My fiancee always gets a laugh out of seeing me do that.
When I had a rotary tuba with a horizontal tuning slide, adding a second water key on the "back" part of the slide was cheap and amazingly useful. Plus, I figured there would only be so many flips and spins I could do before smacking my bell on something.
I play on a horn that has had this done by bloke. It really does work well - I never have to take out a slide to empty my water. The process takes about a second and indeed causes no distractions.
What DOES cause distractions is the first-valve slide that he aligned so perfectly that it works about as well as a trombone slide with no grease/lubrication on it. It tends to fall out when the horn is sitting on its bell. Joe, I need to get you to add one of those things that trumpet players have on their third-valve slides or something.
ahowle wrote:I play on a horn that has had this done by bloke. It really does work well - I never have to take out a slide to empty my water. The process takes about a second and indeed causes no distractions.
What DOES cause distractions is the first-valve slide that he aligned so perfectly that it works about as well as a trombone slide with no grease/lubrication on it. It tends to fall out when the horn is sitting on its bell. Joe, I need to get you to add one of those things that trumpet players have on their third-valve slides or something.
That was happening with my horn...granted, I did use trombone cream on it, but I liked being able to move it easily, and was always adjusting. It was staying in fine until my valves got vented, then it started falling out when the horn was on its bell. Not pretty. So, I got a covered elastic strap (don't know how to describe it...it's like the things that you can hang stuff tags and keys on, but springy), and put it so one part was on the 1st valve's brace and the other was on the tuning slide...never fell out again...until I sent it in to be cleaned, my guy took the thing off, and redid it with a different grease that doesn't fall out.
That's the other solution...
"We can avoid humanity's mistakes"
"Like the tuba!"
My valves are indeed vented. I rigged some string on it and it works pretty well, but sometimes it gets stuck on things and is not where it needs to be when the slide falls out.
bloke wrote:Typically, a 2XX lb. dude walks out on stage amidst the string basses and trombones, and sits down with this huge shiny thing with four big buttons. If he isn't an ultra-slob, he avoids playing "the Ride" and all of the "hard licks" he has to play in the next piece.
Right in the middle of the big oboe solo, though (right before he has to play again)...
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT BIG FAT GUY WITH THE SHINY THING DOING UP THERE !?!?!
Here's the solution:
Whar are we doing? Dumpin' spit, baby.
Of course, we would rather refer to it as water or condensation.
I drape a yellow terry hand towel over my bottom bow when people are close by. This catches most released "condensation".
I'll stop dipping my tuba when the horn players quit twirling their horns, the reed players quit carrying cigarette papers to dry off keys and reed knifes for all the "emergency" repairs that seem so common, the trumpet players stop "fffffffffffff", "ffffffffff"ing during rests, and the string players stop rosining their bows. The fat dude back by the flashy timpani player behind a forest of viola bows is the LEAST of an orchestra's concern.
Instead of talking to your plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow, but only to be troubled and insecure?
bloke wrote:b.t.w. ahowle, the M-W valveset (in contrast to yours) offers a heckuva challenge in the installation of one of those two waterkeys (the one on the #3 loop)...The spacing is SO cramped on the M-W that I had to cut the head off the screw, slot what was left, barely manage to wiggle it in place, and use a double-headed 90-degree (homemade) "jeweler's" screwdriver to get the screw in there...while it was under spring tension.
May be a dumb question, but why didn't you use an Amado or one of those new Saturn waterkeys?
I had an Amado installed on the very same spot on the 3rd valve on my 1290.
Water keys. Reading your posts, I looked up the Amado and Saturn water keys. Interesting. I have a 1980s Amati 4R BBb that has a lateral pushbutton for condensate discharge. Seems to work very well, and hasn't required attention for 30 years. What do you call that?
As clumsy as I am, I can usually manage to pull three slides, drain them, and return them without any visual or auditory effects.
Water that collects in the third valve loop, where you have installed a water key, doesn't build up enough that I need to drain it during the music. I can turn the instrument and pull and drain the upper third-valve slide then with little distraction. It's a lot easier now that some dude aligned the slide.
But I don't see where your water key solves my biggest water problem, which collects in the first bow downstream of the tuning slide. I think this bow is a lot bigger on most C tubas. I have to do the complete spin to get the water out of that spot, but I'm not interested in using a water key there--it would drain out onto the inner top of the bottom bow and then collect in my stand. Turning a 6/4 tuba on a tight stage requires some care and would benefit from a ground crew watching those wing tips.
Rick "who doesn't use the water keys he has" Denney
he has to play in the next piece.
