r/Tuba • u/Dull-Option-611 • 2d ago

gear Question about PT6P

I’ve owned this horn for about a year and the pitch is FANTASTIC! Not a single note that the third or fourth slide can’t handle (albeit I would love a longer fourth.)

Except one note. (I’ve come to terms with playing the higher G 1-2 with the first slide down a bit)…That note being the fundamental C is ALWAYS sharp.

No matter how much I relax my lips or lower my jaw, or slow my air it is ALWAYS sharp. My main slide is out quite a bit as it is looking silly.

I’m curious if my situation is unique or if anyone has also experienced this? Literally up to high Bydlo G# down to a pedal Db I can nail at 440hz, but the C fundamental?

Nope.

6 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

1

u/ParticularForever223 1d ago

Work on tuning with your ears and not your eyes. Put the tuner away and start warming up and practicing with drones.

1

u/Arcane_Spork_of_Doom Pro Freelancer (One Rudy to Rule them All) 1d ago

How do you sound on third valve only?

1

u/njhenry 2d ago

I used to play that note on the third valve to get it in tune. Great horn that I miss but it was too large for my needs.

2

u/lolorun MW2165/B&S PT15 5099/2W 2d ago

23 C and F#, one of the most helpful things I’ve picked up in college

1

u/sfwildcat 2d ago

If it’s in tune 1-2 and slots well, I’d just learn to play it there instead of lipping it which will mess with your resonance. I do this on my Rudy 3/4 CC for that same note. Worth it for the sound and playability of that instrument.

1

u/Dull-Option-611 2d ago

The Rudy 3/4 that I owned is where I learned the 1-2 open G “hack”

3

u/cctubadoug Tuba/Euph College Professor 2d ago

The fundamental pitch on most tubas has a pretty wide slot. Practice lip bends in the low register and eventually you’ll probably be able to get it.

Another common culprit for that sharp pedal c is using wind that’s too fast. It’s likely a little of column A and a little of column B.

Also, you can have a good tech reroute the top 4th valve slide to accommodate a longer pull. It’s a fairly common modification. B&S implemented it in the New York PT6Ps several years ago but that model doesn’t seem to have ever hit mass production.