Miraphone F tuba update

[matt g]

That’s a great photo for comparison.

I’d still be inclined to chop that fifth valve down to a flat whole step or two step just for general usefulness. Although this tuba is immensely interesting, I don’t think increasing it’s playability (imo) will negatively affect its future desirability.

[jtm]

That’s a great photo for comparison.

I’d still be inclined to chop that fifth valve down to a flat whole step or two step just for general usefulness. Although this tuba is immensely interesting, I don’t think increasing it’s playability (imo) will negatively affect its future desirability.

You're probably right (and you should know better than I do). I really like the solid low G with 2-4-5, though. And it's convenient that low Bb and Bb in the staff are both 1-5 (since just 1 for the higher Bb is usually too sharp, as is 1-4).

In the last brass band rehearsal, my reading was better (which I expected), but the sound and intonation was better, too, which was a happy surprise. The rehearsal space is a church that sounds pretty nice, and I got to play some soli parts with just a few other higher brass, and the sound blended nicely. It was fun.

[bloke]

I liked the previous post, because I like it when people report that they have fun playing music.

[MikeMason]

I think more people should try main tuning slide sticks when you have a horn you like but has intonation problems. As long as the main slide is vertical and long enough, it can be fairly easily and economically done. I find it also more comfortable to adjust a main slide stick with my left 2 and 3 fingers while thumb and other fingers grip top of outside bow, rather than reachable over or through to manipulate first or other slides.. Once you learn what to do with the stick, it can make tubas other people reject or cheaply unload play just find or maybe better than you might expect, while saving significant money. Just my opinions of course.

[jtm]

First performance tonight. For bloke's sake, it's still lots of fun.

It was a brass band mostly-Christmas show at the local public library (which closed at 5:00), there was actually an audience, the audience was bigger than the band, and the audience was not all friends and relatives. Most of the crowd had never seen a brass band, so the director had a chance to introduce all the weird instruments. We played stuff that was pretty easy to listen too, and it was fun.

Mouthpiece update: Mike Lynch kindly lent me a couple of mouthpieces to try, and the Blokepiece Imperial is the new winner! It sounds good, is easy to control, and either helps with the tuning quirks or is easy enough to bend the pitch with that (either way) tuning is working out much better. That definitely helps with the fun.

[bloke]

It sounds like you had a wonderful time and people really appreciated what you did. That's what it's all about.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Last night, people are being very gracious and expressing their gratitude for the program that was put on for them in a town in North Mississippi (linked in another thread via youtube). I was feeling like a zombie after driving there (hard rain and cataracts), a dress rehearsal, two shows, and facing driving home (hard rain, cataracts, dark, and sneaky cops), but realized that the important thing obviously was not me being hired to work but (rather) them being inspired and uplifted (during some pretty frightening times), did my best to reflect their gratitude with my own, and let them know that I was really feeling honored to be a part of their Christmas season.


Imperial is a very useful cup shape.
This sounds like a negative type of comment, but it's not:
It's still small enough to play an F tuba, and I occasionally (as one use of this cup) use it with mine to remove "color" from the sound - in order to sound more like those piston F tubas that everyone is manufacturing.. except with (unlike so many of those models of piston F tubas) easy intonation. I also obviously use it with my E flat tuba, as well as with a sousaphone.. and (yikes!) I need to fix myself up another sousaphone from the barn loft, because I just sold my sousaphone to someone and Mardi Gras is coming up.

[bloke]

See what happens when you hang around here too long...??

You end up owning a bunch of shiny, sorta-shiny, silver, or brown stuff.

Here's a real purdy King 2341SW (S - silver / W - with case) that I just sold...
The kid seems happy.
I didn't advertise it here (s. $4000) because I figured someone local would buy it.

[Mary Ann]

Looks like that tuba-sized kid is going to be a tuba-sized man, once he puts on some pounds.

[bloke]

Looks like that tuba-sized kid is going to be a tuba-sized man, once he puts on some pounds.

