Cool! Recording bell in orchestra.

[Toobist]

Giving the tunes that I'll be hearing tomorrow night in Montreal a listen today.

Found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg2i2NB-i3o

It'd been a long time since I've played/listened to this one.

And look! Bell-front tuba?!?! Cool.

[TUbajohn20J]

That was just awesome. I might try to use my big Conn in an orchestra now. Wonder how many dirty looks I'll get?

[bort]

Well that was certainly from a while ago!

Neat!

I wonder though, isn't a bell-front tuba MORE cumbersome in orchestra, given how much time we spend NOT playing during most pieces?

[Lee Stofer]

The main difference I notice between using a recording bell and an upright bell is that the recording bell does equally well in just about any venue, whether it is a great hall or an acoustic hell-hole. Over half a century ago, people knew that recording basses were more efficient than old-fashioned, one-piece upright-bell instruments. If someone had told me 20 years ago that I would one day use a pre-WWII Martin Mammoth BBb recording bass as my go-to horn for most gigs, I would have thought the person was high on something. But, as I started experimenting with using a BBb recording bass, colleagues and sound techs kept on telling me what I suspected, that I generally sounded better with these horns than with an expensive European rotor CC. Today, I find that I don't get hired for what horn I'm playing, but for how I play.

And, as for the "cumbersome" issue, I just lower the instrument to sit on it's bottom bow when not playing, and have something good to hide behind and lean on . . . .

[bort]

Well, as usual... shows what I know!

[TUbajohn20J]

The main difference I notice between using a recording bell and an upright bell is that the recording bell does equally well in just about any venue, whether it is a great hall or an acoustic hell-hole. . . .If someone had told me 20 years ago that I would one day use a pre-WWII Martin Mammoth BBb recording bass as my go-to horn for most gigs, I would have thought the person was high on something. . . .

Totally agree. I recently got a Conn 26J recording bell tuba and love it so much that it's my go-to horn and have been using it for everything. Currently looking to have it restored , then nobody will ever be able to pry it out of my hands after that.