Contrabass Digest

2002-06-21

From: "Jay and Adrienne Easton"
Subject: [CB] Re :clogged horns
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 16:40:19 -0700


I would suspect many of us have found foreign objects in our BigWindInstrument plumbing at various points in time. My first bass saxophone sounded awful for the first few days, until (after much experimentations with mouthpieces and reeds) I ran a snake through the neck and happend todislodge the styrofoam packing peanut that had been hiding inside...

Jay C. Easton
www.jayeaston.com

---------------------------------------------------------

From: "John Kilpatrick"
Subject: Re: [CB] [CB Digest]
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 22:01:50 +0100


> from inside the bell of the big tuba a roll of carpet that had been placed
> there for some unknown reason. My friend the soloist said that with the rug
> taken out, the venerable tuba sounded lots better, blew much freer, &
> played OK using conventional fingerings.


Well I remember playing a Tuba - and old, battered thing - at school (a British "Public School", which means the opposite), about 36 years ago. It was muffled and unresponsive. I patched up a hole in the mouthpipe with soap (!!) and tape. Some time later I dropped a mirror filched from the physics lab down the bell, and, lo and behold, there was a cornet mute stuck round the bend. Fortunately the mute was as battered as the tuba, and was furnished with an unintended hole. A bit a fishing with a penknife of the
sort that boy scouts and similar people like to have (with a hook as one of its features) got out this mute. Later still, the highlight of the year was borrowing a real military Eb/Bb tuba for a concert. With some regrets, I haven't played a tuba since those times. At least the things don't squawk - I haven't entirely solved my BBb paperclip squeaks yet - but thanks to all of you who gave me advice a few months ago.
Lots of times people have recommended mouthpieces. Is there a way that anyone knows that I could try one out - in UK? I don't want to spend $100 plus on something that's no better than what I've got.
John Kilpatrick - Sheffield


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