I'm sharing this from my Facebook feed. It's a change that I never would have come up with!
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Juha Määttälä
Here is my beaty made by Miel Adams after my design based to the E1 model. 3rd valve tubing goes above to my left hand to make possible to take stressless "pistol grip" so that the left hand will function really freely. Leadpipe is made of sterling silver.
Dave
Clever idea! What do I see sticking out from the 3rd slide loop? I see a lyre holder type of thing there. And how about the attachment coming off the first valve cylinder?
Juha Määttälä
You see correct. There is a lyre holder which is attached to the tube brace between 3rd slide tubing. The meaning of that is to be a support for the left hand. Also there is a piece of Loctite Kintsuglue on the upper 3rd slide which meaning is to take all the weight of the euphonium to the left hand. Actually I don't need to squeeze euphonium at all.
Attachment in to the 1st valve is actually a reed ligature from my colleagues tenor saxophone... the meaning is to be a support to the right hand thumb. It keeps it always on the same "sweet spot" and prevent slipping on the 1st valve surface. Also it holds my right hand on the optimal and always on the same distance to the valves.
You can go and check how it's working on my you tube channel, if you like. You see there how I hold euphonium. The image is a mirror because I didn't know how to reverse it to the normal on those time when I recorded this piece (recorded as on one shot -live recording)
https://youtu.be/C8sNxf30kUU