Tritone 5th valve on a CC?

[Bob Kolada]

I THINK Bob is kidding....

Only a little bit.

The point of playing contrabass tubas, at least A point, is to have an easier time playing in what other instruments consider the low register. Why have 5 valves when we play 3 valve music most of the time? 3 "day to day" valves and 1 long one for the low register will do the job fine*. Less tubing and bracing on the horn=more resonant, simpler more intuitive fingerings (imo), the ability to have the long valve of a different bore and have more places to put it without being to tied to the other 3,...

I'm, kinda , putting my money where my mouth is on this. I'm getting an Eb built up (admittedly NOT a tuba but a valved bass trombone/cimbasso thing) with 3 valves. As it is it's meant to take the place of a bass trombone with the least amount of valves and least amount of tubing (3 valve F would mean no low Bb, 3 valve contra Bb is too big for what I want). If I really sync with the horn, in the not-so-long term I will have a larger 4th valve added as a rotary; most likely as a 2.5 step valve with a very long pull. Default tuning will probably be somewhere around a tritone, as possible on the 2J, 2280,...
The horn will actually be a bit bigger than my old F contratrumpet, so I know the initial concept will work.

*I can see a desire for something a bit more hardcore for those crazy brass band arrangements; I think I'd want a 4+2 Bb there.

[tclements]

Bob, I couldn't IMAGINE playing a tuba with less than 5 valves. There's almost NO way one can play in tune with less than that, without either a LOT of slide pulling, or lipping the pitch SO out of shape that the tone color suffers. We'll just have to agree to disagree....

[MartyNeilan]

That's kinda what Harvey Phillips did on his little Conn - play it as a 3 valve and have the 4th pulled long for the low register.
Almost bought me one of those Holton Phillips wannabes a little while back - same concept on them.

I THINK Bob is kidding....

Only a little bit.

The point of playing contrabass tubas, at least A point, is to have an easier time playing in what other instruments consider the low register. Why have 5 valves when we play 3 valve music most of the time? 3 "day to day" valves and 1 long one for the low register will do the job fine*. Less tubing and bracing on the horn=more resonant, simpler more intuitive fingerings (imo), the ability to have the long valve of a different bore and have more places to put it without being to tied to the other 3,...

I'm, kinda , putting my money where my mouth is on this. I'm getting an Eb built up (admittedly NOT a tuba but a valved bass trombone/cimbasso thing) with 3 valves. As it is it's meant to take the place of a bass trombone with the least amount of valves and least amount of tubing (3 valve F would mean no low Bb, 3 valve contra Bb is too big for what I want). If I really sync with the horn, in the not-so-long term I will have a larger 4th valve added as a rotary; most likely as a 2.5 step valve with a very long pull. Default tuning will probably be somewhere around a tritone, as possible on the 2J, 2280,...
The horn will actually be a bit bigger than my old F contratrumpet, so I know the initial concept will work.

*I can see a desire for something a bit more hardcore for those crazy brass band arrangements; I think I'd want a 4+2 Bb there.