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On Saturday, I became the owner of a new Dillon 981S Eb Bass. Upon walking into the store, there was an early 80's Besson/B&H Sovereign on display. Swoon. It was $5500 bucks. I wish.

An hour later, I walked out of the store with a 981S and so far, I am overwhelmed, but with some practicing, I'll be able to properly fill it out.

Ended up with a Laskey 28K mouthpiece instead of the stock.

I'll post photos. First rehearsal is tonight.

Nervous and excited.

Does this mean you are giving up the highly coveted second baritone chair in your brass band?

MikeS wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 11:50 am Does this mean you are giving up the highly coveted second baritone chair in your brass band?

Never!!

This is Albert. He's named after Al Honsberger who I played with in the New York Staff Band back in the early 90s. Al was one of the nicest, kindest, sweetest people I have ever met and was also an amazing Eb Bass player.

I have to be insane for buying this, but oh well.

anadmai wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 12:22 pm This is Albert. He's named after Al Honsberger who I played with in the New York Staff Band back in the early 90s. Al was one of the nicest, kindest, sweetest people I have ever met and was also an amazing Eb Bass player.

I have to be insane for buying this, but oh well.

Welcome to the crazy club.

Eefer madness is a real condition!

Congrats!

anadmai wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 12:22 pm This is Albert. He's named after Al Honsberger who I played with in the New York Staff Band back in the early 90s. Al was one of the nicest, kindest, sweetest people I have ever met and was also an amazing Eb Bass player.

I have to be insane for buying this, but oh well.

Nah, it's an investment in sanity. Good luck. If you want insane, check out the viola players with 4 of the damn things. Wall to wall lovesacs and milk crates for interior design.

If you can read sheet music and play that thing (without pretending it's treble clef, and that you're playing a trumpet), you're doing better than I am.

bloke wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 4:04 pm If you can read sheet music and play that thing (without pretending it's treble clef, and that you're playing a trumpet), you're doing better than I am.

I grew up playing in The Salvation Army. Treble Clef til I die. However, I am a mean transposer. Bass Clef is for weirdos.

anadmai wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 4:31 pm

bloke wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 4:04 pm If you can read sheet music and play that thing (without pretending it's treble clef, and that you're playing a trumpet), you're doing better than I am.

I grew up playing in The Salvation Army. Treble Clef til I die. However, I am a mean transposer. Bass Clef is for weirdos.

Read above, lifelong tuba players, and be enlightened. Treble clef is THE clef western music.

bloke wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:14 am
Read above, lifelong tuba players, and be enlightened. Treble clef is THE clef western music.

Holy smokes. There is actually concert band music out there written SPECIFICALLY FOR Eb Bass and it's also in Treble Clef.

Life is good.

anadmai wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:38 am

bloke wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:14 am
Read above, lifelong tuba players, and be enlightened. Treble clef is THE clef western music.

Holy smokes. There is actually concert band music out there written SPECIFICALLY FOR Eb Bass and it's also in Treble Clef.

Life is good.

LOL...Yeah: It's called "the baritone saxophone part".

bloke wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:56 am …
LOL...Yeah: It's called "the baritone saxophone part".

For sure that’s how I first learned to read Eb treble clef parts.

jtm wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 1:18 pm

bloke wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:56 am …
LOL...Yeah: It's called "the baritone saxophone part".

For sure that’s how I first learned to read Eb treble clef parts.

I came from the other way around. Many years ago when I started brass band, I played the Eb bass part on Bb tuba (that’s all I owned at the time). I added three flats and pretended it was bass clef.

Now I take turns playing Eb bass parts and Bb bass parts throughout the year, and I have the appropriate basses for each part. To kickstart my brain into reading, I simply pretended I was playing CC tuba and reading regular treble clef. It didn’t take long until the reading became natural and didn’t require any thoughts about transposing, using different fingerings, etc. It didn’t take long to realize the logic to how the Brits do it.

I have a eastern European "tenor tuba" part to play next month (big loud piece - with Memphis).

It's B-flat treble clef.

I've played enough third trumpet (when no one else was available) - as well as piano/guitar (nope: never learned tablature) music to be able to read the part just fine.

I just recently started playing Eb tuba after playing euphonium since 1978. Eb is almost as nimble as a euphonium and still sounds tuba-ish. Lots of fun!

sweaty wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:37 pm I just recently started playing Eb tuba after playing euphonium since 1978. Eb is almost as nimble as a euphonium and still sounds tuba-ish. Lots of fun!

Yep

.

My oft-repeated mantra: if you read by pitch and you know the clef, the clef doesn't matter. You can play anything on anything that it fits on. Cor Anglais on viola. Clarinet on violin.

Bb treble clef: read tenor and add two flats.
Eb treble clef: read bass and add three flats.
Accidentals require a bit of memorization.

Bass clef: read bass clef.