Mini Travel F Tuba

[CC]

Talking to Gerhard at ITEC, I was under the impression that it's available now.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think he even quoted a price of 6K to 8K.

[Elliot Dushman]

hahaha this is hilarious.
just to clarify: the sound doesn't change really that much, it was just a personal preference. also the length of the tubing is not dramatically altered, so the pitch is also barely changed by playing without the bell. moreover, the video was taken with a cell phone, so i don't think the complexities of the changes in tone would be noticeable as picked up by those wonderfully high tech microphones they build into cell phones.

"Can you hear me now?"

Sorry to disappoint. No idea about the price or availability either, just saw one at a masterclass the other day.
Elliot

[Wyvern]

My understanding is that these come complete with a special case small enough to take on board a flight as hand luggage, or strong enough to go in the hold.

The ultimate portable tuba

Jonathan "who would quite like to try one"

[Tubainsauga]

I think 6/8000 is too expensive for the horn, AND too expensive for the need as well.

If I were (or ever become) a professional, having the ability to go on vacation and still bring along something at least resembling the instrument I play on a regular basis (something I can use my regular mouthpiece on) would be of great value. Also, I think the impetus for this project (if I remember correctly) was an instrument that could be carried with the musician while on tour with an orchestra where their main instrument was being transported elsewhere. The instrument will have it's uses but will also have a limited market.

[eupher61]

an F tuba is not a marching baritone...nor is it a euphonium. I'm sorry, Bob, but that is lousy reasoning!

[imperialbari]

What are the needs for a travel instrument?

Hardly performances or performance-like situations like rehearsals with an accompanist. Therefore no need for exact pitch in either F or another key (sorry for you guys with perfect pitch).

Will repertory practicing be relevant on a travel instrument? Hardly as the response will differ from that of any full size performance instrument anyway.

The needs rather will be warm-ups and the keeping of basic skills like various attack forms and lip trills/flexibility exercises.

Does the current market have such travel instruments available at prices way below the one quoted for the not yet marketed Meinl travel F tuba? I happen to think so!

My experience comes from my reasonable extensive collection of instruments, which includes 10 tubas/sousaphones, 6 baritones/euphs, and 16 trombones, which then all are outnumbered by the smaller brasses. I want to play all of the collection, which of course is not possible on a daily basis. I rarely come to the smaller brasses, as I always start with the contrabass tubas.

When changing to the smaller tubas I want to get the feel of the smaller mouthpieces. Instead of buzzing them I take the chance to put these mouthpieces in some of the brasses on which I otherwise would never play. Among these a Weltklang (named Forza) rotary valve trombone and an Eser C Kaiserbariton both will take tuba mouthpieces with the Denis Wick non-L stems. One can go very high on them, and also very low using fake notes Claude Gordon-style.

Not all large stem tuba mouthpieces have small stem equivalents, but large stem tuba mouthpieces will go into the receivers of my YEP-641 euph and of my Bb bass trombones (old B&H Sovereign and newer King VIIB). The bass bones of course take the knowledge of using slide and valves in combination, but quite a few tubists have messed a bit with bassbones anyway.

The comp euph also has some potential, if one thinks a bit like a player of double horns. Holding down the 4th valve gives a 3 valve F tuba. The 3-valves-only thing can be helped out on with a main tuning slide trigger. But what about the extended range of a 5 or 6 valve F tuba? The low Bb and down to F# can be played with the 4th valve up, whereafter F fingerings apply again with the 4th valve down. The upper range of course is that of a Bb tenor tuba.

Pitch and tuning may be a bit odd, but you will get a resonance for your basic training.

I have done the tuba mouthpiece thing for a period on the Sovereign bass bone, but only occasionally on the euph. My normal playing on euph and bassbone happens on the Yeo signature mouthpiece.

And yes, the Meinl travel tuba will be much more fun to put on the coffee table, and yes, I would like one myself for the fun of it, but not at the indicated price point. If I were to travel I have the euph and the bassbones, but for those having to buy such tools, they will be accessible on the 2nd hand market for prices way lower than the Meinl.

Klaus

[eupher61]

But, Bob...if I'm playing something on F tuba, why would I want to warm up, or practice, on a euphonium?

So, if you're hungry for mashed potatoes, do you go fix some rice?

You didn't say they were the same, no, but you suggested the euph would be a suitable substitute. It ain't.

