Tenor tuba?

jeopardymaster · Post by **jeopardymaster** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:10 am

There seems to be a lot of interest and expertise here about cutting up old tubas to add new features to them or change keys, or both. What I haven't seen, though, (maybe because I haven't looked enough?) relates to making something out of them that isn't currently available.

The largest euphoniums currently in production are pretty much interchangeable, and not much different from run-of-the-mill baritones. What we don't have is a genuine tenor tuba, something pitched in Bb and sized more like that 1912 York F posted earlier this week. Such an instrument, if practicable, would fill a pretty large gap between all the Besson clones and F and Eb tubas. Particular applications would include the old French tuba literature, e.g. those neat old Barat solos and Bydlo, plus Don Quixote, maybe The Planets, and a lot of cimbasso and ophicleide parts given us by Berlioz, Mendelssohn and the Italian opera guys.

Or am I just smoking dope? Any thoughts?

Toobist · Post by **Toobist** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:03 am

They're out there. I saw another manufacturer a while back but I can't remember who it was.

http://www.tubanews.com/instrument277.html

It's pretty darn pricey for a seldomly used utility instrument though.

Al Carter
Toronto

Tubadork · Post by **Tubadork** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:32 am

Here is my TT (Mirafone)
[img][img]http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/5749/miraphonett002yz1.th.jpg[/img][/img]
yep, I'm a dork
Bill

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:00 pm

Here and there a French 6-valve will also show up: Couesenon, Courtois, etc.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 3:39 pm

What makes this a tenor tuba? Miraphone marketed a 5-rotary-valve upright euphonium years ago.

Just curious.

I wonder how different our modern heavyweight euphonia with bass-shank mouthpiece receivers are from what might have been called a "tenor tuba' 30 years ago.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:19 pm

At least for the French C tubas, which I believe were just called tubas and not tenor tubas, the bore is larger than .6; but you're right, if euph bores get any larger, there won't be any functional difference. Some might say there isn't any anyway.

Tubadork · Post by **Tubadork** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 2:07 am

I'm still figuring out the MPC situation. It has a small shank reciever, I have a SM4B that works pretty well, I ordered a loud LM47 and in a few days I'll have a small shank Bowman to try out too. It came with a Shillke tenor tuba mouthpiece, but I just can't play it. It feels too much like a tuba moutpiece and I can't find the partials.

It plays well, the sound is pretty different from a euph (except maybe a Hirshbrunner) one of two notes are a little funny (for me) but with kung fu fingering, it works out fine. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the 5th valve, it's a sharp 2/3. I may have my repair guy make it a flat 1, but I'm not sure yet. I've only had it for about a week.

And speaking of geeky, I just won an auction for a bass trumpet. My girlfriend is going to kick me out of our place!

have fun,
Bill

imperialbari · Post by **imperialbari** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:27 am

Anything smaller than a bass trombone shank pretty much disqualifies any instrument from being a tenor tuba. I do no belong to the congregation in profound belief, that it is sufficient to exchange the receiver alone. There often will be a retrograde step in the bore, if you do so. Detrimental to any serious playing when placed so close to the mouthpiece.

My take on the Bydlo discussion fortunately not coming up that often any more (because even a few college student in the mostly mono-linguistic USA have understood, that when Ravelâ€™s publisher put the word of Tuba on the part, then he referred to an instrument very different from the tubas used in the orchestras of today) is well know: Use a euphonium!

In other contexts the euph also will do as a tenor tuba. The sad thing is, that the euph by now is considered a high range solo instrument. Far too many players aim for a sound somewhere between the alto saxophone and the tenor trombone.

For the sake of music: Get real!

Use much larger mouthpieces and get yourself a compensated non-British euphonium with a main tuning slide trigger. Whether the latter is original or put on at a later point of time does not matter. If you can make an effortless and in tune slur forth and back between the pedal Bb and the B natural a semitone higher, then you have got yourself a tenor tuba set-up.

You will not loose your high range, if your embouchure has a sound (in medical/anatomic respects) foundation.

Of course this is a polemic posting, but it is not as way off the mark as the less educated players will find it.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

MikeMason · Post by **MikeMason** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:50 am

Tenor tubas are like lake houses and boats.I don't really want one,i want a FRIEND who has one

.Like my good friend Bill in Atlanta....(if i ever have to play Bydlo again)...

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 4:42 pm

Isn't that the truth!!

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:37 pm

Bob1062 wrote:I can never figure out how to post images.

That's because you're trying to post an entire page as an image!