mnemonic for 5v noncomp CC tuba fingerings

[aaronliu]

I came up with a way to remember the valve combinations on a 5v noncompensating CC tuba.
I'd like to know if this is conceptually right.

Here's the mnemonic:

My thumb has 2 big bones in it, so it lowers the pitch by 2 big half steps.
My index finger is my second finger, it lowers the pitch by 2 half steps.
My middle finger is the longest "one" so it lowers the pitch by 1 half step
My ring finger has three bones, so it lowers the pitch by 3 half steps
My pinky is the fifth finger, so it lowers the pitch by 5 half steps.

So starting from no valves depressed,

to play the tone with no valves engaged, press no valves
to lower by 1 step press the middle finger
to lower by 2 half steps, press the index finger
to lower by 3 half steps press the middle and index fingers: 1+2=3
to lower by 4 half steps press the middle and ring fingers: 1+3=4
to lower by 5 half steps press the pinky
to lower by 6 half steps press the thumb, middle, and ring fingers: 2+1+3=6, like holding a bowling ball
to lower by 7 half steps press the thumb and pinky: 2+5=7
to lower by 8 half steps press the middle, ring, and pinky: 1+3+5=9, but you need the extra tubing to make 8 half steps

[eupher61]

3 thoughts:

1) that applies to most tubas, with exceptions for the alternate possiblities for the 5th valve, no matter what the key.

2) You obviously have too much time on your hands.

3) That's far too much work.

[MartyNeilan]

And this dates me, but this is how I learned bass clef spaces:

Amy
Carter
Eats
Garbage

(It was supposed to be Granola)

[Worth]

And this dates me, but this is how I learned bass clef spaces:

Amy
Carter
Eats
Garbage

(It was supposed to be Granola)

I didn't have my glasses on and thought it said Grandma
Maybe had something to do with just watching The Walking Dead tonight

[Ken Herrick]

Maybe bassoon would be a better instrument for you. Then you could work out finger and toe combinations to remember what keys to push.

By the way, anybody know what happened to Missouri? This place has really lost its sense of humour since he left.

Watch out Joe - there is a new contender for numerical champion poster.

[aaronliu]

thanks, guys. i will try to not post too much. just trying to learn a lot.

[bort]

If that makes it easier for you to remember, by all means, go for it. Don't make it any harder for yourself!

[jsmn4vu]

I am reminded of people who try to learn Morse code by memorizing patterns of dots and dashes. For example, an 'L' would be dot-dash-dot-dot.

That works, sort of, up to about five words per minute, but the real way to learn it is to associate the SOUND of the complete letter (di-dah-di-dit) with 'L.'

Likewise, the way to learn brass fingerings is by establishing a direct connection between the note on the paper and the fingering/sound of the note on the horn. Mnemonics may work well for whole notes, but when you get to passages of 16th notes, they can only get in the way.

[TubaRay]

thanks, guys. i will try to not post too much. just trying to learn a lot.

Cut that out. You post all you damned well want if you're trying to learn. It's the people who post and post on here without learning or contributing anything positive that suck the life out of this.

Anyone says anything to you about posting to much, fuq'em.

Yeah! Those who complain that you post too much need to be reminded that we can ignore anything we choose to ignore.

[bighonkintuba]

I've found that the ignore (foe) feature of the BBS software can significantly reduce bothersome exposure to 5.98% of all Tubenet posts without the user having to pretend to ignore them.

Yeah! Those who complain that you post too much need to be reminded that we can ignore anything we choose to ignore.

[iiipopes]

I came up with a way to remember the valve combinations on a 5v noncompensating CC tuba.
I'd like to know if this is conceptually right.

Here's the mnemonic:

My thumb has 2 big bones in it, so it lowers the pitch by 2 big half steps.
My index finger is my second finger, it lowers the pitch by 2 half steps.
My middle finger is the longest "one" so it lowers the pitch by 1 half step
My ring finger has three bones, so it lowers the pitch by 3 half steps
My pinky is the fifth finger, so it lowers the pitch by 5 half steps.

So starting from no valves depressed,

to play the tone with no valves engaged, press no valves
to lower by 1 step press the middle finger
to lower by 2 half steps, press the index finger
to lower by 3 half steps press the middle and index fingers: 1+2=3
to lower by 4 half steps press the middle and ring fingers: 1+3=4
to lower by 5 half steps press the pinky
to lower by 6 half steps press the thumb, middle, and ring fingers: 2+1+3=6, like holding a bowling ball
to lower by 7 half steps press the thumb and pinky: 2+5=7
to lower by 8 half steps press the middle, ring, and pinky: 1+3+5=9, but you need the extra tubing to make 8 half steps

Uh, no.
2nd valve = one half step, or a minor second.
1st valve = two half steps or a whole step, or a major second.
3rd valve = three half steps, or a whole and a half step, or a minor third, and is the same as 1+2. But unless you have a Besson 3-valve compensating tuba, where 3 alone is the preferred fingering, on conventional tubas 1+2 is the preferred fingering because 3 is usually set long to get 2+3 in tune.
You missed 2+3, which lowers the pitch two whole steps, or four half steps, or a major third
4th valve = two and one half steps, or a perfect fourth, the same as 1+3, but 4 is set longer because 1+3 will be sharp unless you pull something to get it in tune
4+2 = three whole steps, or an augmented fourth, or diminished fifth, and may need a pull to get in tune.

