Wessex Helicon

[Doc]

Man, Bill, I'll never get tired of your sound.

I've always wondered, though: American tubists seem to insist that helicon is played commonly in blasmusik bands, but I usually see baritone more often than any form of tuba, especially in oberkrainer music. I assume the helicon was more often seen in Czech bands?

Oberkrainer makes use of baritone almost exclusively. Helicons are used in various bands around SW Germany. Not in the traditional Ernst Mosch instrumentation, of course (BBb and F are the normal choices). Smaller groups with only one tuba often employ F tuba, some occasionally BBb, and sometimes helicon.

BBb tuba:


F tuba:


Helicon:




Ernst Mosch:


Oberkrainer with baritone (yes, even the low stuff):


Same tune on tuba:

[Doc]

My other comment, because I laughed when you said it is light weight -- and it looks like 100% of that weight is on your shoulder, would be -- if you put about 20% of your body weight on your shoulder like that (as I would be doing) would you still call it light weight?

The Eb weighs 17lbs. Not much for a gorilla like me, especially with the shoulder pad. I’m guessing you might prefer to use a stand…?

[Mary Ann]

I've never had access to that type of stand, but the problem is always that I have the equivalent of a receding chin / overbite (because of a "dent" in my chin where the bottom of the rim goes,) and the angle of the leadpipe has to be a certain way or my face doesn't even touch the bottom of the rim. If you look at a picture of Dave Zerkel playing -- like that.
Compare that to a picture of you from your post, with the tuba actually tilting the other way.

[BopEuph]

Oberkrainer makes use of baritone almost exclusively. Helicons are used in various bands around SW Germany. Not in the traditional Ernst Mosch instrumentation, of course (BBb and F are the normal choices). Smaller groups with only one tuba often employ F tuba, some occasionally BBb, and sometimes helicon.

This makes a lot of sense! Around here the bands are kinda-sorta oberkrainer bands, usually being drums, tuba, accordion and horn/guitar doubler. There's a couple of tuba players who insist on playing helicon in them. It's definitely a unique combination, but I do like the tuba alternative to baritone, bringing in a bigger sound than baritone.

By the way, I just got a Holton 4v bell-front euphonium with very similar specs to the Willi Grafeneder's horn, just so I can play some other fun stuff in Oktoberfest bands.

[BopEuph]

Also, just like the oberkrainer recording you posted, I've noticed studio recordings almost always have the baritone play more than one track. In this one, it sounds like it's just the baritone playing both the bass and melody, but in many, it's that they go back and overdub the baritone part with a bass guitar, playing the same exact part down an octave. Which is funny, when you consider they don't hire the extra player to do that live.

[LeMark]

Fyi, starting tomorrow, the helicons are going on sale

[Mary Ann]

Yeahbut you won't get one that has been slicked up by Matt Walters.

[Doc]

Also, just like the oberkrainer recording you posted, I've noticed studio recordings almost always have the baritone play more than one track. In this one, it sounds like it's just the baritone playing both the bass and melody, but in many, it's that they go back and overdub the baritone part with a bass guitar, playing the same exact part down an octave. Which is funny, when you consider they don't hire the extra player to do that live.

That is fairly common.

On a different note…

[BopEuph]

That's really cool. You know, about 5 years ago, I saw a tenor helicon in a local antique store. Had no clue what to think about it so I didn't get it. Now I regret it; I don't think it's there anymore.