3 vs 4 Valve Tubas/Euphs Pedagogical Use

[prodigal]

"Because my teacher has one" is often not a good reason to choose a particular type of equipment. -bloke

But then, we won't have a musical instrument arms race, will we?

By the way, bloke and others: Is the type of tuba favored in an area kind of like string bassists and their bows? Baltimore seems to be a French bow area, if I remember correctly from a quarter century ago, Pittsburgh was a German town.

Do the geographical areas seem to favor a given key and or/make of instrument? It seems like Texas is heavy with Miraphones (at least ones for sale used.) Baltimore Brass is heavy with piston horns, it seems.

Just wondering. Our school has a bunch of 4/4 BBb top action Jupiters and Yamaha BBbs. There are some old fiberglass Kings and new (overpriced) Jupiters. The 186 BBb is staying locked up for a while.

[prodigal]

Sorry, but this is a great discussion thread! Good discussion from different viewpoints. If only politicians could figure this out!

Bloke: I tell my students: If you want a good instrument, sorry, you have to pay yourself. I try to provide them good school instruments, but I was talking about this with my star Freshman violinist and cellist at the end of class today about the violinists instrument and his sister's which he was carrying. He was noticing how much heavier his instrument was than his sister's and I explained that this is a difference in the woods. Both are VERY nice violins, one from the turn of the century (I guess I have to say the 20th century now) and the other from 1921. His is heavier with more figure in the wood, vs. hers which has straighter grain. We then contrasted how much lighter than the school instruments around. I told them that their own higher intermediate and professional grade instruments are made to sound good, while school-based, student instruments are merely meant to make a representative tone, but to SURVIVE children, that is why they are heavy. They are built like tanks to survive.

I'll have to learn how to post pics, as I'd love to show the size difference between my 1960 186CC and the 2004 186 BBb. It looks like a Kaiser against my horn. I think I'm becoming biased towards the old 186s.

If my boys are serious about playing, and stop beating the crap out of each other all of the time, I'll make room for another instrument in the basement.

[Schlitzz]

1. Trombones- I favor using straight old King cleveland's, moving up to a reconditioned 3BF. Using Kelly 6.5 al's. Durable. I'll sandpaper the kelly's for proper shank fit.

2. No euphs. Just 3-4 valve baritones, small shank receivers. Advanced students can start with 321's, 4th valve played with left index, might change leadpipe receiver for more options.

3. Tubas- Ergonomics for chair, music stand, instrument stand. 4 side action rotors/pistons.


These are personal preferences. Each student will have different needs, budgets. If only the viola studios had..... Oh well.......

[bloke]

1. Trombones- I favor using straight old King cleveland's, moving up to a reconditioned 3BF. Using Kelly 6.5 al's. Durable. I'll sandpaper the kelly's for proper shank fit.

2. No euphs. Just 3-4 valve baritones, small shank receivers. Advanced students can start with 321's, 4th valve played with left index, might change leadpipe receiver for more options.

3. Tubas- Ergonomics for chair, music stand, instrument stand. 4 side action rotors/pistons.


These are personal preferences. Each student will have different needs, budgets. If only the viola studios had..... Oh well.......

Violas would be good instruments if they had six strings and frets.

[Schlitzz]

1. Trombones- I favor using straight old King cleveland's, moving up to a reconditioned 3BF. Using Kelly 6.5 al's. Durable. I'll sandpaper the kelly's for proper shank fit.

2. No euphs. Just 3-4 valve baritones, small shank receivers. Advanced students can start with 321's, 4th valve played with left index, might change leadpipe receiver for more options.

3. Tubas- Ergonomics for chair, music stand, instrument stand. 4 side action rotors/pistons.


These are personal preferences. Each student will have different needs, budgets. If only the viola studios had..... Oh well.......

Violas would be good instruments if they had six strings and frets.

Play everything in A, a good Country key, and fence them off in chicken wire for personal safety.

[MikeS]

These are personal preferences. Each student will have different needs, budgets. If only the viola studios had..... Oh well.......

Violas would be good instruments if they had six strings and frets.

Oddly enough, they used to; sometimes even seven strings. However, the newfangled liras da braccio had the “advantage” of being louder and swept their cousins the viols into the dustbin of history. @Schlitzz, how about outfitting your students with a section of these?

