tubahed wrote:"Pit Model" King Symphony Tuba in BBb. Unknown player on the left, Jack Barsby on the right. Me in the middle!
Of course time and distance prevent me from having real knowledge, yet posture, hair, and facial traits make me strongly suspect the left player being a much younger Jack Barsby.
Klaus
Hi, Klaus - one of the reasons I don't think they are one and the same is I believe the Pit models were only made for a short period of time, and the picture on the right of Barsby is from a King catalogue in which they are touting the "new" King Pit Symphony model. The fellow on the left is quite young, and upon close inspection has different facial features than the elder Barsby. The picture of the fellow on the left came from an eBay auction that I wish I had known about (I was sent a .jpg from the auction by a Tubenetter). I would love to have that picture framed in my practice room!
Another reason I don't believe they are one and the same is I have a 'younger' picture of Barsby in a Conn basses catalogue, in which he is pictured endorsing the Conn Jumbo Raincatcher.
From what can be seen in the B&W photo, that looks like a fine horn! The valve block is obstructed from view; was it converted to a 5-valve CC? When was it cut and when did you acquire it? In what ensembles do you play it?
From what can be seen in the B&W photo, that looks like a fine horn! The valve block is obstructed from view; was it converted to a 5-valve CC? When was it cut and when did you acquire it? In what ensembles do you play it?
Cheers,
Steve
Hi Steve, I don't know much about the history of the horn, it is a conversion to a 5 valves, with the 5th rotor added before the valve set as I think is common in most of the Rusk works. I acquired it from Dillon about 3 years ago, it was not looking so great cosmetically ( it has a couple of big patches that you can see in the new picture, a weird lever for the 5th and no thumb ring), but I loved the sound. I play it moslty with wind orchestras where I am generally a "one tuba" section. Tuba players are still not that many over here in Italy, and most of the times you have to sound for 2, and this Holton helps me a lot on that purpose, specially since I use a Conn 1 mouthpiece with it.
Gionata
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
I have a lot of fun with the Cerveny F helicon on outside gigs. The upper register is easy and has a very sweet sound. The horn is pretty much in tune with itself, but Matt Walters had to do some corrective work to free up the tuning slides and snug the gooseneck.
There's a very strong pedal F, but from the pedal F up through low C is work.
The drawback is that the ergonomics could cause wrist and forearm injury over time if this were my only horn.
Dean E
[S]tudy politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy . . . in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry [and] music. . . . John Adams (1780)
That is four out of the five of us in the sousa section this school year, taken on the first day of band camp. I am on the left, my twin brother in next to me. If you wanted to know why the guy on the left is using a Miraphone 186 instead of a sousa is because his was completely broken and the guy in the back took the 4th sousa because his had a broken neck which could not be repaired. My brother's has electrical tape around the bits because one of the bits broke and could not be repaired. Lesson to be learned is that Yamaha sousas are junk.
The first is a Picture from the Local Newspaper. That's me on the right with my Conn Sousaphone, marching in the opening parade for the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee with the Ophir Prison Marching Kazoo Band & Temperence Society LTD. The second is me with my BBb Alexander Kaiser after bringing it home. Had a Civil war gig that same day which explains my wool pants.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
1970's Walter Sear Deprins BBb Tuba
1915 Martin Eb EEb Tuba
1908 Sherman Clay & CO EEB Sousaphone
1900's Stowasser F Tuba
1896 Henry Distin EEB Tuba
KiltieTuba wrote:If you hold on to the neck while playing like practically everyone, you put more stress on the parts (as well as overtightening the gooseneck screw). If you shift the instrument to your right and have it rest just on your left shoulder (play more front to back instead of side to side), the bell will be just to the left of your head. The bits will come in toward your mouth from the left (top of the curve pointing to your left). This allows for tall hats and plumes to be worn. Then you place your left hand either on the main top branch or underneath the valve section.
That is how you wear a sousaphone and keep it from undergoing too much unnecessary stress.
That would be a good idea IF the neck and bits wouldn't move all that much.I had to tighten my screw all of the way and my neck would still move (something was bent). Once these are repaired I will be trying that, but not for the hats as we wear berets. So hold it something like the guy on the left in the picture above?
KiltieTuba wrote:If you hold on to the neck while playing like practically everyone, you put more stress on the parts (as well as overtightening the gooseneck screw). If you shift the instrument to your right and have it rest just on your left shoulder (play more front to back instead of side to side), the bell will be just to the left of your head. The bits will come in toward your mouth from the left (top of the curve pointing to your left). This allows for tall hats and plumes to be worn. Then you place your left hand either on the main top branch or underneath the valve section.
That is how you wear a sousaphone and keep it from undergoing too much unnecessary stress.
That would be a good idea IF the neck and bits wouldn't move all that much.I had to tighten my screw all of the way and my neck would still move (something was bent). Once these are repaired I will be trying that, but not for the hats as we wear berets. So hold it something like the guy on the left in the picture above?
More or less, yea. Although the bell should be further left and the body further right. Here's picture of John Kuhn holding the sousaphone properly from one of the Conn catalogs
Sure the sousaphone is a Grand Jumbo, but the principle/design still applies to normal sized sousaphones. Think of it as a helicon - you're on horseback, holding the reigns in one hand and playing with the other. The body can't lie in front of you like how you wear it now, it has to lie on the side of you, like the picture above. John could easily sit on a horse while playing that as is.
So that is how to hold it I wish to go out on a ride on a motorcycle and practice at the same time? I would guess if you could figure out a way to put it down then pick it back up you could also you it as an air brake. In all seriousness I shall have to try that hold although the way we have them in the picture is not how we hold them usually, it was just like that because we were sitting on a couch. The dude in the back is holding it how we usually hold it, except he doesn't have his hand on the neck like we usually do.
