I’m pretty sure the pattern of playable notes is the same for (almost) all brass instruments (the trombone, being analog, is an exception, and I think the French horn might have different valving). There are seven different possible lengths of tubing (eight fingerings, but 1-2 is the same as 3), and for each length of tubing, there’s a fundamental note and an infinite sequence of higher harmonics. That means that, when you’re playing the fundamentals, there are only seven distinct notes you can play, short of the 12 in a full octave, and you’re not going to get anything more than fundamentals until an octave above the lowest note (that is, the n=2 harmonic for that length of tubing).
Plus, because of the weird way a brass instrument produces its harmonic sequence (it’s a lot more complicated than the organ pipes you always see in the textbook examples), those fundamental notes sound really bad, anyway: They aren’t actually at quite the frequencies they’re “supposed” to be, and they don’t fit in with the rest of their harmonic sequences. So the lowest notes that are actually used are the n=2 harmonics, and that limits you to only a few steps below low B-flat (or whatever the equivalent note is for other instruments).
The trombone works the same–the slide’s only long enough to go to the equivalent of 1-2-3 plus a little extra for intonation adjustments, so you’ve still got the ghost range at the low end.
The only advantage is that through the use of trigger valves when present, exactly where that low end is can be manipulated by changing the fundamental. But that just moves the problem around, it doesn’t actually eliminate it–and in some ways actually exacerbates it. The reason is that since intervals are proportional rather than absolute, the length of additional tubing to go down a semitone is greater in 12’ F than in 9’ B-flat. But since the amount of tubing available for the slide says the same no matter what, in B-flat you can go drom B-flat down to E in a single harmonic series, while in F there’s only enough tubing to go from F to C before you run out of slide.
Also, despite being a trombonist, I have been known to “rehearse around the flagpole” from time to time.
Right, the lowest a trombone could go would be the fundamental with the slide all the way out. But any note at all between there and the fundamental of the slide all the way in is attainable: You’d just have to use a nonstandard slide position for some of them. Though I suppose that you can’t vary the length by a full factor of 2, so you’d still have a gap between the fundamental for all-the-way-in and the n=2 for all-the-way-out.
My earliest jazz tuba exposure (aside from dixieland) was Dave Bargeron’s solo in And When I Die. On the album it was a brief solo, on the live album, it goes on and on! Go, man, go!
It’s a combination of manipulation methods to get where you need to for some of those difficult notes; like the trigger valves on a trombone, some tubas have additional valves. And some tubas are designed with valve slides that you can work to nudge you closer for particular bad actors, and some you can “lip” into shape. Some notes take both methods to approximate the correct value; both pulling the slide and lipping it. You pull the slide if you have it and then lip it … and hope for the best.
This video shows how it works … also a really nice arrangement of a beautiful spiritual.
Another of our greats and one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.
The world of the tuba (which is pretty small) was even smaller when I lived in NYC and it was easy to meet people in the clubs and other venues. Plus I was powerfully motivated and hanging out a lot with Howard Johnson, who I met through The NY Brass Conference. So because I was pestering Howard so much [del] and practically stalking him[/del] I got to meet Dave like I did a lot of other people. Dave is not only a member of Gravity!, he has a duo with Howard, “TubaLibre.” Dave is even more powerful in person than he is on recordings.
My practice room space had a burglary and my tuba was stolen. I was such a scuffling musician I didn’t have any insurance and no way to replace the horn right away.
Knock on my apartment door a couple of days later. There’s Dave Bargeron standing there with a tuba case. “I heard about your burglary. Here’s my Besson, go play your gigs, you can use this until you get another tuba.”
That was the most beautiful Besson Imperial Bb I had ever seen in my life. I think it’s the same one you see in the 1975 video.
I played that horn for two years. All he asked me to do was get it insured instantly, which I did, of course. People only know about this because I tell the story at every opportunity. I would give Dave Bargeron an organ if he asked for it, anything, anytime.
Here’s Howard and Dave on McCoy Tyner’s “Fly like the wind.” Some of the greatest tuba players anywhere all in one heap on that stage!
And here’s Dave with Michel Godard, who is not only a tremendous tuba player but also master of the serpent (the tuba Mozart knew):
Michel on serpent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36JIsfUWcA
Whoa, this is some powerful stuff. See what I mean about missing people? There’s not enough hours in the day to listen to everybody. I’m glad you turned me on to this guy 'cause it would have been a shame if I missed him, Lord have mercy.
The tuba player is Kirk Joseph, who is one of the best tuba players on the New Orleans scene ever … former Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Treme, Forgotten Souls … I love his sound, his great sense of time, his deep funk. When I met him he was playing with the Dirty Dozen on a sousaphone that was literally held together with baling wire and chewing gum, just the worst kind of beater … and he rocked that thing. I dunno if I could even have gotten a sound out of that hunk of metal and he was loud and proud and beautiful.
Here’s Bobby Rush with Dr. John … guess he couldn’t get anybody famous to hang with.
What are you talkin’ here, just a regular Hammond B-3, or something like an E.F. Skinner five-manual full-sized pipe organ? Because you’re getting into some serious cash, there.
Heh. Seriously, I’d do most anything for Dave Bargeron, including help hide a body.
Speaking of organs, the guy who plays for the Atlanta Braves is this amazing jazz guy – check him out. (With Joey DeFrancesco on drums, who is a great organ player his own self.)
Matthew has a new CD out that is well worth your time.
Jenny
your humble TubaDiva
(Talent is all around. Listen up!)