[Wyvern]

I think unless one is an F tuba player, a much less expensive euphonium with tuba size mouthpiece inserted would serve the warm-up purposes just as well and could usefully double as a Bydlo tuba when required.

However, for the travelling professional (playing F tuba as is usual in Germany), this may be something well worth having. The high price is no doubt due partially to the research and develop costs spread over what is likely to be very low volume sells. Remember if it comes with a custom flight case, they are not cheap either.

[Uncle Buck]

I'm not sure Bob and Wade are saying extremely different things.

If a particular amateur player believes he/she gets adequate benefit from practicing on a euph or marching baritone while traveling, that player should not be in the market for this instrument.

For a professional who performs frequently on F tuba, and who travels extensively, this is a good, appropriately priced product.

[J.c. Sherman]

Buffing and lacquering so many tightly wrapped pipes will certainly take a lot of extra time as well - think nightmare, here, folks. My first look at one of these made me wince for the buffer and lacquer men at Melton, who probably will detest putting a factory finish on every one of these built! (If you have never refinished a tuba then you just do not know what a nasty PITA this little tuba will be for those particular gentlemen.)

AMEN! PIT_A!

J.c.

[THE TUBA]

I wouldn't exclude the possibility of using this horn in a "real" performance. I'm interested to hear how this horn blends with different sections of the orchestra. I would imagine that there are several situations that call for very light and dainty playing that this tuba would be great with. It is never going to replace a full-sized F, but it could (conceivably) be a 3rd horn for many players.

[imperialbari]

As it is not on the Meinl site, it will be hard to get a retail price.

K

[J.c. Sherman]

With a bell , it might be a good sub for an ophicleide, or old cimbasso (serpent relative).

Who knows. I can't wait to try one!

J.c.S.

[imperialbari]

As long as I am not even remotely a potential customer I won’t bother them.

Klaus

[tubabill]

I've played one of these at the Army Tuba Conference. Surprised the heck out of me!!!! I thought for its size it's pretty dang good!!

[Wyvern]

I've played one of these at the Army Tuba Conference. Surprised the heck out of me!!!! I thought for its size it's pretty dang good!!

Did you like its tone, or was the sound bigger than you expected?

[imperialbari]

The entertainment scene has upright string basses, which compensate their lack of resonance bodies by electronic equalisation and amplification. Tubists in that scene are sitting less than orchestral and band tubists and hence would benefit from lighter equipment.

I have experimented with picking up the sound from the inside of practicing mutes, and the result was amazingly good and non-distorted. It is quite easy to do the same as Yamaha did.

The upcoming of the very small tubas by at least 3 German makers make me pose this question:

Can the small tubas do what normal tubas can except for producing a large amount of sound? Are they well in tune? Are they even over the full range? Do they respond well over the full range? If so, it should be possible to play such lightweight instruments during performances and leave the volume element to the PA-systems.

A recent thread showed bloke taking part in kind of an indoor parade in Economy Hall in NO during a festival. A tiny tuba of course would be less spectacular than the radiant pimpophone, but with the sufficient number of antennas, the PA system should be able to catch the signals from a wireless microphone. With the right strategies the same approach could be used in street parades.

Klaus

PS: The visual aspect may be repaired with the right type of vocalist or drum major. I once was in a students’ clown type band, where the drum major promenaded his tails. Made out of his grandmother’s chequered summer coat and he twirling an umbrella.

I have told of our RSO tubist through maybe 4 decades, Erik Åkerwall, predecessor of Jens Bjørn-Larsen. On the side Åkerwall contracted with our soccer league providing the band for the big games in Copenhagen. The band was made up of the brasses and woodwind of the top orchestras. The playing was good, the marching was OK, but not extremely disciplined. Åkerwall had an eye for finding eye-catching female drum majors.

One became quite well known. Suddenly she didn’t appear any more. The bandsmen, among them my teacher Svend Rasmussen, asked where she was. Åkerwall reluctantly said that she was no good any longer.

Eventually the reason showed up. Åkerwall had knocked her up, and their son is very active as a musician and conductor nowadays.

This just as a warning about the perspectives of getting a visual replacement for a pimpophone.

[tubabill]

I've played one of these at the Army Tuba Conference. Surprised the heck out of me!!!! I thought for its size it's pretty dang good!!

Did you like its tone, or was the sound bigger than you expected?

I thought it was pretty open. I was in a crowded exhibition hall so I couldn't tell intonation. I play CC mainly so someone who plays an F would have a better opinion. But yes is had a huge sound and could handle playing loud fine for something so small.