brass band question

[Euphistuba]

I know there are no stupid questions but.......
Ive played in a couple of Brass Bands (tenor horn) and loved the deep solid sound that comes from the Eb and Bb tuba combination. But I was wondering........ is it possible to use a CC tuba in a brass band?
For those of you playing in Brass bands....any Bb tubas that are particularly well suited to this genre of playing? Im assuming Besson would top the list.

[The Big Ben]

I know there are no stupid questions but.......
Ive played in a couple of Brass Bands (tenor horn) and loved the deep solid sound that comes from the Eb and Bb tuba combination. But I was wondering........ is it possible to use a CC tuba in a brass band?
For those of you playing in Brass bands....any Bb tubas that are particularly well suited to this genre of playing? Im assuming Besson would top the list.

Since Bb music is for Bb horns, you would need to transpose the part to use a CC horn. It is fairly easy to learn how to do it 'on the fly'. I used to do it regularly when I played Bb Trumpet and was faced with a part for the C Trumpet. Might have sounded better on the C Trumpet but I didn't have one. I know a fellow who is very successful using a CC horn in a British Brass Band.

[Frank Ortega]

I believe that it is best to use a BBb instrument for Bb treble parts. I find the transposition from Bb treble to CC tuba is a real pain.

Recently, a student of mine suggested thinking of it as using F-tuba fingerings on your CC tuba. For instance; the F Space at the Bottom of the Bass Staff = fundamental F on an F tuba. Bottom of the staff D space in Bb treble = fundamental C. It just about worked, but personally, I'll never be as quick reading that transposition as I will playing trumpet fingerings on a BBb tuba.

As soon as they are done being restored, I'll use one of my matching Martin BBb's. A 1925 Renowned and a 1934 Mammoth.
Can't wait for those babies to show up. I may stop playing CC altogether!


My two cents.
Frank Ortega
Chelsea Symphony
Imperial Brass Band
Yet Unnamed Brass Quintet

[Chadtuba]

In the band that I play in a couple of the guys play on CC's while the others play on BBb's plus one of the Eb players uses his F so it can and is done on a regular basis, but as said above you will need to figure out the transpositions.

[Bob Kolada]

A big C on Bb parts isn't too bad, but I don't like contrabass tubas on the Eb parts unless they are small horns.

I had an interesting experience in my old brass band where I was playing Eb on my old little Conn stencil. The regular Bb guy was on his MW25. One rehearsal, the 3rd guy got there before the 4th. Even though he had a large Bb (Cerveny that looks like a 191) he did not want to play treble clef Bb parts so he grabbed the other Eb parts.
The 4th player arrived with, expecting to play Eb parts, his small piston F tuba. #3 wouldn't switch with him, so 4 had to play the low Bb parts on that horn.
He did a great job and I thought it sounded cool, but I did not like the large Bb on the other Eb part. 4 brought a 4/4 C to the rest of the rehearsals and the concert. 3 couldn't make the concert, so it was just me on my tiny horn next to MW25 and 4, both VERY strong players. We had some heavy literature (Academic Festival Overture, Light Cavalry Overture,....) so I made the joke that I had been unleashed.

[TUBAD83]

In the brass band I play in, both of the guys who play with me in BBb tuba section have CC horns but choose to use BBb--actually one has sold his CC horn and purchased a BBb. Its just easier to play on a BBb.

[imperialbari]

Section blend and balance also in relation to the rest of the band are more important than the pitch of the instruments.

The worst constellation is the one where the Eb’s become broader and heavier than the BBb’s (pitches referring to parts).

Transposing is no harder on any tuba than on any other instrument. Recent threads have discussed various notation modes. From what I have seen the British style treble clef BBb notation style is the one, which minimizes the numbers of ledger lines.

Klaus

[tclements]

In the SVBB, we use BBb's, CC's and F's. I think it is all ablut the scoring, ratyher than using the exact keyed tubas.

[Euphistuba]

Ok Im confused...... Having never really looked at tuba parts for brass band..... Eb parts are TC and the Bb as well?

[Timswisstuba]

In Brass Band, you can play F and CC tuba as long as no one looks at your fingers.

[AndyCat]

Ok Im confused...... Having never really looked at tuba parts for brass band..... Eb parts are TC and the Bb as well?

Every brass part besides bass trombone is Treble Clef.

[Euphistuba]

from my perspective thats brilliant!!!!

[wrongtrousers]

I have been using CC and F tubas since I started playing nine years ago with our local brass band. Currently our entire section is comprised of 3 CC's and 3 Eb's. If we have a personnel issue and we're short an Eb I play the parts on F. For us it's a matter of using the equipment we have available. Transposition is a skill that is learned - it takes time, patience, and pratice. I think that the blend would be better if we had all BBb's and Eb's but we use what we have.

[swillafew]

F tuba works out to be the same as reading tenor clef

[MaryAnn]

Almost....if you are someone who reads by clef/pitch instead of by fingering, knowing tenor clef is quite useful. But you have to add two surreptitious flats to the key signature, and "understand" the accidentals in an unusual way. I find the people who know what pitch the note in the clef represents, and who know how to play that pitch on the instrument they happen to have in their lap, don't have to "transpose" anything.

MA

[Wyvern]

Which key of tuba you use does not really matter as long as the tone is right for the ensemble (just work out the fingerings).

However, an F tuba sounds so different from a British style Eb, that I would say a smallish CC (3/4, or 4/4) would be more appropriate on the Eb bass part.

For the BBb bass part a largish (5/4, or 6/4) CC, or BBb should work.

But of course if you want to make the genuine British brass band sound, then you should use 3+1 Eb and BBb tubas (Besson, or similar) and if you cannot stand that valve configuration and want front valves, then surely the Besson 983 Eb and 993 BBb would be the most appropriate alternative.