I recently purchased one of these (based in no small part on this video). I LOVE it! Intonation is excellent, sound is excellent, it's well constructed, very free-blowing, it can rattle the walls in the lower register but still plays well in the upper register. I have listened to this video for years and agree with the user who stated this is the the best tuba sound he's heard. Of course 99.9% of that is Chris Olka... but the Wyvern is no impediment in making this sound. Like the saying goes buy the horn that doesn't get in your way while playing. For me, this is it. I'll never sound like Chris Olka... but it does help me be the best version of me.
An excellent tuba like this does need an excellent master like Olka! Probably the best tuba sound I've found in CZcams. Congratulations for the recording.
Chris- I must admit that as much as I like listening to the sound you make on your Yamayork, I’ll be darned if I am not starting to strongly prefer the sound you make on this one. It’s got some grittiness to it that the York just doesn’t have. It’s very exciting to listen to.
It hard to get excited about my career these days but then, I listen to you and I’m off to my tuba. It’s Friday night and you’ve got my attention. My partner hates you! Cheers Chris!
Any chance you'll be taking a look at the 'Viverna' BBb counterpart to this one? That tuba is currently at the top of my list in terms of buying one however, there are no videos of it at all. But by the looks of it, it seems to be a great tuba overall. Also thanks for doing these, been loving this series.
Hi Chris! Great videos! Its a great inspiration for us student to watch and hear quality tubaplaying, and your channel is a great source! what are you playing at 19:52? Also if you ever get the time, it would be great if you could post some videos of you playing some etudes (bordogny/rochut, kopprasch, Grigoriev etc.)
Now that they’ve changed their distribution method, the best way is to order one and trial it for two weeks. They’ve got a great return policy along with a great warranty. Otherwise, they’ve just opened a showroom in Chicago where you can test the entire line of instruments.
Sounds great. I'm trying to get back to playing again now that my kids are grown. This looks like a tuba worth trying. I've always played Yamaha Tubas (YBB-641), have you tried the YCB-861? That was a instrument I was interested in during my college days when I was a Music Ed major. Would you recommend this instrument for someone trying to play again after stepping away for about 20 years?
Eric Burns he has a video of him playing on his YCB-861 f tuba he doesn’t however have one on a c tuba except his 40000 $ tuba. It was him talking about the tuba not on his channel
Eric Burns the YCB861 is no longer in production. If I was looking for a new tuba in CC with pistons I’d look at this Wessex Wyvern and an Eastman ECB632. They’re pretty much the class leaders in all around great 4/4-5/4 piston CC tubas for less that $7k.
Question: How does the Wyvern compare to the Miraphone 1292 tuba? These look VERY similar, with the Wyvern having a slightly more open wrap due to a slightly wider bottom bow. Is the Wyvern essentially a "half-price 1292"? Chris sure sounds great on it, and this is an excellent demonstration video! Cheers!
So I've got an interesting company to look at. "Tempest" is a very cheap company (in terms of prices) and when I swapped over to tuba my Junior year of high school I decided to pick one up because my school has pretty beaten up tubas (one of them has a literally flat slide (which I fixed)). I started really getting good at Tuba and from one of their 3/4 sized tubas I was able to sound like a larger horn according to local music professors and teachers but still be able to give that nice attacks of a smaller horn. Most people who have heard me play probably don't even know that my horn was cheap but I don't know if I just got lucky or something of that nature. -Recently they developed a 6 valved Cimbasso that's pitched in F and is noticeably cheap (it's about 4k which is more expensive than a Wessex F Cimbasso but is far cheaper than most of the other ones) and I am super curious about that.
im a young tuba player, i was thinking of getting a personal tuba, what are the benefits of CC vs BBb Tubas? is it hard to to convert to CC fingerings?
DP & '52 Generally speaking, CC tubas are used when the young player is no longer a beginner and has a solid understanding of the instrument and how to manipulate it to make it do what they want, but this isn’t the case for many people. I myself began on CC tuba and I have many friends who switched later on, it depends on what you want to learn, how long you have to learn it, and what your teacher has to say about the matter. In most cases, because BBb tubas are larger and longer than CC tubas, the former tends to have a more mellifluous/“tuba-ey” tone. The CC is more pointed (relatively speaking). As for the fingerings, it all depends on how you learn new fingerings, it’s like learning a new language (albeit not nearly the same diffulculty). Hope that helped!
