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Poll

Every audition list I’ve seen in the past 10 years has said “no mute” for this and Pictures. Pokorny mentions he never uses a mute in this section with the Chicago Symphony as it really doesn’t fit.

A third option for the poll would be to email the personnel manager to ask the committee what they want to hear, as it is traditional practice to not use a mute.



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Side note—there was an audition that asked for the Sarabande from Bach’s Cello Suite no 5. I asked them if they wanted it at octave, original key or a transposed edition such as Sauer. I asked a couple of experienced colleagues on the circuit who said it’s always 8vb, just play it down the octave and how I was wasting my time and the personnel manager’s time.

I get an email back thanking me for clarifying, how when the committee was choosing the repertoire, they wanted to hear it in the cello octave in the original key and would update the list to clarify this.

I would play it on a gigantic 6/4 contrabass tuba instead of a bass tuba, so there's no possible mute that works well with that instrument, and then decide that the passage doesn't sound good muted and then make it my orchestra's policy to never mute that passage with the tuba. Because I'm so influential, other orchestras would follow suit in all regards.

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bloke wrote: Tue Aug 05, 2025 2:37 pm I would play it on a gigantic 6/4 contrabass tuba instead of a bass tuba, so there's no possible mute that works well with that instrument, and then decide that the passage doesn't sound good muted and then make it my orchestra's policy to never mute that passage with the tuba. Because I'm so influential, other orchestras would follow suit in all regards.

C’mon bloke, we all know you don’t like the York copies but this is pure conjecture. I’ve never had a problem with using a mute in a Yorkophone any worse than a smaller and/or shorter tuba.

Your Miraphone Bb is bigger and longer than the York, not to mention rotor valves too. Surely a York copy is going to be so much easier and clearer to play than one of those beasts?

Americans orchestras actually play a smaller, more friendly contrabass compared to what the Germans use IMO.

JC2 wrote: Tue Aug 12, 2025 7:24 am

bloke wrote: Tue Aug 05, 2025 2:37 pm I would play it on a gigantic 6/4 contrabass tuba instead of a bass tuba, so there's no possible mute that works well with that instrument, and then decide that the passage doesn't sound good muted and then make it my orchestra's policy to never mute that passage with the tuba. Because I'm so influential, other orchestras would follow suit in all regards.

C’mon bloke, we all know you don’t like the York copies but this is pure conjecture. I’ve never had a problem with using a mute in a Yorkophone any worse than a smaller and/or shorter tuba.

Your Miraphone Bb is bigger and longer than the York, not to mention rotor valves too. Surely a York copy is going to be so much easier and clearer to play than one of those beasts?

Americans orchestras actually play a smaller, more friendly contrabass compared to what the Germans use IMO.

The topic is Heldenleben, deciding to play with a gigantic tuba, and muting. Just because a whole bunch of people play it on gigantic contrabass tubas doesn't mean that it was written to be played on those things. The largest mutes made require corks that are so wide that they don't do much muting (mostly just muffling), and the low range is all screwed up when trying to mute gigantic tubas.
"... but MY mute and MY gigantic tuba..."
yeah, right.