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Having played Eb and Bb tubas over the past twenty years and coming from a Brass Band background seeing the other post on CC in bands , what are the pro's and cons of CC and F tubas?
what are they like in a brass band situation.
have people tried to see what they are like in a band?
I think Steve Marcus has pointed out how complex the Bb tuba part to Harrisons dream is I can think of a lot more complex parts then that.
Publications from Warner Bros ( Andy Duncan arrangements now have CC parts in the set and score )
Are people just going on other peoples experiences of old or not very good instruments ( Bb / Eb) or have they tried and played in UK style brass band.
just a post similer to one of my first posts on the Opinion of others to there perception of Brass Bands.

austuba wrote:i think the reason C and F tubas are making a bigger appearance in bands is simply that more orchestral players are realising that its a great way to get your technique up...

Exactly. That is one of the appeals of playing in a brass band.

Another reason is that brass bands are growing quickly in popularity in the US, where CC and F tubas are far more common among accomplished players than BBb and Eb horns.

DP wrote:As a CC player, wouldn't I be able to take an Eflat tuba and read the e-flat bass part "straight" without fingerings being a great challenge to my so-called brain?

In order to do this you would have to be used to reading treble clef parts and playing your C tuba in concert pitch. Then the fingerings would be the same for each note. For example you would play the written C below the staff as a concert Eb, which would be open on the Eb horn, then the D would be concert F, 1-3 or 4, etc.

The problem that I find when trying this kind of thing is not with the fingerings, but in buzzing. If you are used to buzzing a C for the note one ledger line below the staff on your C tuba, you need to be diligent to buzz it as an Eb instead. This may not be as much of a problem in that range, but when you get to the top of the staff and above it is easy to hit the wrong fundamental if you are used to playing a horn in a different key. For me it's easiest to just play my Eb tuba for the brass band music that I play.

With due respect, I disagree that it would be problematic. Eb treble players routinely play concert pitch bass clef by pretending it's treble clef and adding three sharps; so it works just the same in reverse for CC players reading Eb tuba transposed treble clef parts. Just substitute bass clef for the treble clef, add three flats and go.

I played my 3/4 CC on the Eb part in a Brit-style brass band for a few years. Like the previous poster said, pretend it is bass clef and add three flats. The accidentals will get you for a while but you'll figure it out.

To read the BBb part, read tenor clef and add a couple flats. I know not everyone is up to snuff on tenor clef though. Lately I've been reading what horn players call Bb alto down an octave, and that works better for me. That came about from spending some time on trumpet reading that clef (Bb alto.)

As for blending....I really don't understand "blend problems." Either you play in tune with the group or you don't. It seems to me that "blend problems" are addressing a group of instruments that have intonation tendencies that the players are not dealing with properly. If you're referring to type of instrument, like the rest of the band is playing on Bessons or something...they probably won't let you in, in the first place, with an out-of-place instrument.

MA

I have never had the chance to play in a brass band, but would like to have the experience.

Having said that, I would vote for playing the music as intended, on Bb & Eb instruments.

It used to be that you could hear noticeable national differences between orchestras. With the advent of jet-setting conductors, orchestras all over the world are starting to sound remarkably similar.

This trend has also been expressed through instrument choices, as well. One example of this, is the use of CC tubas in France, abandoning the traditional "French" tuba.

I vote for tradition!

MaryAnn wrote:...
As for blending....I really don't understand "blend problems." Either you play in tune with the group or you don't. ........

Although not playing in tune certainly wrecks any possibility of blending, I think some posters are also referring to tone color. Imagine a group of flugelhorns, with one trumpet. No matter what, that trumpet will stick out.

Of course, whether a British brass band style of blend is what you want musically is another issue. For those who have that as an ideal, one can understand why they want instruments to match. Personally, I like more variety in ensemble sounds, so I prefer a more diverse instrumentation. However, I'm glad that there are all of those styles out there; our musical world is richer.

Blending and being in tune are not the same thing. It's not that hard relatively speaking to play in tune: lip or manipulate the slide. But to play in tune with intonation, tone and dynamics consistent with the rest of the section and ensemble -- that is blend.

For example, my community band was playing the accompaniment to a euph solo. I was playing the higher octave tuba parts. I was perfectly in tune, and it sounded like one big tuba section. The problem is that it was too big, and was blaring to the rest of the band and getting in the way of the solo. So I laid down my Besson and used a smaller bore Eb I had borrowed. Just as in tune, but by lessening the intensity of the upper octave, it toned down the section back to blending with the rest of the band, including the euph section, and stayed out of the way of the euph solo, while still giving full support to the piece. That is blend.