I am neither a tubist nor even a brass player, but I must take issue with your policy of not reviewing instruments if you think the review might be negative. Negative reviews are just as important as positive because first, they give a frame of reference for your positive reviews, and second, they help viewers steer clear of poorer quality instruments. Side by side comparisons would also be very useful.
I am planning on getting this tuba as a college horn because I don’t have $10000 to spend on a tuba. Do you recommend this one or would you recommend a different horn?
Talon White you could look on tuba forums for example google ‘tuba net for sale’ you will find some there. I would recommend Eastman and Wessex c tubas but everyone is different I myself own a B&S Mrp-c tuba and also a a B&S PT-6
Idk why you're tired of specifically BBb........... Old miraphones are a good bet, really nimble, but focused sounds Also, like Zezo, if you find old Peratoni (PT) tubas, they are REALLY good. My teacher has one (5/4 or 6/4 PT-6 5-valve config), and he's made allstate 3 time with that thing.......which means that it won't limit you in any way. Overall, these are good tubas (wessex), but I think that under 10k, a miraphone 186/188/189 CC would serve you way better. but of course, these are REALLY good value for the price, but I would wait around more for these "cheap"(not really that cheap in manufacturing or materials, but rather pricepoint) tubas to get better and better. You know it's a good tuba when it starts to land spots in auditions. That's when I would buy it IF Im still into it. BTW, my teacher bought the PT-6 for only 5,000. If you wait long enough, you can find a really good deal.
+1 to this for some reason professors have a notion of CC>BBb, but I prefer to think that either has its uses. "german sounding horns"-typical Miraphone 186 standard models "American sounding horns"-King 2341 models with that characteristic flared bell of course, you can have all the "german" stuff (PT mouthpieces and Miras) and still sound american, but the norm on those tubas is a different sound. Vice versa with american btw, to anyone who doesn't know, german sounds are very "colorful" (many present over tones), and american sounds are "darker"(little overtones) first link is typical german, second is american czcams.com/video/0aM2qlDMCPg/video.html czcams.com/video/M4VGKkWX3qc/video.html of course, few people sound like the extremes of the sound (very dark, very colorful), but most fall in middle, and change equipment to define their idea of a perfect sound. got a bit off topic, but oh well...
I've been bugging Jonathan about 5th. Valve being a flat whole step for a while. I want 5th. to be useful for Ab, and G(5+2), as well as other alternates! Why pull 1st when you have 5 valves?
Scott Triplett To answer your question about the slide pulling Scott, like every brass instrument, the tuba, depending on it’s key and how many valves are depressed, have a set of pitches called the harmonic series. Depending on what note the player chooses, the note may be flat or sharp (because that’s how they ring in nature). For example, if I have a CC tuba, and I play an e in the staff using no valves, the note (without bending/inconsistencies in the player) comes out flat, 13.69 cents to be exact. This applies, albeit to different degrees, to every note that one plays. Mr. Olka, as well as many other (low) brass players move the slides to compensate for this so that each note has the intonation that they want. Hope that helped!
LOL! I've been playing the Tuba since 1974! I'm afraid you missed my point! As far as i'm concerned, a flat whole step takes away 75% of 5th. valve's useful potential! My first 5 valved tuba, an old Cerveney 686, with European left, had a 5 th. valve circuit that allowed me to use 5 for second line Bb, and 5+2 for first space A! The other 5 valve instruments I own have a longer 5th. valve circuit that's not even half as practical as that Cerveney was! The original, 2+3 length 5th. valves were even less useful, IMHO! Why not make 5th. the same as 1st.? On a C Tuba, you're still going to need to play low C# 12345, and pull! It makes much more sense to me, to be able to set 1st., or 5th., to play sharp partial pitches, and eliminate 75% of slide pulling! Hope that helped! LOL! YMMV!
