Contra-bass Trombonium

[Todd S. Malicoate]

You have plenty of choice...build one yourself, or commission someone to build your dream tuba for you.

I have neither the time nor inclination to debate you about the reasons for large-bore tubas or bell-upright tubas.

(and i have 15 of 'em)

With a collection like that, I would think you would have noticed the differences for yourself.

[Dan Schultz]

........Shame on the scandelous instrument manufacturers for tricking kids and amateurs into buying upright bell instruments. All of the professionals I know or have seen prefer and exclusively use the bell-front model, and it's about time someone else noticed this! .....

I don't think the manufacturers are to blame as much as the directors. I've known at least three directors who told their tuba players to "just leave the bell-front horn at home... it's just too much in my face"!

[Donn]

I want a tuba not only like those available now (and i have 15 of 'em)

You have 15 tubas, and no cimbasso?

[k001k47]

I hope this doesn't mean bell-front horns in F are optimal; why not make bell-front clarinets while we're at it?
If changing the bell direction changes how I sound to the audience, someone build me a backwards-belled tuba with the bell coming from the bottom of the tuba and facing the same direction as my back so it sounds like I'm passing really loud gass.(but it won't sound like that to my audience ) I don't want my horrible tone in their faces.


This man must have sounded horrible, whoever he may be, because he didn't chose a foward-facing bell

If the concept is true, would prefer the trumpet with a bell facing up.
They're all you friggin hear in the brass voices.

[eupher61]

i have trouble believing there ain't trolls abounding.

But, just in case, here's reality--the bell front tuba is a result of the recording industry. ONLY. Not until it was found that recordings couldn't adequately capture the full sound of a tuba --a bell UPWARDS instrument--did the manufacturers turn the bell forward. The contemporary sousaphone? A bastardization.

I have nothing against bell front horns, I agree that they work well in early jazz groups.

[Wyvern]

You're right! All successful tuba/euphonium players use bell-front instruments.

Bell front is very much an American idea. Apart from the use of recording bells to aid recording in the early part of the 20th century before good microphones, players in Europe use upward pointing bells. And there are a lot of successful tuba/euphonium players in Europe

Forward facing bells sound like a good idea for use out of doors to project, but they are hardly a necessity for being a successful player.

What about french horns? Their lovely tone is produced with backward facing bell. My understanding is that the bell direction becomes less important as pitch becomes lower.

[Donn]

What about french horns? Their lovely tone is produced with backward facing bell. My understanding is that the bell direction becomes less important as pitch becomes lower.

Looking at who's front and who's not, for general use including indoors, the forward facing bells belong to the trombone family including the trumpet (i.e., soprano valve trombone). (According to my theory, flugelhorn should point up, if it weren't a doubling instrument for trumpet players.) Maybe it's about tone, not pitch - backwards, upright and forward bells emphasize the distinct tonal qualities of their respective instrument families.

[Dan Schultz]

Dan, when you built your cimbasso why did you choose to put it into Bb instead of Eb (that the valve section was already set for )?

Thanks!

Although I play both Eb and BBb fluently, I felt that I wanted the extended range that the key of BBb would provide. Lengthening the valve circuits wasn't any problem. The Mirafone Eb valve section is only a couple of thousanths off from the King inner (.687 ID) and outer slide tubing that I keep around for working on the King 1240/41 and 2340/41 tubas. I built it mainly 'just because I could' and I doubt if I'll ever use it for the most common practice of playing Verdi operas. It's a fun horn to spring on the guys at Dixieland rehearsals of Saturday mornings! Their initial response was "what the hell is that"!

[Dan Schultz]

How do you like it so far? It looks badass!!

It still needs a few more braces and I haven't spent much time paying it. Judging from the comments from others about playing cimbassi.... it doesn't seem as squirrely as I thought it was going to be. It's just a whole lot like playing a regular BBb tuba. Except that it seems to take a heck of a lot more air than even my big bore St Pete 202 and 191 tubas.

[MaryAnn]

What about french horns? Their lovely tone is produced with backward facing bell. My understanding is that the bell direction becomes less important as pitch becomes lower.

You will note that in groups where someone with an IQ larger than their shoe size has done the seating arrangement, the horns are in back. Otherwise their sound is lost since they need to be about six feet from a reflecting surface. I refuse to play in groups that put the horns in the middle, because clearly someone doesn't have even a clue. I laugh when I see the conductor keep asking the horns to move more forward because he can't hear them, when what he needs to do is move them to be just in front of the back wall, or to put reflectors behind them. Explaining this gets quizzical looks from many of them; cause and effect don't seem to be topics covered in music school.

MA

[J.c. Sherman]

What about french horns? Their lovely tone is produced with backward facing bell. My understanding is that the bell direction becomes less important as pitch becomes lower.

You will note that in groups where someone with an IQ larger than their shoe size has done the seating arrangement, the horns are in back. Otherwise their sound is lost since they need to be about six feet from a reflecting surface. I refuse to play in groups that put the horns in the middle, because clearly someone doesn't have even a clue. I laugh when I see the conductor keep asking the horns to move more forward because he can't hear them, when what he needs to do is move them to be just in front of the back wall, or to put reflectors behind them. Explaining this gets quizzical looks from many of them; cause and effect don't seem to be topics covered in music school.

MA

My quintet, when in certain concert halls, puts a folding table on it's side behind at an angle from the horn bell to have it project outward. Works great.

J.c.S.