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Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 19:26:08 -0400 (EDT)
Today's Topics:
Date: Sat, 05 Aug 1995 22:14:50 -0700
From: Bob
Bailey <bbailey@nwol.net>
To:
contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: post
Does Vandoren make Contra-alto clarinet reeds? I'd really like to have one-- the c.bass reeds squeak on c.alto. I'm using a Bundy Resonite(plastic).
Does anyone know about the piano with the lowest piano string in the world?
How can a baby grand piano have as low of strings as a true grand piano? Is it that the lowest strings on a baby grand are looser than those of a grand?
Our church has a Steinway grand piano(very long), and I think that it has the best treble sound of any piano I've ever heard(it's indescribably different from other pianos, especially in the attack of the treble notes), but its lowest notes sound muddy and indistinguishable just as on most pianos, you know, unimpressive. But, last summer I was in an old famous hotel in Jefferson, Texas, and in the ballroom is an old Baldwin piano with wood stain. It has the best bass I've ever heard right down to the lowest A. The lowest strings actually have significant resonance, and constant distinguishableness, yet its treble is nothing to write home about. Can anyone comment on this??
To the person (or people) interested in the octo-tuba: I have the 1985 version of the Guinness Book of World Records, and it has black and white pictures, including the 39' tuba with a person standing beside it. I can't tell which are the valves, but it looks slightly less than twice as tall as the (grown) person. The caption reads:
The largest recorded brass instrument is a tuba standing 7 1/2' tall, w/ 39' of tubing & a bell 3'4" across. This c.bass tuba was constructed for a world tour by the band of J.P. Sousa(1854-1932), the "march king," c. 1896-98, & is still in use. This instrument is now owned by a circus promoter in S. Africa.
Have you heard more recent news about this? Anyway, just to let you know I have a picture!!
If the bottom true note on a standard 4- valved tuba is a 32' C, I would assume that it has 32' worth of tubing. Isn't this the case?, because if it is, then a contrabass tuba actually a whole octave below the standard tuba would have 64' worth of tubing, not 39'. What gives?
(To all): this edition of the Guinness W. Records also has black-and-white pictures of the largest double bass viol, tallest true electric guitar, largest harp, longest alphorn, largest harmonica, and smallest playable violin(with length of 2 in.). No information on the ranges of these are available. Does anyone know any of these? I have deduced that the current longest alphorn has the ability of down to about 3 cycles/sec.(154' 8")!!
Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 16:25:12 -0700
From: Grant
Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To:
contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: Contrabass
Sax!
While surfing last night, I ran across a few more CB sax players:
I guess we can add a few to the tally ;-)
Grant
Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 16:07:27 -0700
From: Grant
Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To:
contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: I'm back....
I'm back. For those of you who were waiting to subscribe (or unsubscribe), my apologies for the delay. (The system is still manual when it comes to adding or deleting addresses from the distribution list.) I spent the last week out of town at a seminar, out of reach of computers. Just finished ploughing through about 400 email messages...
You may now resume normal discussions... ;-)
Grant
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 16:33:43 -0700
From: Grant
Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To:
contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: ContraFest!
Hey Mark!
It looks like I may be attending the contrafestival after all. On our way back from Hawaii, my wife suddenly decided that it would be nice to go somewhere during Christmas time this year (instead of inviting the entire extended family over to our place for festivities). Since she now no longer wants to stay home, Las Vegas is suddenly not a problem (although I'll have to coordinate it with wherever we end up going for the rest of the time).
This isn't set in stone yet, but I'm pretty hopeful. I'll plan to bring at least the Eb contrabass sarrusophone, and possibly a few other instruments (if I can play them in public without embarrassing myself) ;-).
BTW, the last contrabassoon festival just got a great review in the current issue of the IDRS publication "The Double Reed" (Vol. 20, No. 1) "High Rollers and Low Notes in Las Vegas, Nevada" by Richard Murry. Five pages, including two pages of photographs.
Grant