(theoretical) good-playing tubas built in oddball keys

[MartyNeilan]

http://www.chisham.com/tips/bbs/mar2000 ... 25039.html
Thread on the old TubeNet started by yours truly about the concept of a D or DD tuba - a shorter "big" tuba, as opposed to a longer "small" tuba.

[imperialbari]

The concept was a standard on the main solo brass of the Arban era, the cornet. When I earlier this year had the piano book for the Arban variation type solos on loan, I soon had to realise, that Arbasn had performed some of the solos on a cornet in A. I have seen in actual use a Selmer cornet tuneable in C, B natural, Bb, and A by means of a long and a short insertion for the main tuning slide. The same idea was behind the multi-pitched American mellophones used by doubling trumpet players covering horn parts in travelling opera companies.

bloke’s idea, which has been tried in real life by at least Mr. Bobo, will take the reverse transposition approach compared to horn players, as the tubists will be confronted with a fixed notation and variable instrument pitches.

Bobo had special instruments adapted for the pitches of D and G. bloke’s idea of adapting pitch through sets of slides will change the original proportions between conical and cylindrical tubing, which hardly will improve the intonation in the alternative keys.

Klaus

[cambrook]

I've always liked the idea of a G tuba, and if you go to the effort of making one you may as well make it able to switch to Ab too. Bydlo anyone?

[Kevin Hendrick]

I've always liked the idea of a G tuba, and if you go to the effort of making one you may as well make it able to switch to Ab too. Bydlo anyone?

Seems to me an Ab tenor would be very nice for Bydlo in particular, and for Ravel, Berlioz, etc. in general. Lengthened slides on a compensating euph might do a good job of it -- would be interesting to try one. Might want to replace the standard bell with a lengthened one, rather than extending the main slide, to keep the extra length conical.

[imperialbari]

I've always liked the idea of a G tuba, and if you go to the effort of making one you may as well make it able to switch to Ab too. Bydlo anyone?

I don’t believe in your reasoning. If you want the possibility of shortening a G tuba, you will have to make a bypass of a conical section. The method will be to make an Ab instrument, which can be lengthened to G.

Klaus

[cambrook]

Yes Klaus you're correct, the conical section has to be built for Ab, I was meaning to imply that the instrument would spend most of it's time in G.

Thanks,

Cam

[imperialbari]

There is a market aspect to this discussion also:

The market for odd key trumpets is much smaller than the market for C trumpet, not to speak of the market for Bb trumpets. Yet it is way bigger than for CC tubas.

Will it be realistic to assume orchestral tubists in general owning tubas in CC, D, F or Eb, Ab/G, and then maybe also a euphonium, some of the tuba pitches in more sizes than one?

There was a Rumanian orchestral tubist briefly here on TubeNet some 8 years ago. He had one tuba, a B&S F, which is not a bad option, but he had no chance to hunt for an optimal mouthpiece. Bob Tucci helped out in these areas by donating the mouthpieces delivered with the tubas he sold, if the buyers had chosen other mouthpieces.

Klaus

[Tuba Guy]

Imagine an AAb Kaiser. Or a GG Kaiser. Ooh.

[skeath]

I don't remember his name, but in the early 70s, there was a college tuba instructor in Ohio (I think) who had Alexander build him a D/Eb tuba. The trigger was installed backwards, so it was D by default, switchable to Eb. He once played a recital (I was told) in which every piece was in a different clef. Evidently, he was a non-conformist!
I never felt like going through the learning curve of yet another set of fingerings.

[OldsRecording]

Imagine an AAb Kaiser. Or a GG Kaiser. Ooh.

rwkcb200_4.jpg

Kind of like this? =)

[Tuba Guy]

Well, I'd prefer it with the valves and leadpipe reversed for concert use, and personally a one piece bell. But esentially, yes

[cjk]

I don't remember his name, but in the early 70s, there was a college tuba instructor in Ohio (I think) who had Alexander build him a D/Eb tuba. The trigger was installed backwards, so it was D by default, switchable to Eb. He once played a recital (I was told) in which every piece was in a different clef. Evidently, he was a non-conformist!
I never felt like going through the learning curve of yet another set of fingerings.

Would that be Ivan Hammond ?

[sailn2ba]

How much additional main slide tubing could be added to a good tuba, and still have it play well?
What might happen if you added a foot or so (coiled, of course) to the lead pipe?

[iiipopes]

How much additional main slide tubing could be added to a good tuba, and still have it play well? What might happen if you added a foot or so (coiled, of course) to the lead pipe?

You can't add much, because when you start adding more cylindrical tubing, the overtone structure starts widening back out towards all odd harmonics, which is what a closed cylindrical tube wants to naturally resonate, with all the upper partials going really, really sharp and out of tune with itself.

[OldsRecording]

Well, I'd prefer it with the valves and leadpipe reversed for concert use, and personally a one piece bell. But esentially, yes

Nowadays you could probably pick one of these up fairly cheaply (D&B corps now use Bb horns) and have it 'transformed' into a concert horn.