u/professor_throway

Thanks agin to this community for patiently asking my questions as a tuba player who is beginning to fool around with horn. I am wondering why the "standard" fingering are the way they are when it seems to me that using fingering from lower octaves might make a lot os sense

For example written D5-G5 using standard fingerings you move between the 9th and 12th partials

D5 0 -9th, Eb 2 -10th, E 0 -10th, F 1 12th F# 2 12th, G 0 12th..

However that whole chromatic range is available in the 12th partial as starting on 1+3

To me that makes for much easier chromatic passages in this register.. and it is something I do occasionally on tuba in the high range for both intonation and facility especially in exposed legato playing. Especiialy when pushing the range on BBb tuba on pieces that I really should be using my Eb or F on. It is often easier than making sure I am on dead on hitting the right partial.

I am sure there is a very natural reason... I am just trying to make sense of this wierd skinny F-tuba with a tiny mouthpiece in front of me.

Another question from a clueless tuba player. You guys/gals were so responsive on my last question (about comfort level on rotor maintenance).. I thought I would ping you again.

I am in the very early stages of finding a horn to purchase for basement noodling maybe some street jazz use etc (tough going as inexpensive Bb singles seem to be as rare as hens teeth... no I don't want a double or single F. I am not playing horn lit.. I will be reading from jazz real books and lead sheets most of which are in C.. or from Bb trumpet parts/trombone books etc.. I am good with playing from those sources on Bb instruments.. sacrilege I know).

One of the first things I do on any brass isntrument is to vent the rotors or pistons (if it isn't done already), so I have easier slide manipulation while playing and to avoid any pop from pressure due to temperature changes etc while playing. All of my instruments from high trumpets down to my tubas have vented valves. I tried to search but it appears that venting rotors on horns just isn't a thing??? Why not?

Ok.. I am a tuba player not a horn player.. but it seems that every horn player I've ever spoken too seems to think rotors are mysterious mechanisms that can only be touched by professional repair techs (preferably specialized horn folks).. by comparison us tuba players will happily down a few beers then take a mallet to our tubas to knock out the rotors for regular cleaning. Do I just need to find some more laid back horn players? Or do you all think it is barbarous to service your own instrument?

EDIT: Thanks to everyone that responded. I guess I need to meet less stuffy horn players.

Anyone have a Yamaha YSL-354 and a pair of calipers handy??? Heck even a really good ruler would probably be OK.

I have a yamaha ysl-352 that has a severly damaged handslide crook and I am trying to determine if a new crook from a ysl-354 would be a potential replacement.

Could you take three quick caliper measurements from the outer handslide of your Yamaha YSL-354? Please measure on the two straight outer-slide tubes near the bottom bow/crook, just above the ferrules, avoiding the brace, solder joints. Measuring to the nearest 0.001" is ideal, but the nearest 0.01" would still help.

1. Overall outside width across both tubes: caliper jaws on the far outside of the two parallel outer-slide tubes.
2. Outside diameter of one outer-slide tube: measure across one tube by itself in the same general area.
3. Clear inside gap between the two tubes: caliper jaws between the tubes, touching the inside-facing surfaces.

I know that these measurments are redundant and any 2 of the 3 would give me enough information. I just want to minimize the odds of needing to ask for help again.