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Reviews

Reviews of equipment, recordings, and music

  1. Review: Adjustable Bottom Cap (ABC) - Heavyweight 4th Valve Bottom Cap

    On my forum and other places euphonium players have discussed the benefit of replacing the standard bottom cap of the 4th valve with a heavier version. The first I heard of this is when I was a Sterling artist. They sent me one for my Sterling Virtuoso and I liked it. The tone and center seemed a bit better for most music. For music that was light and "bouncy" I tended to prefer the standard cap (but that may have just been in my head). Regardless, it was easy to change the cap when I wanted. ...
  2. Review: Bente Illevold Album "Alone" (Norwegian: "Alene")

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ID:	8734The COVID crisis was something we'd like not repeat, but many of us have found some positive outcomes. One of those outcomes is having more time to practice, time that would have been otherwise occupied in pre-pandemic times. Bente Illevold used the time to create another very positive outcome, which is this album of unaccompanied music (i.e. "alone").

    In case you are ready to stop reading, give me a minute! Some might ask, "A whole album of unaccompanied ...

    Updated 12-10-2021 at 04:58 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
  3. Dave Werden Review of Wessex Sinfonico Euphonium

    I just came up in the testing rotation of the Sinfonico, and it is a real treat to test this new horn! In 2019 at ITEC I tried the prototype for this horn and found it very promising. Now we are looking at an early production model. My impression is that that the instrument has changed quite a bit in that time (which is not surprising - that's how the process works).

    The Sinfonico, unlike the less expensive Dolce, is hand made from sheet brass. Most other brands (and the Wessex "Dolce") ...
  4. Advanced Fingering Guide for Euphonium - REVIEW

    If you are a member of the International Tuba-Euphonium Association (ITEA) you may have already seen this review. It covers my "Advanced Fingering Guide" very thoroughly (and positively!). ITEA allows me to reprint reviews of my content, so here it is! If you are not already an ITEA member, I strongly encourage you to join. There are great articles in the Journal and you are helping the organization support the instruments we love!

    ITEA offers print or digital subscriptions, and they ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:56 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Performance Tips , Reviews
  5. Review: Cronkhite Leather Gig Bag for Euphonium

    After a great of thought and study, I decided to go with a Cronkhite leather gig bag. It was a hard decision because I have enjoyed my Altieri bag, starting in the 1990's, but I'm convinced the leather Cronkhite offers better protection. This review will include a comparison between the two bags. Let me also say that my Altieri bag gave me fine service for all these years. It held up well and was very convenient to use for my own situation (the horn is always under my control, for one thing). An ...
  6. Review - Wessex EP600 Hand-Made Euphonium

    One opportunity I looked forward to when planning my visit to ITEC 2019 was seeing and playing the new Wessex EP600. This is their new, handmade model. My understanding is that the horn is made on a different floor of the Chinese factory, and that the workers building it are trained specifically for this type of work.

    As I have often said, patience is a virtue. It proved an asset at ITEC because the EP600 was delayed by a day or two. But I was able to get some time with it the day it ...
  7. Review - Wiseman Carbon Fiber Euphonium Case

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ID:	6963NOTE: Comments from Wisemann appear at the bottom of this review.

    NOTE 2: Fletcher Mitchell, a euphonium player, gave me permission to use photos from his Facebook page of his Wiseman case. These show much better detail than my original photos. They are at the end of this blog entry, after the comments from Wiseman.

    The Wiseman case at ITEC2019 was impressive in many ways but seemed like a work in progress - although a promising work. The case ...
  8. CD Review: Mark Glover, Euphonium - Hustle

    Mark Glover is a euphoniumist whose style is representative of modern playing without being too identified with any one niche (i.e. he does not sound particularly American, British, or...). He has a good understanding of the musical needs of the pieces he is playing, and I suspect the currently-living composers represented here would be pleased with the way he performs their work.

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ID:	6413The CD contains diverse selections, all within a "listenable" style. There ...

    Updated 11-23-2021 at 06:56 PM by davewerden

    Categories
    Euphonium-Tuba Blog , General Tuba-Euphonium Blog , Reviews
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