[bloke]

A is a "related" country CHORD, but not so much a country "key".

"Cowboy G" is the center of the universe for country music.

(thumb on third fret of 6th string, and ring finger on third fret of first string...B-natural on the A-string is bad voicing any-o-ways.)

y'all obviously don't know sheeit about country music, which is one of the reasons why it has degenerated into two-chord/incomplete-sentences "country rap".

[Schlitzz]

A is a "related" country CHORD, but not so much a country "key".

"Cowboy G" is the center of the universe for country music.

(thumb on third fret of 6th string, and ring finger on third fret of first string...B-natural on the A-string is bad voicing any-o-ways.)

y'all obviously don't know sheeit about country music, which is one of the reasons why it has degenerated into two-chord/incomplete-sentences "country rap".

At 1:22 of the clip.

[bloke]

You know that's Steve Cropper over there on the left of the screen playing the guitar solo, yes?

A minor...??
That's not a "country" key, that's a "western" key.

I understand that all of this terminology is confusing, but most of you have not studied country music pedagogy nor western music pedagogy, and - just because it's called "cowboy G" - doesn't mean that it's western.

bloke "who actually wrote a slow western shuffle tune one time called 'I'm a Dixieland Cowboy'."

(western shuffle bass line:

G (D-E-D) D (D-E-D) etc...)

[bloke]

[Schlitzz]

You know that's Steve Cropper over there on the left of the screen playing the guitar solo, yes?

A minor...??
That's not a "country" key, that's a "western" key.

I understand that all of this terminology is confusing, but most of you have not studied country music pedagogy nor western music pedagogy, and - just because it's called "cowboy G" - doesn't mean that it's western.

bloke "who actually wrote a slow western shuffle tune one time called 'I'm a Dixieland Cowboy'."

(western shuffle bass line:

G (D-E-D) D (D-E-D) etc...)

Donald Duck, Blue Lou, et al too. Cowboys, country music, Boeing engineers, and horses. Yeah, I’m in Kitsapalaccia, versus Enumclaw.

[bloke]

You know that's Steve Cropper over there on the left of the screen playing the guitar solo, yes?

A minor...??
That's not a "country" key, that's a "western" key.

I understand that all of this terminology is confusing, but most of you have not studied country music pedagogy nor western music pedagogy, and - just because it's called "cowboy G" - doesn't mean that it's western.

bloke "who actually wrote a slow western shuffle tune one time called 'I'm a Dixieland Cowboy'."

(western shuffle bass line:

G (D-E-D) D (D-E-D) etc...)

Donald Duck, Blue Lou, et al too. Cowboys, country music, Boeing engineers, and horses. Yeah, I’m in Kitsapalaccia, versus Enumclaw.

... I got nuthin'...

[Schlitzz]

Dadgummit, I’m watching Philip and the Colts.

[bloke]

Dadgummit, I’m watching Philip and the Colts.

sweet potato chips, homemade apple chips, or a thin sliver of German chocolate cake...
tough decisions... part of struggling with first world problems

pedagogical tubas:
Fewer people need to major in sociology and more people need to major in tuba fixin', so band directors quit junking old tubas and quit buying so many new ones.

Fixing keeps money in the US and buying new mostly sends money to China. It doesn't matter how many valves.

[Mary Ann]

Home made apple chips -- makes me think of getting the dehydrator out of the garage. How do you make them?

[prodigal]

Home made apple chips -- makes me think of getting the dehydrator out of the garage. How do you make them?

Core and slice apples thinly. Make sure you spray cooking spray on the trays of your dehydrator. Dehydrate on low until fully dried. I like Jonathan and Empire apples best dehydrated.

[Mary Ann]

Jonathans are my all time favorite but I cant get them here. They only have tasteless apples here. Thanks, I may work up the wherewithal.

[prodigal]

I guess apples are a challenge in the desert.

It's 12 degrees outside with 7 inches of snow here, so I guess we pay for the produce.

I had a baby goat die on Friday, and his bigger but still little cousin is in a crate sleeping next to my youngest son's bed.

Mt German shepherd thinks it's door dash, I have to keep her in a different behind the closed door.

My school orchestra concert is tomorrow and I'm already wanting spring.