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I just got back from a rehearsal at a huge church in Memphis, and it was basically the principals of the Memphis Symphony except for a stray bloke - which formed a string quintet and a brass quintet, I think the idea was to cover enough of the parts of some full orchestra charts - combined with organ or piano and timpani - to (sort of) sound like an orchestra.

Most everything was loud as hell. They seem to like to program those sorts of charts. I took the compact Holton B-flat, but - having forgotten that it was only ten players plus a percussionist (I had been told ) - I had plenty of room for more gear. I'm thinking about taking the big "Hollywood-sounding" B-flat on Sunday morning and the cimbasso (to cover two or three barky bass/2nd trombone parts), but then I started thinking about just bringing the F tuba, because it's freshly cleaned out, playing fabulously again (as it always does, after being cleaned), and some of you probably remember me cutting through a really loud organ in a YouTube recording of the Organ Symphony finale (C major), so why not just bring the F tuba - which can play all of the broad low stuff, as well as the snappy above the staff stuff in those trombone parts - and forget dragging all that gear in there?

@BRS

By ""Hollywood", I was referring to the big six quarter type of tuba sound.

bloke wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 7:36 am @BRS

By ""Hollywood", I was referring to the big six quarter type of tuba sound.

Like the sound of those guys who used to play in the LA Phil? You know, in those recordings with the epic tuba playing and really sloppy everything-else playing?

real question: is your Holton BBb on blokeprobation yet?

arpthark wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 7:46 am

bloke wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 7:36 am @BRS

By ""Hollywood", I was referring to the big six quarter type of tuba sound.

Like the sound of those guys who used to play in the LA Phil? You know, in those recordings with the epic tuba playing and really sloppy everything-else playing?

real question: is your Holton BBb on blokeprobation yet?

I used the Holton last night, but I would probably sell it. Before selling it, I'd like to go back over it and make a few things just a little bit nicer.

This is off topic, but I've been messing around with mouthpieces to use with the Holton, and last night I just moved down roughly 1/2mm in cup opening without changing the rim profile, and it was probably the best thing I've tried yet. As I said in another thread, I think people put less stock in rim profiles and cup/embouchure opening sizes than they should, I believe these are really important, and have a huge effect.

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more topical:
This church has a pretty magnificent pipe organ, including some of those European trumpet things on both sides of the back of the sanctuary. This new organist is into his seventies and retired from being the amazing/virtuoso choir director at Mississippi Boulevard Church which - well - you should just hear that choir. Anyway he's also a magnificent organist/pianist. He sure likes to pull out a lot of stops when playing the organ. My ears were ringing at the end of that rehearsal, and keep in mind that it was just a brass quintet, a string quintet, and a timpani playing with him (Leo Davis).
https://fulbright.uark.edu/black-music/ ... /davis.php

The church where I'm working this week is a multiple-city-blocks size (huge) non-affiliated Presbyterian church that - socially/culturally - is moving from being a mostly-white church to an all-races church. My friend, Leo, is the organist/pianist at this retirement job of his but two other gentlemen are the choir directors. Honestly, this church's choir is good, but it just doesn't compare to Leo's choir that he had over at Mississippi Boulevard. The quantity and quality of sound that choir would put out was absolutely amazing, and they did everything from Baroque to classical to early 20th century, but their specialty was spirituals. I can't describe how how much I was awed when hearing them perform those. Further, I don't ever recall seeing them reading sheet music, whether it was any of the classical music or their spirituals. Everything was memorized/learned - as I've discussed before, learning something being a level above memorizing something.

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F tuba:

I was able to balance and cut through a medium size pipe organ (elsewhere) playing the "Organ Symphony" with this instrument, but I just don't know if I can compete with those two sets of whatever-they're-called two sets of "trumpet pipes" mounted in the back of the sanctuary with this considerably larger pipe organ.

The Memphis Symphony assistant concertmaster violinist isn't just wearing ear plugs, but is actually wearing some earphones ear protection. I don't think the choir director is particularly happy about that, as these services are televised.

The pipes that point at the audience are called "high-compression trumpets". Their job is to jump out at the audience instead of envelope them.

And it's not a tuba's job to compete with them, but to give them the bottom they don't come with. You know, like the diapason and 32-foot flute pipes also on that organ.

If I'm playing against an organ, I have to hope that the music provides contrasting parts, where the organ and the instrumentalists aren't playing the same chords all together for the whole piece.

Rick "organs don't have to stop to inhale" Denney

All the rest of the pipes are surrounding us in the altar area, and Leo has those cranked as well. I think I would end up with my ears ringing with or without those - and thank you for the correct name - high compression trumpets.

This is the same church that someone here likes to link a video from Easter Sunday 2010. The church has changed a lot.

bloke wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:37 pm …, so why not just bring the F tuba - which can play all of the broad low stuff, as well as the snappy above the staff stuff in those trombone parts - and forget dragging all that gear in there?

Now that’s what I’m talking about!