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As my fingers age along with the rest of me, I am finding it harder to rapidly and cleanly switch between 2-3 and 2-4. Any suggestions?

Use 123 instead of 24 and pull the first slide a little if it's feasible on your horn. Works for me. Good luck, Ed

Your ears and perception are changing with time too. A burble in my 20s seemed inconsequential, now as I mature I can focus on eliminating sounds I don't like.
Check your instrument see if the valves or rotors are bouncing. Your horn might be aging into disrepair. Get a friend to play the horn listen for similar problems. Sometimes it's me not being precise, Arban tritone chromatic exercise anyone?
Its fun to track down and tame the gremlins.
Good Hand Position,
Joe

Scales. Major and minor. Lots and lots of scales.

Or, play it up an octave.

Not being a smart-*** here....
I really like to use 23 to 523. It's usually faster, smoother, and easier. Also, 23 to 123 and pull 1 WAY out. Depends on the passage and context as well as the individual tendencies of the horn. Another possibility, give me your beautiful BBb and get a CC...then all those pesky patterns go down a whole-step...24 to 2...
Hope you're well, Mark.

I've wondered if I'm the only tuba player who can barely lift up my ring finger with the other fingers down. I don't think it has ever been good for that, young or old.

.

Chris Olka wrote:Not being a smart-*** here....
I really like to use 23 to 523. It's usually faster, smoother, and easier. Also, 23 to 123 and pull 1 WAY out....

But, but, but.... What if my fifth valve is a 23 set instead of a flat whole step?

Billy M. wrote:

Chris Olka wrote:Not being a smart-*** here....
I really like to use 23 to 523. It's usually faster, smoother, and easier. Also, 23 to 123 and pull 1 WAY out....

But, but, but.... What if my fifth valve is a 23 set instead of a flat whole step?

+ 1 on the above: 23 to 123, pull 1,or possibly 23 to T23 if the 5th is the long whole step.
Or with a 5th as 23, then T to T1, pull 1.

The kicker is the half step anywhere about this range. Ahhhhhh!

Well, I wonder ... no trauma here, just disuse, so maybe with some judicious exercise that ringer finger would be ready to take a more equal role in button mashing. I suppose it would be easy to screw up here, though, and just make it worse. I'm really a 3 valve guy at heart, so have little to lose. (And now after reading the above ... 5th valve? After all these years, I didn't know there were 5!? Where is it?)