Scott Triplett haha. Sorry for missing the point of your comment entirely (and sounding like a brat in the process) 🙂. I see what you’re saying. I think it might be to avoid redundancy and work around the harmonic series. What I mean is that if I were to play 5+1 (on that hypothetical tuba), then it would be sharp and you’d pull to get it to where you want (provided that one doesn’t lip much). More than anything, I think that it is a convenience issue. Personally, in some situations, I as well as my teacher, use alternate fingerings like 5+1+2 for low g or 5+1+2+4 for pedal e flat. So if one were to use the system you were describing, there would be more micro adjustment pulling in the valve register (at least from my perspective).
LOL! No worries, Deandre! I am a lazy tuba player! I was spoiled by that shorter 5th. circuit! I had a section mate in my Wind Symphony with an old Conn 3/4 C Tuba. He only had 4 valves, and was constantly pulling 1st. for Bb's, and A's. He noticed I wasn't pulling, and asked how I played in tune. I told him to pay attention to my left hand, while I played some scales. He then popped his mouthpiece into my horn, and , using 5, and 5+_1, understood how i played in tune without all the constant pulling! I had to sell that Cerveney in 2008. A few years ago, I replaced that Tuba with 3 5-valve instruments, in BBb, CC, and Eb. All of them have 5th. valve circuits I can only use 1/4 as much as on the Cerveny! I really don't understand why all 5th. valves aren't made at least usable as 1st. alternates (first line Bb on C Tuba, third line Db on Eb Tuba, etc...), instead of making them as useful as possible!
@@scotttriplett5147 I wonder whether any 6 valve tubas have enough slide on the 6th (flat half step) that you could pull it to be equal to the 1st, then pull the 1st a little. By my math it should take about 3.1 inches (~7.9cm) of pull to make that work on an F tuba. Edit: 2+6 (modern, not Vienna system) is about 13% longer than 1, vs 33% or more extra on a typical 5th. 1+2+6 would give an in-tune Ab, for example.
I recently purchased one of these (based in no small part on this video). I LOVE it! Intonation is excellent, sound is excellent, it's well constructed, very free-blowing, it can rattle the walls in the lower register but still plays well in the upper register. I have listened to this video for years and agree with the user who stated this is the the best tuba sound he's heard. Of course 99.9% of that is Chris Olka... but the Wyvern is no impediment in making this sound. Like the saying goes buy the horn that doesn't get in your way while playing. For me, this is it. I'll never sound like Chris Olka... but it does help me be the best version of me.
You're too kind!
I purchased one of these horns going into my freshman year of college! It is such a joy to play!
go bones
That is the most beautiful tuba sound I've ever heard on a video. Haunting, full, and woody. Thank you very much for this video!
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.
yes
This might very well be a master of all trades contrabass.
Yes! I love your videos Mr. Olka. There aren’t many Tuba “CZcamsrs” out there so I am glad your channel exists.
Okay just listening to you play on this Tuba makes me want to buy it. It is such a great price. This is definitely on my list.
YouTubas
@DANIEL EUDY i'm surprised I was smart enough to come up with that. Must've been a fluke.
An excellent tuba like this does need an excellent master like Olka! Probably the best tuba sound I've found in CZcams. Congratulations for the recording.
Santiago, thanks for your kind words!
Chris- I must admit that as much as I like listening to the sound you make on your Yamayork, I’ll be darned if I am not starting to strongly prefer the sound you make on this one. It’s got some grittiness to it that the York just doesn’t have. It’s very exciting to listen to.
It hard to get excited about my career these days but then, I listen to you and I’m off to my tuba. It’s Friday night and you’ve got my attention. My partner hates you! Cheers Chris!
Wow I love your sound. Listening to this motivates me to practice so much harder!
I love that little bit of Symphonic Metamorphosis you put in there
43 minutes?! That’s a lotta love.
Amazing intonation! And great tone!
Thank you sir! The tuba was easy to play in tune!
Just recently got a used one and it’s amazing!
Loved it.
