Truth or Dare (Ethical Dilemma)

[TubaRay]

Buy one of those beat-up c. $400 1920's Helleberg m'pieces off of eBay.
According to another TubeNet thread, that will solve any/all problems.

Actually, I'm told these will solve problems you don't even know you have.

[Naptown Tuba]

Ya know where that troublesome 25cent flat note is?? Well, when you get to that point........JUST SNEEZE

[windshieldbug]

Ya know where that troublesome 25cent flat note is?? Well, when you get to that point........JUST SNEEZE

(for myself, I always point into the first balcony level and yell, "Look! It's Haley's comet!!")

[marktuba]

Don't play it safe. You're a brass player. If its in the middle of the road someone should run over it.

As a practical matter, try practicing the passage in rhythms. Take the straight eighths and play them as dotted eighths and sixteenths, then do the reverse-sixteenths and dotted eighths. Try this at a moderate tempo, then at full tempo. Also practice the passage completely slurred, to make sure that your airflow and pressure are steady and that you do not become consonant-bound in your articulation.

But in the end, after you have prepared the best you can, GO FOR IT!!

[LoyalTubist]

Having been in similar situations, I can tell you just go with the flow. It might be perfect but, if you're the only tuba player, no one's going to notice. I'd work on the rhythms more than the intonation.

[Steve Inman]

This may be the only time I'll ever disagree with Roger, as his advice and perspective are so right so often.

His reply is appropriate for a professional player of his stature. However, for cryin' out loud ... IT'S ONLY MUSIC !!!

This is not a serious ethical dilemma. Do not practice it any more. Go take a long walk. Watch a football game. Have a beer (if you're old enough to do so legally). Play it with the alternate fingering 25 cents flat and enjoy the concert.

You can only play it as well as YOU can play it. If you're not a world-class musician, then don't try to become one in a week and don't worry about it if you CAN'T become one in a week.

Roger's advice is correct in theory for a long-term goal, but idealistic and unrealistic in practice for short-term application.

Follow his advice between now and 20 years from now.

Cheers,

[MaryAnn]

Having transcribed a number of pieces for a variety of instruments from CD, I can echo the post about listening to fast passages at half speed (which I've had to do to figure out what the notes were, sometimes.) The notes played at Warp 11 are often VERY out of tune, and I, with my ability to detect pitch well enough to transcribe that kind of thing....was surprised, because while at Warp 11 maybe I couldn't discern the notes well enough to write them down, what I did not discern was that they were "out of tune."

I haven't said anything new on this thread, but were it I....I'd do what I had to to get through the passage cleanly. Cleanly. There have been cases where I played 8th notes (every other note) in certain passages, in order to not produce horn-flavored mud. That was my choice, and to my ears it sounded better than the mud version. I never got fired for doing it, either.

MA

[MikeS]

Well here’s the update. The piece is “The Probably Untrue Story of Mary (Who) Had a Little Lambâ€

[Wyvern]

Running passages at that sort of speed are mainly effect and if pitching is precise for every eighth note is in my opinion not the biggest issue, but it is keeping the tempo and producing the overall effect.

I remember doing a workshop with a championship brass band a number of years back. We were playing a test piece which had such a run. I was practicing it slowly to try to get in all the accidents, etc. accurate when the bass player from the championship band came in. He said to me, "don't waste your time with all that - no-one will hear the accidents at that speed - just waggle your fingers and produce the effect". I have worked that principal ever since when there is such a run where I have not had the time, or skill to get it precisely right. Unethical maybe, practical yes.

[Roger Lewis]

for the rigidity of my original post. Always go and do the best that you can under the circumstances. Time obviously was a crucial factor in the preparation for this performance and it sounds like you did fine - including having a planned bail-out point if needed.

You did your homework and evaluated your options in every direction - just like the top players do - and they have a bit more time (and incentive) to practice.

As the old Meatloaf song goes "two out of three ain't bad", and it sounds like your preparation worked. Congratulations.

Practice to get 110%, accept 98% - we all miss. Know what you want to do, then accept what you can do.

All the best to you.
Roger

[The Big Ben]

Two thumbs up, Roger. You're a good guy...

[The Big Ben]

The problem note is the F# at the bottom of the staff, which on my Alexander CC is 25 cents flat played 2nd valve. The in tune fingerings are either 1-2-3 or 2-4, both of which can sometimes tie up my fingers in fast passages.

Are any other 2nd valve fingerings flat or is this just a characteristic of that F#?

I used 1-2-3 for the F# (the angel on my right shoulder smiled) and actually nailed it two times out of three. The other time, by the time I’d lost it the trombone had joined in. Since we finish it in unison I just dropped out and let him take it. This was my pre-established bailout plan. It always pays to check the score. I had also discussed this possibility with the trombonist ahead of time so he was not surprised.

All in all I thought I did a pretty decent job. I got compliments from the concertmistress and several other members. Two of them actually called me a very musical player. As someone put it earlier in the thread, I sinned no more than my peers.

Yeah! Your peers know what's up! Glad it came out OK.

[MikeS]

Are any other 2nd valve fingerings flat or is this just a characteristic of that F#

Yeah, basically all the other F#'s, although the one at the bottom of the staff is the worst. The F# in the staff is maybe 10-12 cents down as is the one above the staff. The B naturals and D#'s are surprisingly well behaved. Playing an Alexander C can involve developing a somewhat different concept of what constitutes an alternate fingering. The way I put a positive spin on it is that you really get your money's worth out of that third valve.

[bort]

Practice to get 110%, accept 98% - we all miss. Know what you want to do, then accept what you can do.

Great advice all around, but this sums it up. I once had a client at work tell us "92% is still an A." I like 98% better though.

[Steve Inman]

Roger --

You are the last person on this forum who needs to apologize for anything, least of all for encouragement to excel! And you are among the most respected forum members for choosing to do so.

for the rigidity of my original post.

All the best to you.
Roger

Best Regards,

[TubaRay]

Roger --

You are the last person on this forum who needs to apologize for anything, least of all for encouragement to excel! And you are among the most respected forum members for choosing to do so.

To the best of my knowledge, he certainly is highly respected by all who know him. His posts are the source of much of the learning I achieve on TubeNet. And learning is one of my main motivations for stopping by so often. Then I get to have the fun of making an occasional snide remark. What more could I ask for?

[windshieldbug]

snide

1859, thieves' slang "counterfeit, sham," of unknown origin. Of persons, "cunning, sharp," from 1883. Sense of "sneering" is first attested 1933.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

[TubaRay]

snide
1859, thieves' slang "counterfeit, sham," of unknown origin. Of persons, "cunning, sharp," from 1883. Sense of "sneering" is first attested 1933.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

Yep! That pretty much sums it up.