Bobo and fat-belled instruments...

ufoneum · Post by **ufoneum** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 3:26 pm

Read Steve Mead's response at:

http://www.euphonium.net/articles/euphtrial.html

Very funny stuff...

- Pat Stuckemeyer

and, yes... it is supposed to be a joke.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:42 pm

Bobo's right--we should go house-to-house and seize tubas and euphoniums of any persuasion and melt them down to make a bunch of these:

Not pretty at all.

Kevin Hendrick · Post by **Kevin Hendrick** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:53 pm

So what's wrong with pretty, anyway?

Mark Preece · Post by **Mark Preece** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 6:00 pm

You can join in on the discussion here:

http://www.tubanews.com/forums/showthread.php?t=539

There are a lot of interesting discussions that take place at Tuba News!

MikeMason · Post by **MikeMason** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 7:09 pm

i almost believed until he said "gig"

jameseuph642 · Post by **jameseuph642** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 11:28 pm

Thank you Steven Mead!

JTJ · Post by **JTJ** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:01 pm

To me the whole thing seems contrived. Silly opinion meets with laboured metaphor. Truth obscured.

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:05 pm

JTJ wrote:To me the whole thing seems contrived. Silly opinion meets with laboured metaphor. Truth obscured.

I have to agree. In turning it into a joke, Mr. Mead never addressed the basic issue. Is there a difference in tone between instruments played softly and instruments played loudly? Yes, and we hope that is so, because otherwise expression could be controlled by riding the gain on a sound system.

Does the euphonium have a narrower range of tonal differences between soft and loud than other orchestral brass instruments? I think with respect to trombones, horns, and trumpets, the answer must be yes. With respect to tubas, I think that depends on the tuba player and the instrument. Bobo was certainly one who demonstrated the Power Sound, which to me epitomizes the notion that loud sounds need a different timbre than soft sounds.

There are euphonium performers who can indeed vary the tonal palette considerably. Demondrae Thurmond comes to mind as one who can produce a true high-intensity loud power sound, for example. But I have to admit that most euphonium players I hear never produce that sort of power, even when they play really loud.

I will step even further out on the limb that is already sagging under me by suggesting that Fletcher's recording of the Vaughan Williams is an example of a sound that is too pretty for the music being played. There is a time to sing, a time to laugh, and even a time to scream, and all I hear is singing. It's admirably beautiful, but I confess that I prefer the renditions that make me laugh from time to time.

Rick "agreeing with Bobo even if he meant it in jest" Denney

TubeNet

Bobo and fat-belled instruments...

SM