Resistance isn't everything, but it's almost is everything.

[bloke]

warning: BORING (but not too long).

Continuing to learn to play this huge B-flat tuba (Miraphone model 98 - so-called "Siegfried" model - which I've described as a German kaiser/American 6/4 hybrid).

I've tried out a bunch of mouthpieces. I'm not going "small", I know to not go "huge", but (and it should have occurred to me many months ago), I finally pulled out (cup/back-bore/shank size) those from the "Sellmansberger collection" (as it were) that offer the most resistance of the "regular large" components.

This involves
- less total cup volume
- smaller throat
- smaller exit bore
- pushing the choke point to the limit (nearly entering - yet not - the mouthpipe tube)


OK...
double-low C (with which I was encountering a bit of difficulty unless the 1-2 "false" tone)...now: EASY (5-2-3-4 - pulling 5 for pitch)

Every tuba player's own contrabass tuba "test piece" (Fountains of Rome: "The Trevi Fountain at Noon") c. "The Trevi Fountain at Noon" ♩ = 150, which is fast enough for most all music directors (based on the recordings I've audited)...
p. 1 of this doc: https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/m ... ts-F19.pdf
is EASIER than it has EVER been playing it with ANY tuba (always before: C instruments)
Doubt this if you choose (fine...and most everyone - today - who tell us things if actual importance seems to mostly lie/exaggerate, so whatever... ), but I just played through it THREE times, and ANY ONE of those three would have been "fine with me" were I playing it for an actual job audition (though I'm not interested in any "jobs", because any "full-time" ones are in dysfunctional cities), and - also - keep in mind that I'm officially OLD.

...' headed out...I'll let y'all know how La Mer, Young People's Guide go, Star Wars - Main Title, et al go.

bloke "I've been having a WHOLE BUNCH OF FUN with this tuba, but NOW it's going to be really-REALLY fun. "

[Rick Denney]

You mean you mixed and matched mouthpiece parts in your current line? What did you end up with?

Or, if not, when will you add them?

Rick "inquiring minds want to know" Denney

[bloke]

O.G. cup (vs. Symphony cup)
O.G. standard shank (vs. Symphony P shank)
same ol' #2 33.2 rim (though I use two other sizes of #2 profile rims on other tuba and tuba-related instruments)

[Rick Denney]

So, the same mouthpiece I use for the Holton.

Rick “not surprised” Denney

[DonO.]

OK, no one else said it yet, so I’ll be the one to go here…

“Resistance is futile!” - The Borg.

[York-aholic]

O.G. cup (vs. Symphony cup)
O.G. standard shank (vs. Symphony P shank)
same ol' #2 33.2 rim (though I use two other sizes of #2 profile rims on other tuba and tuba-related instruments)

So you used the standard shank (vs P shank) so it would go in a bit further? Hmmm, do you make a ‘smaller than standard’ OG shank? :-)

I still need to find someone to make a “giant York” (.592” at small end) to Euro or Standard mouthpiece adapter so I can play with different mouthpieces combinations.

[bloke]

O.G. cup (vs. Symphony cup)
O.G. standard shank (vs. Symphony P shank)
same ol' #2 33.2 rim (though I use two other sizes of #2 profile rims on other tuba and tuba-related instruments)

So you used the standard shank (vs P shank) so it would go in a bit further? Hmmm, do you make a ‘smaller than standard’ OG shank? :-)

I still need to find someone to make a “giant York” (.592” at small end) to Euro or Standard mouthpiece adapter so I can play with different mouthpieces combinations.

Subtracting c. .045" or so, what's the diameter of the mouthpipe tube where it enters the back end of the mouthpiece receiver?

[bloke]

I also cleaned out some of the slides, yesterday (I don't think that mess adds much resistance, but it does make some things nebulous and constantly-changing).

oil: I never meant to claim that it keeps an instrument completely clean, but it does heavily discourage lime/scale from cementing itself to the inside surfaces of an instrument...

...which meant that "jetting hot water through my tuba's valveset and wiggling the rotors while doing that" was adequate for a cleaning job.

[jtm]

Since I only knew about "Solo", "Imperial", and "Symphony" blokepiece lines, what is O.G.? I'm guessing "original", but I don't know blokepiece history enough to guess what that means.

[bloke]

Orchestra Grand...
It's not too different from the Symphony cup, but some dimensions are scaled down - including those of the shank inner dimensions of the same name.

[York-aholic]

O.G. cup (vs. Symphony cup)
O.G. standard shank (vs. Symphony P shank)
same ol' #2 33.2 rim (though I use two other sizes of #2 profile rims on other tuba and tuba-related instruments)

So you used the standard shank (vs P shank) so it would go in a bit further? Hmmm, do you make a ‘smaller than standard’ OG shank? :-)

I still need to find someone to make a “giant York” (.592” at small end) to Euro or Standard mouthpiece adapter so I can play with different mouthpieces combinations.

Subtracting c. .045" or so, what's the diameter of the mouthpipe tube where it enters the back end of the mouthpiece receiver?

Sorry for the delay (18" of wet snow). The OD of the leadpipe (aka mouthpipe tube), where it goes into the back of the mouthpiece receiver, is .637" so subtracting your .045" (accounting for wall thickness?) would be .592", which is also the OD of the small end of the stock York mouthpiece...

[bloke]

monstrous