D/Eb

[windshieldbug]

As long as the slides are reachable; remember, you're changing the bore profile, so there's no guarentee that the horn will be as in-tune... then again, it MIGHT be more in-tune!

[Søren]

Great idea!

I have always thought of this too. But I need to be able to change the key of my sousaphone. 95% of my playing is jazzgigs, and I would never want to bring more than one tuba (my old Conn 14k). But when I play with other bands, some tend to play in keys of A, E, H(B to you), and those keys are a pain. I would love to have a set of slides in my gigbag that could change my sousaphone to something else than BBb.

And I am curious as to what Eb tuba that is able to meet Bloke’s standards? I know that he sets intonation high on the list. And he does not speak highly of the British Eb tubas. So what kind of tuba is it?

[eupher61]

Many accomplished and aspiring trumpet players own combination D/Eb trumpets (two sets of slides used with the same frame). ...SNIP..., think of some of the "licks" in the third movement of the Malcomb Arnold quintet...Yeah-yeah...I can play 'em too - on both CC and F - but with a tuba pitched in "D", they sure would be EASY...and on and on with many, many more examples...Mahler 1, etc., etc...

For those of us who own Eb tubas that play up to our own standards (ie. "good" in our own view), is complete auxilliary
set of "D" slides (as economical as that would be - compared to the cost of another tuba) such a bad idea...??

Seen it, done it.

A York Eb, 3 valve, Eb. It was thought to be high/low pitch marks on the slides, but low pitch was total half step low. And, the idea for the Arnold came about almost immediately. Worked well, but making the transition took too long. If the entire 3rd movement was played on the D side, maybe, but we tried to figure out how to shift on the fly. It required interchanging the main tuning slide with the first valve slide.

Actually, that horn had gotten a 4th valve added BEFORE I saw it, it had just come back from the custom work. But, I was in on the discovery of the D side. The added valve was a sharp tritone, btw, to mimic a compensated 4th valve pattern. It worked well.

[hubert]

If I remember well, I once played a York Eb with a "doughnut" on it. You only had to insert one side of the doughnut into one side of the tuning bow and vice versa, and you had a D-tuba (once again, when I remember well). It all looked original...
Hubert

[Kevin Hendrick]

For those of us who own Eb tubas that play up to our own standards (ie. "good" in our own view), is complete auxilliary set of "D" slides (as economical as that would be - compared to the cost of another tuba) such a bad idea...??

It sounds like a very good idea! Economical, easy to transport, familiar ergonomics re: valves and such. Since you're only dropping down a half-step, it might work with just a longer main slide -- the stock valve slides may have enough adjustment in them to work without falling out. In fact, if you can pull the main slide roughly 4.8" out from where you normally have it for Eb (without pulling it completely out of the horn), you should be about in tune for D (might not be workable long-term, but it'd let you check the intonation without any initial expense).

bloke "...maybe, at least, worth a try...??"

Definitely worth trying.

[windshieldbug]

Holtons that were built to the A=435 version of Low Pitch also had a loop in the tuning slide.

[Allen]

While reading this thread, I thought of trumpeters who carry quad instrument cases (with Bb, C, D/Eb, high A/Bb trumpets). Then, I wondered when I would hear of a tubist with a quad case (for BBb, CC, D/Eb, F tubas). And then, for the really particular tubist, there are small, medium and large instruments at each pitch, making a total of twelve tubas to carry!

In the woodwind world, the Bb/A clarinet pair is the only example of such slightly different instruments, and that is only for historic reasons. Indeed, in Germany, the practice is to play both Bb and A orchestral parts on a Bb clarinet (with its compass extended a half tone lower to play the bottom note of the A clarinet (written E, sounding C#)).

Are brass instrument fingerings that much more difficult than woodwind instrument fingerings? They certainly seem less complex, and only involve one hand.

Cheers,
Allen

[Søren]

[quote]â€

[Allen]

... ...

Actually Allen, the two issues that I see as possible work-arounds are

- avoiding arcane high-velocity low-register finger combinations
- possibly better INTONATION (as *most tubas are just about on par with steel drums, in the intonation department).
_________________________
*of course, not your tuba, Allen.

Bloke, you make two good points. Regarding my tuba, I think it's pretty decent, but it is more work to play it in tune in some keys compared to others.

There is, of course, the issue of mainting proficiency in reading music on BBb, CC, D, Eb and F tubas. It must be possible; look at what French horn players do.

I will read with great interest others' experience with D tubas (or any other unusual pitches). Meanwhile, I am postponing my purchase of a quad tuba case.

Cheers,
Allen