His Dad is tall, and a 188-owner just like @jtm

[jtm]

...
His Dad is tall, and a 188-owner just like @jtm

I wonder if I would feel differently about 188s if I'd grown up with them instead of just trying one last year? Would I have rebelled and gone after some huge American tuba with pistons? Or maybe I did grow up with them, listening to movie music, and didn't realize it.

[bloke]

I bought a very early one (gold brass / new) from the old California and later Texas-based sole importers (for about a thousand less than what had been current dealer price) back in the day. It had been rejected by the person who special ordered it, which should have put red flags up in front of my face. I suspect I know who ordered it, based on the custom features. It was undoubtedly the worst 188 I've ever played, with all that I've played since having been quite good.

I recently played one back-to-back after having just played my 98. I have to admit that the 88 felt really funny - having become accustomed to the 98 which is so very different, but I'm sure the reason it felt funny was because of that to which I have recently become accustomed.

[jtm]

So for that second space C you must be reading treble clef? That would be a hell of a note. I can hit the Bb below that but haven't ever tried for the C.

Second space from the bottom, bass clef. Is that not the right way to count lines and spaces? And yeah, sadly I have trouble hitting the treble clef concert C even on a euphonium or trombone. I really need to practice more...

[bloke]

You guys remind me how long it's been since I've been to Texas, and how I need to meet some of my new and old friends face to face.

[Mary Ann]

So for that second space C you must be reading treble clef? That would be a hell of a note. I can hit the Bb below that but haven't ever tried for the C.

Second space from the bottom, bass clef. Is that not the right way to count lines and spaces? And yeah, sadly I have trouble hitting the treble clef concert C even on a euphonium or trombone. I really need to practice more...

I don't know if there is a "right way" and probably I'm the one who is upside down. Wouldn't be the first time!!

[the elephant]

Lines and spaces are counted from bottom to top.

[jtm]

Like the Y axis of a graph rather than like TV raster lines.

[bloke]

Just remember:

...............Bigger
..............Get
.......Eventually
...Clefs
All

[jtm]

After playing a different F tuba the past couple of weeks, I picked up this one (the one that bort started the thread with) again, played a little, and the mid-range C was just fine. Crazy! Automatic lipping out of habit? Playing it loose enough that the pitches are more flexible? And why did it sound good after I'd spent two weeks with a different tuba? It's all very mysterious to me.

I didn't have problems like this playing bassoon. (probably made up for it with reed problems, though)

[bloke]

After playing a different F tuba the past couple of weeks, I picked up this one (the one that bort started the thread with) again, played a little, and the mid-range C was just fine. Crazy! Automatic lipping out of habit? Playing it loose enough that the pitches are more flexible? And why did it sound good after I'd spent two weeks with a different tuba? It's all very mysterious to me.

I didn't have problems like this playing bassoon. (probably made up for it with reed problems, though)

There's a phenomenon whereby - if there is a pitch which is acoustically out-of-tune, the player plays it in tune with an alternate fingering, and then goes back and plays it with the standard-yet-out-of-tune fingering, the pitch tends to be in tune with the out-of-tune fingering.

Yes: lipping

My huge Miraphone B-flat - as an example - features a 2-3 low F-sharp which rides slightly cents sharp naturally. As a drill, I push in the 1st slide all the way, push the 5th slide in most of the way, play that pitch in tune with the correct amount of tubing, and then go back and play it with 2-3 in tune. The drill trains both my ear and my mouth.

[bort2.0]

Tuba version of:

-- break up with girlfriend
-- meet someone new
-- of course the new gal is awesome because she's not gal #1
-- run into the gal #1 a few weeks later
-- "hey, she ain't so bad after all!"
-- split with gal #2
-- then you and gal #1 try to work it out, but soon remember the old ways...
-- 60/40 chance you won't stick around with gal #1 very long
-- [ring ring] hello, gal #2...?