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Well while being bored and thinkin about pointless things I came up with this.

If you have a 5 valve Bb tuba,(someone may of already done/do this..) is it possible/feasible since you most likely tune the 5th valve to what used to be 23 valves.

Well this would make the 3rd valve be pretty much rarely used, so shouldn't/couldn't one tune 3rd valve to be a intune 12? and begin using this instead of 12.. this would mean the only combination one would ever have to use(normaly) would be 2 4 for a B natural.

Now.. i assume that may happen a few times .. BUT!!

has anyone ever tuned their 3rd valve to Db(2 and 3rd valve combo)? Reason being.. why not? you use 4th for 1 and 3s.. then use 3rd for what used to be 2 and 3.. and that means u just use 1 and 2 like normal.. shoudlnt' this be more in tune?

Again I was just bored, and came up with all this.. so if anyone has any input or has tried this as i havent' yet.

Back in high school (last time I've played BBb regularly enough to count) I'd tune my third valve to a flat 1+2 just enough so that 2+3 was an in tune Db. This also made the top space G perfectly in tune using the 3rd valve. Also made pedal Eb intune as 3+4.

If I'd had 5 valves, I still would have tuned it to get that top space G and pedal Eb in tune, so it wouldn't have changed any.

IOW, I think on most BBb horns, the 1+2 combination is pretty much in tune, so I'd use the 3rd valve to correct those funny partials, like the top space G, rather than for "normal" usage.

My $.02, and your mileage may vary.

Jacob Morgan wrote:has anyone ever tuned their 3rd valve to Db(2 and 3rd valve combo)? Reason being.. why not?

I suspect you cannot. Is you 3rd valve slide really that long? I doubt it is on most horns.

It's been done--around the end of the 19th century, the French and Belgians produced tubas and basses (baritones, euphoniums, saxhorns) where the 3rd valve lowered pitch by 4 semitones, rather than 3. This was called the "ministerial system". It didn't last more than a few decades.

For oddball fingering combinations, the 6-valve French C tuba can't be beat.