French C Tuba

The bulk of the musical talk
User avatar
Snake Charmer
bugler
bugler
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:34 am
Location: Schifferstadt, Germany

Re: French C Tuba

Post by Snake Charmer »

On my Courtois (medium shank) I use a Denis Wick SM3M Ultra, on the Wessex (large shank) at the moment a Denis Wick Heritage 0AL (bass trombone). I am waiting for delivery of the Giddings Nor Easter. The Kelly 25 works for the low register, but in the high octave it gives flat intonation
Dayv
lurker
lurker
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2016 12:49 pm

Re: French C Tuba

Post by Dayv »

bort wrote: Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:27 am Works for me... PM me your email address and I'll send them to you.
Ditto(2)
User avatar
bort
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 11222
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 11:08 pm
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Re: French C Tuba

Post by bort »

Dayv wrote: Tue Mar 29, 2022 5:33 am
bort wrote: Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:27 am Works for me... PM me your email address and I'll send them to you.
Ditto(2)
Emailed them to you. :tuba:
iattp
bugler
bugler
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:50 am
Location: Macedonia

Re: French C Tuba

Post by iattp »

Snake Charmer wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 1:26 am And welcome to the CETPAFCTOC (Crazy-enough-to-play-a-french-c-tuba-owners-club)! 8)
I just joined!!!! It's loads of fun, but hard to carry. Do you know if it will fit in an overhead bin on an aircraft?
_______________________________________________________
Conn 20j - Gudrun
York Eb Sousaphone - Ellie Mae
King K-90 - Bazookaphone
Červeny Bb helicon - Brandon
Ultratone P-R - Blatmobile
Eb tuba - Commander Riker
User avatar
Snake Charmer
bugler
bugler
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:34 am
Location: Schifferstadt, Germany

Re: French C Tuba

Post by Snake Charmer »

Welcome to the club! 8)
I never tried flying with it, but with a neat fitting gig bag it should work for the overhead bin. As written before, I play it with a support to make it comfortable to hold.
iattp
bugler
bugler
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:50 am
Location: Macedonia

Re: French C Tuba

Post by iattp »

Thanks! I am going to try it out with flying this week. Any suggestions on books that were written at the time for the instrument? I'm using regular method books, but I'm curious about how it was played and studied. The lower range is punchy as hell, the top sings. I don't mind it one bit! It's a great horn. I'm going to try the Castérède Sonatine on it. It seems like it can handle it.
_______________________________________________________
Conn 20j - Gudrun
York Eb Sousaphone - Ellie Mae
King K-90 - Bazookaphone
Červeny Bb helicon - Brandon
Ultratone P-R - Blatmobile
Eb tuba - Commander Riker
User avatar
Snake Charmer
bugler
bugler
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:34 am
Location: Schifferstadt, Germany

Re: French C Tuba

Post by Snake Charmer »

There are no special books out there worth looking for. I have a Watelle method (1913) and a Parès (1947), but they are both mostly in the range of the 4 valve instruments and only a few pages are dedicated to really low register.
For working on the overall range I use my good old friends Kopprasch and Bordogni in the tuba edition, sometimes in the trombone edition one octave lower. The Castérède is originally written for this instrument so it should work out well :D
User avatar
windshieldbug
Once got the "hand" as a cue
Once got the "hand" as a cue
Posts: 11511
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:41 pm
Location: 8vb

Re: French C Tuba

Post by windshieldbug »

Λ Can second that.
Instead of talking to your plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow, but only to be troubled and insecure?
iattp
bugler
bugler
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:50 am
Location: Macedonia

Re: French C Tuba

Post by iattp »

Hurray! I made it back to MK with the tuba. Easily fit up in the checked baggage area! I'll work on the aforementioned books for tuba/trombone, as I already have them. I'll also look into the other two mentioned. Thanks!
_______________________________________________________
Conn 20j - Gudrun
York Eb Sousaphone - Ellie Mae
King K-90 - Bazookaphone
Červeny Bb helicon - Brandon
Ultratone P-R - Blatmobile
Eb tuba - Commander Riker
iattp
bugler
bugler
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:50 am
Location: Macedonia

Re: French C Tuba

Post by iattp »

As per my activity on this post, I guess y'all can realize that I'm having too much fun. Now: with the lower range (past the low C below the staff), it's hard to use my "normal" embouchure with it. I feel myself shifting to get those lower notes. It may be the mouthpiece (I'm using the stock Wessex one), but it also may just be the approach to playing it. Have any of you in the "crazy enough to buy a French C club" tried this and found the lower range harder to hit? I'm a tuba player, mostly BBb, so low doesn't scare me. Heck, I'm trying to play the Snedecor stuff on it, but having to shift so much feels wrong.

Any suggestions?
_______________________________________________________
Conn 20j - Gudrun
York Eb Sousaphone - Ellie Mae
King K-90 - Bazookaphone
Červeny Bb helicon - Brandon
Ultratone P-R - Blatmobile
Eb tuba - Commander Riker
User avatar
Snake Charmer
bugler
bugler
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:34 am
Location: Schifferstadt, Germany

Re: French C Tuba

Post by Snake Charmer »

I didn't like the Wessex mouthpieces too much. Mine had a very rough surface in the cup and one even a step, but I could sold them. I normally use a Kelly Beast for most things, for solo pieces with more high register a Kelly Bass Bone and for more low-tuba-sound a Parker Belcanto. All in stainless steel for having skin trouble with silver plating. The Parker (from my F-tuba) offers a very good low register but gets to low in tuning above c over the staff.
You can watch me playing all three mps here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlyBtzk6TnE
User avatar
Snake Charmer
bugler
bugler
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:34 am
Location: Schifferstadt, Germany

Re: French C Tuba

Post by Snake Charmer »

With playing this special instrument you have to forget some traditions of brass playing. The french c tuba (and the 5 valve saxhorn basse) are in a direct bloodline with the ophicleide and the serpent. These were treated like woodwinds, so playing starts, even for beginners, at the fundamental. This is a bit harder to learn than standard brass, beginning at first partial and fundamentals are mostly used for show-off novelties. Beginner pieces for the french c tuba can go down to the A one octave below staff, this is the lowest note you can reach from the first partial (With the original two-tone 3rd valve) without playing a pedal tone.
With valves 1346 you have the same length of tubing as BBb tuba, but of course with a much narrower profile, so you have to adapt your air and embouchure to this difficulty. A bit challenging and in the beginning a lot of work but if you once managed it you can do nearly everything with it. The Swiss Army Knife tuba :D
iattp
bugler
bugler
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:50 am
Location: Macedonia

Re: French C Tuba

Post by iattp »

Wow! Thanks. I've been playing ophicleide since 2016 and serpent since 2020, so I've learned how to adopt to those fun instruments. I'll see about changing the mp, but being in Macedonia, it's kind of hard to get new equipment out here. So far, I've learned that air flow is TOTALLY different on this French C than the other tubas I've played. It's fun, though! Thanks for the video. Are you going to be making more French C content? I'll make a few once I am able to get up to speed with it and learn the intonations tricks.
_______________________________________________________
Conn 20j - Gudrun
York Eb Sousaphone - Ellie Mae
King K-90 - Bazookaphone
Červeny Bb helicon - Brandon
Ultratone P-R - Blatmobile
Eb tuba - Commander Riker
Post Reply