Any chance you'll be taking a look at the 'Viverna' BBb counterpart to this one? That tuba is currently at the top of my list in terms of buying one however, there are no videos of it at all. But by the looks of it, it seems to be a great tuba overall. Also thanks for doing these, been loving this series.
Can you please do more pro tips? Great video
LEGEND
I would like you upload the video testing the new rotary model TB-690
This is why I lift weights (partly at least lol). I play a compensating BBb tuba haha
Doesn't everyone.???
@@tesmith47 or not🙄
👏👏👏💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
What was the very low passage played after Metamorphosis?
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩💖
Hi Chris! Great videos! Its a great inspiration for us student to watch and hear quality tubaplaying, and your channel is a great source! what are you playing at 19:52? Also if you ever get the time, it would be great if you could post some videos of you playing some etudes (bordogny/rochut, kopprasch, Grigoriev etc.)
christopher strømme it’s the Sarabande from Bach’s 5th Cello Suite.
I would love to buy one of wessexs tubas if they weren't always sold out
Now that they’ve changed their distribution method, the best way is to order one and trial it for two weeks. They’ve got a great return policy along with a great warranty. Otherwise, they’ve just opened a showroom in Chicago where you can test the entire line of instruments.
Also you can try to get a floor model at conventions like tmea, army band, etc
This is great!
What is the first excerpt you are playing? (11:40-14) It sounds a lot like recent movie scores, but I couldn't identify it...
It's a warmup routine, not an excerpt
Eugenio Collinassi. It’s a drill he likely came up with, not an excerpt
Owen Hans now that you both pointed it out, it makes more sense that way!
Anyway that first three notes sounds great
Sounds great. I'm trying to get back to playing again now that my kids are grown. This looks like a tuba worth trying. I've always played Yamaha Tubas (YBB-641), have you tried the YCB-861? That was a instrument I was interested in during my college days when I was a Music Ed major. Would you recommend this instrument for someone trying to play again after stepping away for about 20 years?
Eric Burns he has a video of him playing on his YCB-861 f tuba he doesn’t however have one on a c tuba except his 40000 $ tuba. It was him talking about the tuba not on his channel
Eric Burns the YCB861 is no longer in production. If I was looking for a new tuba in CC with pistons I’d look at this Wessex Wyvern and an Eastman ECB632. They’re pretty much the class leaders in all around great 4/4-5/4 piston CC tubas for less that $7k.
Chris Olka - Thank you very much.
Question: How does the Wyvern compare to the Miraphone 1292 tuba?
These look VERY similar, with the Wyvern having a slightly more open wrap due to a slightly wider bottom bow. Is the Wyvern essentially a "half-price 1292"? Chris sure sounds great on it, and this is an excellent demonstration video! Cheers!
While both are good tubas, I prefer the sound of the Wyvern. However, I'd give the playability edge to the 1292. Sorry...don't know if that helps!
What is the music that you are playing at 25:34, and how many octaves down from its original are you playing?
Steven Marcus , it’s a Grigoriev etude. I can’t remember the number. It’s down one octave from the printed version. Starting Note is pedal A.
@
sex
!
So I've got an interesting company to look at. "Tempest" is a very cheap company (in terms of prices) and when I swapped over to tuba my Junior year of high school I decided to pick one up because my school has pretty beaten up tubas (one of them has a literally flat slide (which I fixed)). I started really getting good at Tuba and from one of their 3/4 sized tubas I was able to sound like a larger horn according to local music professors and teachers but still be able to give that nice attacks of a smaller horn. Most people who have heard me play probably don't even know that my horn was cheap but I don't know if I just got lucky or something of that nature.
-Recently they developed a 6 valved Cimbasso that's pitched in F and is noticeably cheap (it's about 4k which is more expensive than a Wessex F Cimbasso but is far cheaper than most of the other ones) and I am super curious about that.
im a young tuba player, i was thinking of getting a personal tuba, what are the benefits of CC vs BBb Tubas? is it hard to to convert to CC fingerings?
