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YEB 321- upright valves. I need to yank the 1st valve on the f below the staff and the Bb below that. I am having trouble controlling the horn! When I pull, I can't support the horn with the left hand and my right hand is busy with the valves. That only leaves my right thumb to hang onto the horn. It ain't working for me! Suggestions?

Dave

perhaps getting your slide to move more freely may help? or there is always the $$$ route to go and have a custom trigger put on (I dont know if they have those for the 1st valve slide though)
Is this something that you cannot adjust with your embouchure?

best of luck

I've seen something that might work for you. It looks similar to a trigger on a flugal horn. I'm sure it can be done to a tuba
slide. If anyone can find a picture of what I mean it would be greatly appreciated(it's a lever attached to the 3rd valve of a flugal horn).

I play on a similar tuba (holton BB 346R) and I have the same problem with all the slides. I think this is possibly the worst design ever for slide placement. I have come to hate this A LOT and I just get fed up, so I try to fix the intonation with my lips most of the time (not good!)

Just grease the crap out of that slide, so much that it slides really really easily. If the slide is dirty you can take it out and polish it with toothpaste. Be sure to get all of it off again before you go stuffing it back in your horn though. Also, I would be careful, because I am not exactly sure this is GOOD for you tuba, but if the thing is frustrating you that much, maybe you should just chuck it down a flight of stairs and get a new tuba.

Doesn't the YEB 321 have 4 valves?

Yeah- 4 valves, so alternate fingerings can work. I'd just like to know if anyone has any tips or techniques for balancing while pulling with an upright valve set.

Wasn't there a 5th valve gizmo offered for the YEB-321 akin to the 5th valve gizmo offered for the 321 euphonium?

Unless my brain is playing tricks again, that would be a very good alternative to a slide trigger.

davet wrote:Yeah- 4 valves, so alternate fingerings can work. I'd just like to know if anyone has any tips or techniques for balancing while pulling with an upright valve set.

Have you looked at the Stewart Tuba Stand? It straps onto the horn, and has a round "foot" that rests on your chair ... might help support the horn enough to let you manage the slide pulling.

Hope this helps!

If the 321 is anything like the holton 346R (and I think it is, because my school has two of these and they act very similarly to the 346R) Then the 4th valve often complicates things. For a 1+3 combination, the 1+3 is often more in tune than the 4th valve. Ditto goes for B naturals below the staff. 4th valve makes it out of tune...Figure that one out. often I give up on trying to pull and push my 4th slide because its so much work for so little reward.

Just deal with it the best you can, fool around with a tuner and figure out what works for you.

I dunno, my best advice is find a new tuba. I hate these things. Perhaps because I have never played on one that is well maintained enough to even come close to what I would call decent playablility. I am so fed up with these instruments and I cant wait to get a CC tuba!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4th valve? YEB 321 -- that's an Eb, right? So the F is first valve (I guess you could use 2-3-4, but in my admittedly limited experience I've never seen a case where that would help).

My only tuba is a Conn 10J (3 upright valves) and there are quite a number of notes that require a pull. I actually pull the main tuning slide, which is in the leadpipe (so it's easier to reach, and works for any note), but the principal is the same.

The key is to make the slide move smoothly. That means two things: really good alignment, and a slide that's not too fast (but not too loose, either!) For both, I'd take it to a brass tech who knows what he's doing. But first, clean both the inner and outer slide tubes REALLY well, and put on a lighter lubrication -- you may find that's all that's needed. You also need to be able to reach the slide without straining, which may mean you need some sort of ring or other handle -- again, a decent brass tech should be able to help.

If you're not sure who to take it to, let us know where you are; someone here will have a suggestion.
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Joe Baker, who thinks you're on the right track, but need a little help from a good brass tech.