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Has anyone ever seen or heard of a 6 valve tuba being set up to play with just the right hand? Something along the lines of two paddles for the thumb. It seems like it wouldn't be difficult for someone with a little experience to take a 4+2 in-line and switch the action to the right thumb.

I think that would be pretty difficult... You'd need to have a thumb the size of a small school bus to use both of them effectively, I think. The closest you'll get is probably a Meinl Weston Kodiak, I think it's 1-5 right hand, 6 left hand and a trigger left hand. That's about the most complicated F tuba I've seen.

I think it could be pretty manageable, woodwinds can handle many more buttons than we usually do.

Good idea!

The only time I have ever seen two side-by-side thumb paddles were on some models of two-valve dependent bass trombone. They're kinda uncomfortable and awkward, not to mention they're dependent, so if you want to use the second one the first one must already be in use. I have no idea how you'd get it to work on tuba if valves 5 and 6 were not dependent somehow.

I have never had to play on a 6 valve horn. Is it common to switch from valve 5 to valve 6 often?

tubaguybern wrote:I have never had to play on a 6 valve horn. Is it common to switch from valve 5 to valve 6 often?

Those valves serve two different purposes. Your question would be the same as asking if it is commoners to switch between 1 and 2 often. 5 is usually a long 1 and 6 is usually a long 2. I prefer the 4+2 setup for F tubas as I feel I have excellent control over intonation (especially if I had a trigger or two as Bloke has described in another thread).

Something like a King Duo Gravis comes to mind. A single thumb paddle split in two with a roller between.

Someone had a post here years ago about how to configure a 6 valve tuba for a student that only had one hand. I don't remember how that ended up.

I do remember seeing one. I believe Matthew Gaunt sold one on here a while ago... both 5 and 6 were side by side in the right thumb. Let me dig up some picures. (I thought it was really cool so I saved them somewhere... gotta find where now...)

DouglasJB wrote:I do remember seeing one. I believe Matthew Gaunt sold one on here a while ago... both 5 and 6 were side by side in the right thumb. Let me dig up some picures. (I thought it was really cool so I saved them somewhere... gotta find where now...)

Matt Gaunt is still selling it. It is a JBL prototype. It is still on here and facebook. I am currently borrowing it from him. If I end up buying it I will have 6 moved to the left, because it is a bit annoying as-is.

Edit:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=87315&p=653273&hilit=JBL#p653273" target="_blank

Link to Matt Gaunt's post of this instrument on here.

Yes, that horn, it intrigues me