Piston v. Rotatry: a Musical difference?

ubq · Post by **ubq** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:37 am

I really would like to know whats the difference from a musical point of vieuw between this two types of systems. I think the legato lines are perhaps smother with the rotary valves? Or it just depends on the player?

What do you think?

Regards

tubatooter1940 · Post by **tubatooter1940** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:41 am

Can you play "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" with rotary valves?

GC · Post by GC » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:24 pm

Well, actually yes.

SplatterTone · Post by **SplatterTone** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:48 pm

I've found desmodromic valves to be vastly superior. Flight of the Bumble Bee can be done at any speed.

tubatooter1940 · Post by **tubatooter1940** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:07 pm

GC wrote:Well, actually yes.

That's good to hear. I don't know if I could face life knowing that I could never again, do a creditable job on "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White."

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:41 pm

ubq wrote:I really would like to know whats the difference from a musical point of vieuw between this two types of systems. I think the legato lines are perhaps smother with the rotary valves? Or it just depends on the player?

Yes. Or, no.

Rick "whose legato is mediocre on boths types of valves" Denney

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:45 am

ubq wrote:I really would like to know whats the difference from a musical point of vieuw between this two types of systems. I think the legato lines are perhaps smother with the rotary valves? Or it just depends on the player?

It just depends.

pulseczar · Post by **pulseczar** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:18 am

I personally think that piston tubas actually give a slightly smoother legato than rotaries, but the gods of tubenet have declared that there's no difference between piston and rotary.

If you want to verify that fact, search the archives.

sc_curtis · Post by **sc_curtis** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:36 am

Play on what feels right to you.

Wyvern · Post by **Wyvern** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:09 am

Having played on both, I think piston are more forgiving. By that I mean it is easier to bluff your way through a fast passage with something like the notes slotting in, while with rotaries more accuracy of playing is necessary.

I remember going to a summer school with players from the famous Black Dyke Mills Band. One piece had a fast semi quaver run with a number of accidentals which I was going through slowly trying to work out to which I was advised "don't worry about that - at that speed just waggle your fingers!" You can get away doing that on pistons, but, I don't find so much on rotaries, but then finger travel is less.

However, having suffered far too many piston valve sticks, I so welcome the much greater reliability of rotary valves.

So in the pistons v rotors debate, I would say it is a balance of ease of use (piston) against reliability (rotor). Equally good musical results can be achieved by a competent player using either.

For myself. I am pleased to be playing piston in brass band when fast technical passages come up, but feel happier using rotary in the orchestra where being the only tuba, a valve stick is all more disastrous.

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:28 am

k-towntuba wrote:Therefore, I submit to you that it is niether reliability nor any actualy playing differences that make the difference, but merely personal preference.

Now there's a radical statement to make on TubeNet!

What does the rest of the TubeNet jury have to say about this?

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:11 pm

TubaRay wrote:
k-towntuba wrote:Therefore, I submit to you that it is niether reliability nor any actualy playing differences that make the difference, but merely personal preference.
Now there's a radical statement to make on TubeNet!
What does the rest of the TubeNet jury have to say about this?

"Quick! Send out for more beer!"

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:46 pm

windshieldbug wrote:
TubaRay wrote:
k-towntuba wrote:Therefore, I submit to you that it is niether reliability nor any actualy playing differences that make the difference, but merely personal preference.
Now there's a radical statement to make on TubeNet!
What does the rest of the TubeNet jury have to say about this?
"Quick! Send out for more beer!"

That ought to solve it.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:19 pm

In a nutshell:

The wheels on the bus go round and round;
round and round; round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round.
All through the town!

The people on the bus go up and down;
up and down; up and down.
The people on the bus go up and down.
All through the town!

Got that? Good.

MaryAnn · Post by **MaryAnn** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:35 pm

zoro wrote:
SplatterTone wrote:I've found desmodromic valves to be vastly superior. Flight of the Bumble Bee can be done at any speed.
Ducati tubas!

AHA! Thanks for reminding me where I knew that word from. Reminiscences...

MA

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:54 pm

You know, there was a very nice study by IWK in Austria about the characteristics of slurs using rotary and piston valves:

http://iwk.mdw.ac.at/Forschung/english/ ... valves.htm

Basically, it boils down to: "valves don't matter much; only the location of the valves in the bugle". Tubas generally place rotary valves later in the bugle (longer leadpipe) than piston. Trumpets usually have the reverse situation. So when a tuba player and a trumpet player compare notes on piston vs. rotary, they're likely to have very different impressions.

TubeNet

Piston v. Rotatry: a Musical difference?

Piston v. Rotatry: a Musical difference?

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Re: Piston v. Rotatry: a Musical difference?

Piston vs. Rotatry(sic)

Re: Piston vs. Rotatry(sic)

Re: Piston vs. Rotatry(sic)