Ch1k3n Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Hello there! So one of my friends recently caught a contrabass G bugle on craigslist for 50 bucks, and it (to me) is in fantastic condition, but the thing is I don't really know how to play it. I've learned "Tank" and part of our school's marching show on it by ear (It's a talent I possess XD), but I can't look at a piece of music and play it on the bugle. I don't have a picture of it, but it looks pretty much like this. Now that I think about it, it might have even been a Getzen. But either way, it's got the piston in the front and rotary in the back. I'm just wondering if there's a fingering chart or something that I could use with this instrument. Inside the case there is this little extra curved piece of tubing, which I assume is the F# rotary slide attachment? Oh and one last question, are there notes that are not playable on this horn? While I was trying to play some stuff (Sonic Boom) I realized some of the notes just wouldn't play on the horn. I try all valve combinations and trying to bend the pitch, but it just doesn't want to work! BTW, I live and thrive in the BB era, so this type of horn is completely new to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornsUp Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 If the rotary valve is mounted on the side of the tuning slide, like the one in the ad, it is definitely of Getzen manufacture. [The rotary looks like a Titleist baritone rotary because it is.] The other P/R contras (Whaley Royce, Smith, Olds, Dynasty I) all had the rotary centered on the tuning slide. The rotary crook pictured in the ad is an F crook, lowering the pitch a whole step. It is 10½" long. What's floating around in the case is probably an F# (half-step) crook - it also doubles back on itself, but is just under 4" long. Now check out the left side of the instrument. There is a tuning slide 4+" wide. If it has multiple coils, it is a D slide (P4). If it is just a "U" shape, it is an F (M2) slide. Tell me whatcha got, and I have fingering chart PDFs of all the G bugle variants. The baby Getzen, depending on whatever odd parts they built it with any particular day, WILL have a bunch of false notes. Some may be useful. At the same time, some harmonics you'd expect will barely resonate. If it's longer than 31", it's not a baby Getzen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contra94 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Fingering Chart for 2 Valve G Contra please note that the bass clef is written in CONCERT PITCH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch1k3n Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 If the rotary valve is mounted on the side of the tuning slide, like the one in the ad, it is definitely of Getzen manufacture. [The rotary looks like a Titleist baritone rotary because it is.] The other P/R contras (Whaley Royce, Smith, Olds, Dynasty I) all had the rotary centered on the tuning slide. The rotary crook pictured in the ad is an F crook, lowering the pitch a whole step. It is 10½" long. What's floating around in the case is probably an F# (half-step) crook - it also doubles back on itself, but is just under 4" long. Now check out the left side of the instrument. There is a tuning slide 4+" wide. If it has multiple coils, it is a D slide (P4). If it is just a "U" shape, it is an F (M2) slide. Tell me whatcha got, and I have fingering chart PDFs of all the G bugle variants. The baby Getzen, depending on whatever odd parts they built it with any particular day, WILL have a bunch of false notes. Some may be useful. At the same time, some harmonics you'd expect will barely resonate. If it's longer than 31", it's not a baby Getzen. Thanks for this! I'll check it out when I get back to school on Monday. I'm learning the slow part of Czardas on it, it's pretty exciting and satisfying to get notes in tune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad T. Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 HornsUp is absolutely right. If you do have a baby Getzen, you will find all sorts of random notes are possible, depending on what your valve combinations are, be it a D piston or F piston, and F# rotor or F rotor. A tuner will be a great aid. Do not try to figure out what combinations until you are slotted on a concert G. Slotting yourself on a D or a B will give you false returns. Also, the baby Getzens really seem to be thrown together from backroom parts. My horn has an F piston, and F# rotor, and even with only what translates to valves 1 and 2 on a typical Bb tuba, I can play a full chromatic scale because of how strange these horns slot and the very small diameter tubing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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