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Re: Low Tuba Notes

To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Low Tuba Notes
From: saxhorn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Adrian Drover (Brass Band List))
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 97 16:03:10 BST
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As an arranger I like to write the occasional super-low notes that were not
possible on the old 3-valve tubas. Four valves, compensating systems and wider
bores have enabled better quality and easier production of these notes.
However, I am sometimes at a loss to decide which of the instruments, Eb or Bb,
should take the lowest note in the score.

It is evident that the concert pitch notes F & E, 4 ledger lines below the bass
clef, are easier to produce on the Bb instrument using 4th valve for F and 2+4
for E. On the Eb instrument these two notes are stuffy and difficult to bend
into tune, due to the combination of 1st, 3rd & 4th valves, which is outside
the scope of the compensating system. It also makes sense to give the larger
instrument the lowest note.

But what about the notes just below this register?

Note    Eb tuba       Bb tuba       

Eb      0	     1+4
D       2	     1+2+4 (or 3+4)
Db      1	     2+3+4
C       1+2 (or 3)    1+3+4
B       2+3	   1+2+3+4

It would seem that the smaller Eb instrument (using pedal tones) now has the
advantage over its big brother (confined to stuffy 2nd harmonic valve
combinations) in producing a clear, in tune note. 

Below this register, BBb downward, the Bb tuba becomes king again.

I look forward to comments from other arranger/composers and tuba players on
this subject.

Cheers, Adrian

PS. My apologies to British Brass Banders for using the word *tuba* instead of
*bass*.    
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mailto business:     adios@xxxxxxxxxxxxx		     
mailto personal: bossanova@xxxxxxxxxxxxx    (Glasgow, Scotland)


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