Triggers for 5v rotary Eb tuba?

[marccromme]

Just curious to know: do there exist trigger sets for 5v rotary Eb tubas for post-installation? Or examples of anything home build?

Which valve slides would be the best to use for compensating many-valves-pressed-at-the-same-time intonation issues? 4th valve? 3rd valve? Main tuning slide ? A combination of these?

Is a trigger beneficial, or will manual valve slide manipulation be fine? (The only place where I can reach the main slide is with right hand for pedal EBb, otherwise it must be a trigger operated by the left hand).

Please share your insight and ideas, I would like to learn what possibilities are practical and well-functioning. Thanks!

[marccromme]

Yes - I would like to avoid to much lipping up and down for some of the 4th and 5th valve combinations, especially low G, Fsharp, F and E (just over the pedals) require lipping on different directions, most on F. I believe this is pretty normal for 5v instruments, as settings for all valve slides are determined by good tuning of tones Eb down to Ab.

Also Pedal EEb and down are sharp, and a pull of about 3 to 4 cm on the main tuning slide helps a lot. But this is impractical, as I only can reach it with the right hand.

Since most of the interesting lippings involve valve combinations using 4 to 5 pressed valves, one could in principle fine tune by a pull of almost any slide.

So my question is: which valve slides do people tend to pull in this range? What works from an operational point of view, and what does not work? Can manual slide pulls be combined with a trigger on the main slide, or is this a silly idea?

Best, Marc

[Peach]

Presume you're using conventional fingerings in the low range? Maybe detail what you do for people to assess?
Also, the fundamental Eb and slightly below shouldn't really be sharp!? How do the other open notes line-up intonation wise?
Ta

[marccromme]

Presume you're using conventional fingerings in the low range? Maybe detail what you do for people to assess?
Also, the fundamental Eb and slightly below shouldn't really be sharp!? How do the other open notes line-up intonation wise?
Ta

Open notes line up fine and in-tune except 5th partial g which is a tad flat. pedal Eb is a bit sharp, can be lipped down. I am using a DW Ultra AT5U mouthpiece.

Conventional fingerings ?? I don't know, I use 4 for Bb, 345 for A (or 24), 234 for G, 345 for Gb, 1345 or 2345 for F (to flat or too sharp), 12345 for E (a bit sharp) A trigger or pull in 4th valve would be fine here ...

[tclements]

Hi Marc,

I am having tuning jiggers installed on ALL of my tubas (or at least PULL handles), I would love to discuss this further with you. Email me offline: ttuba@comcast.net" target="_blank

[Peach]

AT5U is a pretty big mouthpiece as you know - even though it's intended as a bass tuba 'piece. How does the intonation behave with a smaller mouthpiece, particularly something shallower?
I think you said you used a Bobo Solo which I'd think would be a better match for the Danube with the same 16.5" bell as found on a lot of traditional F's.
Interesting...

[marccromme]

Yes, both the Bobo Solo and the DW AT5U work well with the Danube, the Bobo is a bit too small for Brass Band parts, but intonation is fine. The AT5U works well also, having the right brass band sound, but intonation requires a bit more work. I have had the shank turned down to standard small American size. Both exhibit the same intonation tendencies, which are inherit more to the tuba than to mouthpiece variations.

And if you make the calculations, you'll see that 5v are not enough to play all 12 half-tone steps perfectly in tune. So quite some lipping or triggering is needed to get Gb, F and E (just above the pedal Eb) in tune. Fortunately, most brass band literature only descends to A, Ab and a few times G.