Fairly consistently, they offered pretty challenging intonation which presents quite a distraction (at least, to me). It’s really difficult to not dwell on slide choreography, when so much of it is required (again, with most other of the “kaiser“ instruments).
Some of them, though, really offered that “deep bass“ sound, but not throughout the entire range of those instruments.
As is known, I recently (assuming I am to be believed) picked up one that is easy to play in tune, and offers that luxurious sound throughout the instrument’s entire range.
I still plan to do a few little things to it, but it’s already an extraordinary instrument, and – though I do have to concentrate – I don’t have to fight the instrument to play it. Rather than fighting it, I just have to “step up to the plate” (as it were).
I will say that this type of instrument is the most challenging to play of all the types of tubas, and certainly more so than the typical 19mm bore piston C big fat tubas. It is not forgiving, when it comes to the signal sent into it - through the mouthpiece. If the lip vibration frequency is slightly off, neither the sound nor the slur are going to present themselves nicely out the bell of the instrument. To be specific, that chalk on a blackboard ear-grating “b-g-g-g-g” thing happens – that thing that we thought we had conquered decades ago…
… but when I manage to get past the B-flat fingerings and concentrate on what the next measure is supposed to SOUND like and concentrate on having the lips vibrate - as if trained vocal cords - precisely on those pitches, this thing sure puts out a nice product - a type of sound that can turn heads. I could bring back the old joke about the “world class sound”, but this thing will actually deliver such a thing, if I - it’s operator - stay on my toes and sustain the required level of concentration.
Again, it’s more work to play than any other tuba I’ve ever decided to keep for myself, but it’s the first one where “me absolutely having to stay constantly on my toes with my lip vibration frequency and intensity” is completely worth it, due to what this instrument delivers… and it is the instrument that delivers the sound, and not me. I’m just making fart sounds into the small end of it… they just have to be nearly-perfect fart sounds.
