Contrabass Digest

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2000-03-07

 
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 18:17:48 -0600 (CST)
From: Scott Perrin <sperrin@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Subject: [CB] hosaphone
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

The hosaphone comments remind me of my last trip to Australia.  A bus
driver entertained us at one of our stops by playing a hosaphone.  He had
a length of hose about ten feet long, with a funnel in one end and what
looked like a trombone mouthpiece in the other.  He held the mouthpiece to
his lips with one hand, and (grasping the hose about three feet from his
mouth) he swung the remainder of the instrument around in a circle above
his head while actually playing something vaguely recognizable.  The
amazing noises he was able to produce from the hosaphone, coupled with the
rotating siren effect, were truly impressive.  It turned out that he was a
retired vaudeville performer.  He was also a proficient yodeler, as well
as capable of producing the most amazing imitations and sound effects
from his mouth.  He performed nonstop the entire time I was on the bus,
including when we stopped to pick up or let off passengers.  The whole
experience was one of those serendipitous occurrences I will never forget.

Scott Perrin

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Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 16:45:30 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] hosaphone
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

>The hosaphone comments remind me of my last trip to Australia.  A bus
>driver entertained us at one of our stops by playing a hosaphone.  He had
>a length of hose about ten feet long, with a funnel in one end and what
>looked like a trombone mouthpiece in the other.  He held the mouthpiece to
>his lips with one hand, and (grasping the hose about three feet from his
>mouth) he swung the remainder of the instrument around in a circle above
>his head while actually playing something vaguely recognizable.  The
>amazing noises he was able to produce from the hosaphone, coupled with the
>rotating siren effect, were truly impressive.  It turned out that he was a
>retired vaudeville performer.  He was also a proficient yodeler, as well

What do you mean "retired"?  Sounds like he never quite gave it up...  ;-)

Grant

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green            gdgreen@contrabass.com
ecode:contrabass    http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 18:25:33 +0000
From: Lawrence de Martin <demartin@tesser.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] [Contra digest]
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

> From: Dafydd y garreg wen <mavnw@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
> Subject: Re: [CB] The cheapest Contra Instrument
> Don't forget the sub-sub-contrabass hosaphone in (approximate) BBBBb that
> we constructed last term - 78 feet of mains water pipe, 12.50 pounds, one
> large garden funnel for a bell (a few pence), and a borrowed tuba
> mouthpiece.

What was the material of the water pipe?  There was another email referring to
garden hose, but I thought that you needed hard tubing for a good column resonance.
I know Schikele used corrugated tubing, which one plays by twirling to get trumpet
scale, but this is an Aeolian sound generator  Has anyone actually tuned flexible
tubing and gotten useable notes?.

Larry de Martin

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

Date: Mon,  6 Mar 2000 19:40:09 -0600
From: "Aaron J. Rabushka" <arabushk@cowtown.net>
Subject: Re: [CB] [Contra digest]
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

I understand that Dennis Brain once played a Mozart horn concerto movement on a garden hose.

--
Aaron J. Rabushka
arabushk@cowtown.net
http://www.cowtown.net/users/arabushk
--
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Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 18:12:55 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] Historical Hosaphone(tm)
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

>I understand that Dennis Brain once played a Mozart horn concerto
>movement on a garden hose.

If memory serves, there is a recording of this!  I believe it is on
one of the Hoffnung Music Festival CDs.

Grant

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green            gdgreen@contrabass.com
ecode:contrabass    http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 21:20:27 -0500
From: trombogod@juno.com
Subject: [CB] joopitur
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

Does anyone know if jupiter trombones/tubas are any good?
________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
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---------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 19:30:10 -0800
From: "Chuck Guzis" <tubastuff@sydex.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] Historical Hosaphone(tm)
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

On 3/6/00,  Grant Green  wrote:
>>I understand that Dennis Brain once played a Mozart horn concerto
>>movement on a garden hose.
>
>If memory serves, there is a recording of this!  I believe it is on
>one of the Hoffnung Music Festival CDs.

There's a picture of it on the Web at:

http://www.musicweb.force9.co.uk/music/hoffnung/biog7.htm

You'll note that Mr. Brain is playing a double hosepipe.  If you click on:

http://www.musicweb.force9.co.uk/music/hoffnung/biog6.htm

there's a great picture of Hoffnung playing the subcontrabass tuba.

Cheers,
Chuck Guzis
Eugene, OR
 

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

Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 06:08:01 -0500
From: michael c grogg <mgrogg@juno.com>
Subject: Re: [CB] joopitur
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

> Does anyone know if jupiter trombones/tubas are any good?

The tubas are junk.

For the same or less money invest in a good older used Conn, King, Holton etc.

You will be years ahead.  Even if you have to spend some dollars on a
valve replate on an older horn, you will end up with more horn for less
money, and a better valve set five years down the road.

Michael
________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
----------------------
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***End of Contrabass Digest***


 
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