n1vsm wrote:Having a way to change the pitch on any note is fabulous and FAST - my main tuning slide moves so freely (but does not leak) will fall out if the bar is not attached.
Kanstul has been building "Tune Any Note" slides into their G bugles since 1990. They're similarly loose & fast, and have screw-down stops to keep them from falling out.
Below is a pic of their large size contrabass, with the tune any note slide zoomed in, and that slide's thumbring highlighted by a dashed line.
HEY, I PLAY ONE OF THOSE!!!!!!!!
the problem with the on the moveadjusting is that when ever you bring your horn back if front of you it goes all the way back in. so when u play again, you play the tuning game all over again.
BTW WONDERFUL horn, i would highly reccomend if one has the means. its the horn that phantom regiment used b4 the went Bb
I very rarely do any slide pulling. I don find myself lipping some notes, and have adopted some alternate fingerings depending on the horn. On my King 2341 I find that as long as the horn is in tune with the group, I don't have any notes for which I find slide pulling necessary.
On my Besson 983 I have found that 3rd valve works better for the 1st line G, but don't do any slide pulling either. With the bands I'm in it's not clear which version of the note to tune to anyway.
I have the luxury(?) of playing in a fairly narrow range of notes, and so by tuning branches and using alternate fingerings am able to stay in tune with my ensemble without pulling on my Cerveny BB 683.
Tuned thus:
1 = Eb at one line below staff
2 = E at one line below staff
3 = G below staff
4 = F below the fundamental
I had to revive this thread because I ran into a situation that for the sake of the legato line I have to use the 1st tier alternate fingerings. We are performing the Gillingham arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision."
The first @20 bars have legato D, C & G figures, with an occasional A (d minor - 1 flat). So using the conventional (on a BBb tuba) 1-2 to 4 fingerings just burble all over the place, even with the best of technique.
So, I shove 3 to play D & G, and pull 1 so C can be played 1-3. If you ride 1 for the occasional Eb, you only have to change one valve at a time, preserving the legato line with minimal rotor blurp until about measure 30, when there is a three measure hold on an open F that you can reset slides to conventional positions for the key change and off you go.
When feasible, I will pull or push a slide as needed
The way I learned it, it's easier to adjust your equipment than it is your embouchure. My main teacher (Mike Bunn) always felt lipping notes can lead to fatigue, and that it was better to "set it and forget it" when it came to your face - made for more consistent playing.
I understand a LOT of people set the slides and there they shall be for the next 5 years. I'm good with that if it works for the person playing, as long as the pitch is good it doesn't really matter.
All lip and alternate (adult) fingerings. I'm just not a natural slide puller, so by the time I remember to do it and then get the slide back where it was, I'm a measure behind.
Being a trombone player first and having to deal with the inherent stovepipe scale issues on my Miraphone, puliing is as natural as it is necessary. I have utilized the pull for tone not for pitch concept all my life on trombone and just didn't realize it. Early, I learned to buzz the correct pitch and then put the trombone slide where it needed to go to center the tone. After a while it either gets automatic or you have to take up tennis. I just apply the same principals to tuba. I usually only pull 1st on the 12 combos and the Eb's which are sharp for some reason on my Miraphone. I would like to have a 2nd kicker for one note, the 123 B. I had an exposed FF entrance on that note last year that drove me up the wall. If I set the slides for 23 to be in tune and 4 to nail the C then that's all I need to do. I had Lee Stofer work on the alighment on my first valve and it's as good as my trombone slide. The VMI 3301 my church just bought is a totally different animal. No pulls needed anywhere, anytime, anyhow! That sure is liberating.
I am fortunate to have a great job that feeds my family well, but music feeds my soul.
I'm not much of a slide puller, having been spoilt for years by my Besson, which just plays in tune without me worrying about it.
Since I got my Fafner, I have had to get used to pulling the fourth valve slide for low B and the notes immediately above the pedal B flat. For some notes, I can either pull/push the slide or use a different fingering and it really depends on the context what I do. Given that both sound as well, I tend to opt for the alternate fingerings.
On my CC horn, I have to pull the first slide out for anything above F (up at the top of the staff). The F and A and Bb are incredibly sharp, too sharp to ignore.
For some reason, all of my partials come out in tune on my BBb horn. The only time I have to do any changing is when I play a middle line open D. This comes out horribly flat and depending how long the duration is, I will substitute 1st and 2nd valve instead of playing it open.
A well known and excellent professional tubist has said to me about slide pulling:
"Those who pull slides can't buzz in tune..."
Not necessarily my view (however I seem to agree) since I do pull on occasion but I also think that it can be ridiculous to see someone holding a tuba yet playing a trombone...