Then we start adding the fifth valve long whole step to 4th valve so that 4+5, or some call it the Thumb valve, 4+T, to get three and a half steps, or a perfect fifth down (open low CC to the F below that)
1+5 or 1+T are usually not in tune, but are flat due to the length of 5 or T to work with 4, so 2+3 is the preferred fingering for two whole steps down.

And it goes on from there down to pedal CC, but each horn has its quirks and you may need to experiment with different valve combinations and pulls to get the near-pedal tones in tune.

Then you can learn all these alternate fingerings that may need to be used for trills or fast passages where the primary fingerings may not work as well, along with any alternate fingerings to even out the pitch characteristics of your particular instrument, for example, the dreaded flat fifth partials.

[The Big Ben]

As both a tuba player and a radio amateur, I can attest to both fingerings and morse code.

As stated in another post, Morse is best learned by connecting a sound to a letter. Then, it's the sound of two or more letters together, then words. The guys that really do Morse code (used to be in the military now amateurs who really dig sending and receiving code) can go 30 WPM and up. They no longer even hear words. They now hear sentences. Of course, Morse communications are not like reading the newspaper. There are plenty of abbreviations. "GE" means 'good evening' "QSL?" means "Did you understand what I just sent?" "QSL" means "I understand what you just sent". And so forth. Morse is no longer necessary to get an amateur ticket in the US (and most everywhere else) but that is not to say that Morse isn't fun. Using Morse, a ham can build a little, very low powered radio and string up a wire, connect it to a few flashlight batteries and talk to people all over your state and country. When lucky, all over the world. Now, though, the problem is just about all of the hams on the air want to go at 20-30 WPM. If you are learning morse and are struggling through at 10 WPM, few people will slow down to talk to you. The best way to get the speed up is to get on the air and talk to people. Learn to communicate by communicating. Listening to tapes or using a computer program gets boring after you learn all of the letters, numbers and signs and want to practice to get up to 15 WPM where some guys will slow down for you.

The mind works similarly with music. If you look at a beginner's book (Any for any instrument- Rubank's are good), the author teaches a couple of fingerings and notes on the first page some more on the second page, some more on the third page and, on the bottom of the third or fourth page, a couple of goofy little songs using the notes which have been learned. Perhaps a goofy little song but you can tell yourself, "Hey! I'm makin' music here!" Further into the book, when a new fingering is introduced, it is marked on the first two lines of the drills all by itself. By the third line, the marking goes away. And so on... In a raw beginner's book, key signatures, time signatures, accents and dynamic markings are introduced along the way. By the second half of the book, the student is learning scales and rhythm patterns which will be used over and over again. "The best" books have duets written in the back so the student can play with the teacher. Teacher takes top, student takes bottom. Reverse, lather, rinse, repeat. "Playing music" is the best way to learn to play music.

When the instrument comes or if you can bum a BBb horn right now, get a Rubank's #1 and a Rubank's #2 and get started. You know how to read music so that will be a cinch. You can learn the fingerings as you go through the book and play the goofy little tunes as you go along and maybe write a few goofy little tunes yourself. The Rubank's are written for BBb so the fingerings are taught in a progression for BBb. When your new horn arrives, write in the fingerings for a CC and go for it. The progression of learning the fingerings won't be as logical as they are for a BBb horn but, oh, well... Live with it. If the only horn you can find right now is an Eb, get it, use the same book and learn to play the tuba. By the time your horn gets here, you should be able to make real music out of it quickly.

Writing in fingerings is not the worst thing you could do if you write in the sticky ones on the first or second line of the drill and no more. As you progress, you fingers, eyes and brain will recognize four and five measure passages which commonly occur and you no longer think of individual notes. I think you said you play the bass guitar. You don't play individual notes. You play a pattern of notes and your fingers learn the patterns and, when you see it noted on the page, you just do it.

That's it for me. Get playing as soon as possible. If you have such a wild hair up your *** to start playing the tuba, get on it. Try to get a tuba but, heck, if you can only get a $50 trumpet (or baritone horn/euphonium or valve 'bone), buy it, get a Rubank's #1 and get going...

[The Big Ben]

thanks, guys. i will try to not post too much. just trying to learn a lot.

Cut that out. You post all you damned well want if you're trying to learn. I

Yeah! Those who complain that you post too much need to be reminded that we can ignore anything we choose to ignore.

However, you really need to avoid "post-arherra". Think twice, post once. And posting pictures of food, beer girls and beer girls with food can make up for a lot of sins...

[barry grrr-ero]

You're waaay ahead of me - I had to look up the word "mnemonic" (can't pronounce it and can't spell it).