When a Disadvantage Becomes an Advantage
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 4:35 pm
My B&S PT-3 gets used especially for outdoor gigs and/or situations where space on stage is at a premium. My only complaint is that it plays on the sharp side when the tuning slide is out a "normal" distance (e.g. one or two inches) . Fortunately it has a long tuning slide so I am able to pull it out the 3 or more inches needed to be in tune for average temperatures. In hot weather (90 degrees or more) I will add a sousaphone tuning bit to bring the pitch down to A=440.
Last Saturday I was playing a "Wreathes Across America" program on a foggy northern California morning with temperatures in the low 40's. With the tuning slide all the way in, I was able to play the tuning Bb up to pitch with just a little lipping up. None of my other horns would have even come close. I was also extremely thankful to have my red plastic Kellyberg to prevent my lips from going numb.
This experienced reinforced for me just how much more pitch sensitive to temperature a tuba is when compared to other instruments. It also reinforced that it is easier to bring a sharp pitch down than to bring a flat pitch up when your slides are all the way in.
Last Saturday I was playing a "Wreathes Across America" program on a foggy northern California morning with temperatures in the low 40's. With the tuning slide all the way in, I was able to play the tuning Bb up to pitch with just a little lipping up. None of my other horns would have even come close. I was also extremely thankful to have my red plastic Kellyberg to prevent my lips from going numb.
This experienced reinforced for me just how much more pitch sensitive to temperature a tuba is when compared to other instruments. It also reinforced that it is easier to bring a sharp pitch down than to bring a flat pitch up when your slides are all the way in.