DP & '52 Generally speaking, CC tubas are used when the young player is no longer a beginner and has a solid understanding of the instrument and how to manipulate it to make it do what they want, but this isn’t the case for many people. I myself began on CC tuba and I have many friends who switched later on, it depends on what you want to learn, how long you have to learn it, and what your teacher has to say about the matter. In most cases, because BBb tubas are larger and longer than CC tubas, the former tends to have a more mellifluous/“tuba-ey” tone. The CC is more pointed (relatively speaking). As for the fingerings, it all depends on how you learn new fingerings, it’s like learning a new language (albeit not nearly the same diffulculty). Hope that helped!
Deandre Desir thanks so much !
I am neither a tubist nor even a brass player, but I must take issue with your policy of not reviewing instruments if you think the review might be negative. Negative reviews are just as important as positive because first, they give a frame of reference for your positive reviews, and second, they help viewers steer clear of poorer quality instruments. Side by side comparisons would also be very useful.
Well ... then we can deduce an awful lot by the tubas Chris DOESN'T review, right? 😀
I am planning on getting this tuba as a college horn because I don’t have $10000 to spend on a tuba. Do you recommend this one or would you recommend a different horn?
You should also look for good used tubas, as they're often better than the newer ones. newer doesn't mean better.
Do you know where I should start looking? Btw I’m looking for a CC tuba. I’m tired of BBb tubas
Talon White you could look on tuba forums for example google ‘tuba net for sale’ you will find some there. I would recommend Eastman and Wessex c tubas but everyone is different I myself own a B&S Mrp-c tuba and also a a B&S PT-6
Idk why you're tired of specifically BBb...........
Old miraphones are a good bet, really nimble, but focused sounds
Also, like Zezo, if you find old Peratoni (PT) tubas, they are REALLY good.
My teacher has one (5/4 or 6/4 PT-6 5-valve config), and he's made allstate 3 time with that thing.......which means that it won't limit you in any way.
Overall, these are good tubas (wessex), but I think that under 10k, a miraphone 186/188/189 CC would serve you way better.
but of course, these are REALLY good value for the price, but I would wait around more for these "cheap"(not really that cheap in manufacturing or materials, but rather pricepoint) tubas to get better and better. You know it's a good tuba when it starts to land spots in auditions. That's when I would buy it IF Im still into it.
BTW, my teacher bought the PT-6 for only 5,000. If you wait long enough, you can find a really good deal.
+1 to this
for some reason professors have a notion of CC>BBb, but I prefer to think that either has its uses.
"german sounding horns"-typical Miraphone 186 standard models
"American sounding horns"-King 2341 models with that characteristic flared bell
of course, you can have all the "german" stuff (PT mouthpieces and Miras) and still sound american, but the norm on those tubas is a different sound. Vice versa with american
btw, to anyone who doesn't know, german sounds are very "colorful" (many present over tones), and american sounds are "darker"(little overtones)
first link is typical german, second is american
czcams.com/video/0aM2qlDMCPg/video.html
czcams.com/video/M4VGKkWX3qc/video.html
of course, few people sound like the extremes of the sound (very dark, very colorful), but most fall in middle, and change equipment to define their idea of a perfect sound.
got a bit off topic, but oh well...
Hi Chris. Did you revert to the funnel style mouthpiece on this horn, being that it is a piston valve tuba, or did you stick with the Pt. 10?
Stanley Ross I stayed with the PT10 for the time I had the tuba. It worked so much better than anything else I tried on it.
PT 10? I'm in France, and I can't find this mouthpiece in any review or website... what are the specs for this one? another name??
@@christophearribehaute3164 Perantucci changed numbering around 1990. Old PT10 is modern PT88 so that's probably it...
What mouthpiece did you use with this tuba?
I was playing the Dillon Olka C3LE. Generally my all-around go to mouthpiece.
Did I really just click on a video because "ooooooh shiny object?"
What is the piece at 28:08?
Hadi Lutfil it’s Christian Church Hymn
What is the excerpt of 23.36?
Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla from Das Rheingold - Wagner
@@mirivillerius5344 The Ride of the Valkyries - Wagner To be more precise :)
@@asmundpinas3192 24:06 is the Ride, 23:36 is Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla from Das Rheingold
though I understand the confusion as a large amount of both of them is just made up of typical Wagnerian triad inversions and grandeur
I've been bugging Jonathan about 5th. Valve being a flat whole step for a while. I want 5th. to be useful for Ab, and G(5+2), as well as other alternates! Why pull 1st when you have 5 valves?
Scott Triplett To answer your question about the slide pulling Scott, like every brass instrument, the tuba, depending on it’s key and how many valves are depressed, have a set of pitches called the harmonic series. Depending on what note the player chooses, the note may be flat or sharp (because that’s how they ring in nature). For example, if I have a CC tuba, and I play an e in the staff using no valves, the note (without bending/inconsistencies in the player) comes out flat, 13.69 cents to be exact. This applies, albeit to different degrees, to every note that one plays. Mr. Olka, as well as many other (low) brass players move the slides to compensate for this so that each note has the intonation that they want. Hope that helped!
LOL! I've been playing the Tuba since 1974! I'm afraid you missed my point! As far as i'm concerned, a flat whole step takes away 75% of 5th. valve's useful potential! My first 5 valved tuba, an old Cerveney 686, with European left, had a 5 th. valve circuit that allowed me to use 5 for second line Bb, and 5+2 for first space A! The other 5 valve instruments I own have a longer 5th. valve circuit that's not even half as practical as that Cerveney was! The original, 2+3 length 5th. valves were even less useful, IMHO! Why not make 5th. the same as 1st.? On a C Tuba, you're still going to need to play low C# 12345, and pull! It makes much more sense to me, to be able to set 1st., or 5th., to play sharp partial pitches, and eliminate 75% of slide pulling! Hope that helped! LOL! YMMV!
Scott Triplett haha. Sorry for missing the point of your comment entirely (and sounding like a brat in the process) 🙂. I see what you’re saying. I think it might be to avoid redundancy and work around the harmonic series. What I mean is that if I were to play 5+1 (on that hypothetical tuba), then it would be sharp and you’d pull to get it to where you want (provided that one doesn’t lip much). More than anything, I think that it is a convenience issue. Personally, in some situations, I as well as my teacher, use alternate fingerings like 5+1+2 for low g or 5+1+2+4 for pedal e flat. So if one were to use the system you were describing, there would be more micro adjustment pulling in the valve register (at least from my perspective).
LOL! No worries, Deandre! I am a lazy tuba player! I was spoiled by that shorter 5th. circuit! I had a section mate in my Wind Symphony with an old Conn 3/4 C Tuba. He only had 4 valves, and was constantly pulling 1st. for Bb's, and A's. He noticed I wasn't pulling, and asked how I played in tune. I told him to pay attention to my left hand, while I played some scales. He then popped his mouthpiece into my horn, and , using 5, and 5+_1, understood how i played in tune without all the constant pulling! I had to sell that Cerveney in 2008. A few years ago, I replaced that Tuba with 3 5-valve instruments, in BBb, CC, and Eb. All of them have 5th. valve circuits I can only use 1/4 as much as on the Cerveny! I really don't understand why all 5th. valves aren't made at least usable as 1st. alternates (first line Bb on C Tuba, third line Db on Eb Tuba, etc...), instead of making them as useful as possible!
@@scotttriplett5147 I wonder whether any 6 valve tubas have enough slide on the 6th (flat half step) that you could pull it to be equal to the 1st, then pull the 1st a little. By my math it should take about 3.1 inches (~7.9cm) of pull to make that work on an F tuba.
Edit: 2+6 (modern, not Vienna system) is about 13% longer than 1, vs 33% or more extra on a typical 5th. 1+2+6 would give an in-tune Ab, for example.
Song name at 24:07
Lorenzo Castelano , the ride of the Walkuries from Wagner’s opera, Die Walkure.
Is this man real
Oh yeah…’real old’ 🤣
It a[[ears to be a pretty good product for a barfain price, but it hurts for it to be made in China, an enemy country using slave labor.
I have no political agenda beyond trying to help tuba players everywhere have access to the best instruments for the money.
But not for orchestral work--hmmm...