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I’ve been on CC tuba for about 6 months now and I still have not gotten used to the feeling of C2 being wide open, I used to play on a BBb before. Every time I try to sustain a forte C it just feels extremely unstable and I’m not too sure how to approach this problem. I feel this way with the register around that area as well, it’s been plaguing me for a few years.

Does anyone know what I’m talking about? Is there any way to approach this or fix it?

IsaacTuba wrote:I’ve been on CC tuba for about 6 months now and I still have not gotten used to the feeling of C2 being wide open, I used to play on a BBb before. Every time I try to sustain a forte C it just feels extremely unstable and I’m not too sure how to approach this problem. I feel this way with the register around that area as well, it’s been plaguing me for a few years.

Does anyone know what I’m talking about? Is there any way to approach this or fix it?

I am doing my first months on a big CC as well, and have some of the same struggles. My solution was to cut 15 mm off the main tuning slide to bring the C2 in tune, I still have to lip it a bit up, but it is manageable. Of course, the C in the staff is now much too high, but this is managed by using 2+3 valve. F in the staff is also way too high on my horn, but a pullable 1st slide solved this problem. I have some minor issues left, but with some slide adjusting, the intonation is becoming gradually better through the whole register.

I am, however, getting the 2 slide lapped so it moves almost as freely as the 1st slide, as it is necessary with a good pull to get the F# below the staff properly in tune with the 2+4 valve combination. (No 5th valve on this horn!)

This is a 6/4 Cerveny with rotary valves, my previous horn was a big Yamaha CC, compensated with piston valves, sadly not mine, and almost without any of the issues I now have with the Cerveny. But I will take the Cerveny any time for the big, full sound and the personality of the instrument. (And of course, the joy of annoying the woodwinds.)

Work on the instrument, pull the slides, try some combinations for the difficult notes, and the intonation will gradually improve. Cut off the main tuning slide if necessary, it was for me, but your mileage may vary.

Is this characteristic of large CC tubas? I never had any problems with my MF 184 except that the E in the staff was low but could be lipped up to pitch. None of the Cs remotely had a problem.

Edit: remembering larger CC tubas i've played....MFone 188 CC no problem; Rudy 4/4 CC no problem. There has to be some mismatch with the OP's instrument or it is a dog somehow.

I think some of this explains why German tuba players have an easier time with low C on their F tubas, and Americans gripe and gripe about low C unless it is a mega bore piston F. The Germans are used to playing on a longer BBb bugle with an approximately 6 foot long fourth valve engaged. So to them the “weird” low C on an F tuba isn’t that big of a deal. Someone who has played a C tuba for most of their serious education gets used to the wide open and easy blowing low C and struggles with something that feels different on the F tuba.

MaryAnn wrote: There has to be some mismatch with the OP's instrument or it is a dog somehow.

I think this is an 'embouchure thing' more than anything else for the OP. His embouchure is used to a 'tighter' response in that register on BBb, not the open/wide-slot response of low C on a CC tuba. Like bloke said, maybe he can play low C 5+4 and do embouchure strengthening excersizes. Lip slurs and long tones !!

bloke wrote:Hey, there

IsaacTuba wrote:.

2/ If "yes", is the throat size larger than 8.2mm ?

At first I had been using this mouthpiece that came with the horn, but I've been testing my Denis Wick 2.5CC which has a bore of 8.6mm. I assume that's the source of the problem isn't it?

I switched to the mouthpiece because I really liked the dark sound it gave me and made my 4/4 sound like a 6/4, but if its what is giving me these issues then I guess I'll have to switch it.