Split Tone Charts for Tuba

[AHynds]

Hello, everyone!

As a little bit of a winter project, I decided to put together a set of charts that show the stable split tones in the 2nd-8th partials of each key of tuba. Now, the first question you may be asking yourself is, "What is a split tone?" To put it simply, split tones are a type of playing technique in which the tubist plays more than one note at the same time. This is achieved by manipulating the embouchure so that more than one resonant frequency is present in the buzz. This is sometimes called a "double buzz" when it is unintentional, but this technique has increasingly become an important part of contemporary brass performance. More info can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_tone. And for an audio example, here is a somewhat well-known piece that utilizes the technique on trombone: http://youtu.be/xeCDOsz4M9E?t=1m4s.

For each chart, the "fundamental" note is the one on top of the two note chord; this is the note that one would use as the starting point for the split tone playing technique. The upper partials in particular are somewhat theoretical, as they are unstable and difficult to reproduce. The 2nd-5th partial split tones are relatively easy to produce, however.

Go to this link to view the charts! http://issuu.com/aaronhynds/docs/split_ ... _corrected

I'm going to be tweaking these charts over the next few months, and this will eventually become one small part of my doctoral document. Any suggestions are more than welcome!

Thanks,

Aaron H.