of them are much harder to steer pitch-wise than the 4/4 and 5/4 tubas. SOME of the 6/4 models are just hard to play in general due to their design, who they were made for, etc. I read this somewhere on Facebook but totally agree with it— A 6/4 tuba will amplify anything you do, good or bad, more than a smaller tuba. It will tell everybody very quickly all your playing deficiencies, and it’ll be harder to hide them. If you’re not strong at playing short and light, BOY will a 6/4 let everyone know.

Versatility- In college, you're not just going to be playing in huge bands or orchestras. Think about quintet, chamber music, jazz even. A 6/4 is a good choice for none of those smaller groups. It's too much. The sound is too big and will cover up everyone else.

A 4/4 or 5/4 tuba will be JUST FINE. Bigger isn't always better.

Being excited is good. Focus on becoming a better player rather than solely on equipment. Find a tuba that you really like, and roll with it.
Meinl Weston 5450RA Tuono
Willson 3200RZ-5
CooperBayliff
bugler
bugler
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2022 8:55 pm

Re: 6/4 Tuba intonation

Post by CooperBayliff »

This was incedible advice, thank you
MW 195P Fafner - Doug Elliott MP
DouglasJB
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 585
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2014 7:47 pm

Re: 6/4 Tuba intonation

Post by DouglasJB »

I agree with Sousaswag above, while the allure of a 6/4 horn is very high right now with so many different (and decently affordable) models out there. BUT, take a look, there is a thread on here (Tubenet) of which horns were played to win which audition, you will notice that 6/4 horns are the minority. (If I can find the link I will add it...). A solid 4/4 or 5/4 will do nearly everything you need. Just like Sousaswag above, I'm also not a pro, but I've been through the College music degree path as well. Yes, I personally had a 6/4 for a while, and it was great for the Orchestra, BUT that (for me) was the end of where it was advantageous to have such a large horn, it taught me to use my Bass tuba more for small ensembles. I believe this is probably what heavily influences my style of playing now.

Moral of the story, a 4/4 or 5/4 will serve you just fine for 99% of the playing you do.
royjohn
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 466
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:13 am
Location: Knoxville, TN

Re: 6/4 Tuba intonation

Post by royjohn »

So this thread is getting a little old, but I wonder whether the OP has picked his college tuba yet...just being nosy, I guess. I'm guessing school is starting soon/has started...he was a senior, right? To recap what's been said, a 6/4 would be about impossible to use in quintet or small ensemble, so you'd end up needing two CC tubas or the 6/4 and an Eb or something like that...

My guess is that about the biggest tuba you could get that would still work in quintet would be a Miraphone 188 or something similar. IDK if a MRP-C would be small enough to work or not...interested in what other people think. Of course, there's always a 186, like maybe a really good one from the 80's (???).
royjohn, tuba newbie.
royjohn
CooperBayliff
bugler
bugler
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2022 8:55 pm

Re: 6/4 Tuba intonation

Post by CooperBayliff »

royjohn wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:59 pm So this thread is getting a little old, but I wonder whether the OP has picked his college tuba yet...just being nosy, I guess. I'm guessing school is starting soon/has started...he was a senior, right?
I am a senior this year, so I technically still have like 9-10 months or so to decide it’s just I’d like to not wait until the last minute when I’m studying for finals.
MW 195P Fafner - Doug Elliott MP
royjohn
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 466
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:13 am
Location: Knoxville, TN

Re: 6/4 Tuba intonation

Post by royjohn »

Oh, man, this is worse than "Only Murders in the Building." Do we have to wait a whole ten months to find out who did it, I mean, what you did/got? Could we call it "He Only Murders Tubas in the Building"? Hey, Good Luck, tho'!
royjohn, who was born before your parents...LOL... :oops:
royjohn
User avatar
Sousaswag
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 317
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:12 pm

Re: 6/4 Tuba intonation

Post by Sousaswag »

MRP is 100% too big for quintet… But so is a Pt-6, Thor, etc. All 5/4 and up stuff is probably too big.
Meinl Weston 5450RA Tuono
Willson 3200RZ-5
Post Reply