"that range" (F tubas)

[Lee Stofer]

Good points, Bloke!

I like how Dan Perantoni put this, when talking to a bunch of us young (then) students about approaching the dreaded "low C range" on F-tuba. Simply put, it went something like this - An F-tuba is not a contrabass tuba, and should not be expected to behave as one. Instead of trying to play a low C as you would on a CC tuba, try approaching it more as you would play a low C on a bass trombone. You will find that the instrument will respond better.

I think that is saying very much the same thing that Bloke is about this. Having been a euphonium player before switching to tuba as my major, I really like to think of the F-tuba as a separate instrument from the contrabass tuba, halfway between the euphonium and contrabass tuba. And, I like smaller F-tubas. If you're not going to use an F-tuba for all of your playing, but for solo- and small ensemble, why have an instrument the size of a 3/4 to 4/4 CC with F-tuba fingerings?
I have played two or three large European models that have a great low register, great intonation, but it do not "sing" like a smaller F-tuba, but instead they play like a CC.

There always seems to be some sort of trade-off or compromise with every instrument design out there. There are some F-tubas that sing like a euphonium but either have intonation oddities, a difficult low range or both. There are some that sound large and teutonic and have a good low register and for the most part have good intionation, but they don't sing. I find that Kanstul's small F-tuba, the model 80-S, has a unique take on the traditional dilemma.

In the haste to get an F-tuba on the market, there were some issues that were not yet resolved before the first ones were released, but those problems have been addressed. What has emerged is an instrument that is very compact, but does not have a particularly small bore. The decision was made to make them as York-like as possible, so the bell and body branches are completely of the York-type alloy. In my opinion, the instrument sings, and also has an astounding low range, equal to or greater than anything else I've ever played. The intonation is stable and manageable with 5 valves and moveable upper slides. I find that I only need to use 1st slide occasionally because the instrument has rather wide slots for the notes. To play this instrument well, one needs to listen very carefully - but then, aren't we supposed to be doing this already?!