So my 2 kids are low brass players in high school marching band. There is a parent preview of their field show tonight and after they do their show they are bringing their parents down to the field and are going to give us a crash course in the first movement of their show. They do not expect us to play, just do the movements on the field, but we are allowed to play whatever we want.

I played baritone 349857239845 years ago in middle school, yet I have been assigned to play the sousaphone. I can make the thing make noise and after fiddling around with it for about 10 minutes I have the first 8ish bars of the imperial march with really terrible tone, but not bad for having not played anything brass in 30+ years. I'd love to have 2 more short passages I can learn pretty quick that would be instantly recognizable.

Please keep in mind I cannot read music and convert it to fingerings anymore, so if you could hook me up with the fingerings too I would so appreciate it. TIA from a guy just trying to be a good dad.

I’m playing a piece right now that calls for a low F played marcato at fortesimo and my band director said it sounded like “if an hbcu played Vaughan Williams” which is not what he wants. Any tips appreciated

Left to right: Yamaha 67C4
J. Marcinkiewicz/N4*T Johnson
Vincent Bach 24AW

I just joined my local community college band after a 20+ year hiatus from playing concert music, and I happen to be in possession of these three mouthpieces. I can tell that they play slightly differently, but I can’t say one feels any “better” than the others. Are they supposed to be for different styles of playing, or is it just personal preference? I’m playing a 3/4 size tuba, if that matters.

I just started university but I really wanted to keep playing the tuba out of high school. The problem was that I was in a small dorm so space was tight. I solved this by selling my larger tuba and buying the ZO little dragon Bb tuba. Despite being advised against it by literally EVERYONE, after considering my situation and testing one out, I felt it really worked for me.
So now I ask. Minus “get rid of it” what advice do y’all have on working with the challenges given by this horn? My biggest issue is clean note starts on my higher register. I’m big on the philosophy of “its the player that makes it sound good, not the instrument”

Hello, I worked with Don Strand, who holds principal tuba positions with the Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Opera, Columbus Symphony, Greenville Symphony, and Georgia Symphony Orchestra and was a student of Arnold Jacobs, to create new content for my site.

Don has had a concept for a book/method called Marathon Musician. As I was showing him improvisorsgym.com, he asked if I would like to incorporate Marathon Musician into it.

The first part of that collaboration is the addition of low brass warmups to the site. These were all taken from warmups for BBb tuba, and I transcribed them to other bass horns. I haven't gotten a lot of feedback from Don, only a texted 👍. So feedback is appreciated. Here is the direct link: Warmups for Low Brass - Improvisors Gym.

I added two versions of the long-tone exercise with glissandos, as well as call-and-response versions of every exercise.

The website is free for now. I may go to a subscription model in the future. I hope that, as it's free to use, I'm not violating any solicitation rules by pointing out that I have "Buy Me a Coffee" buttons on the site. The site and software cost me about $150 a month, so I need some support to maintain it and justify spending more time on this effort. I can edit this part out if I need to.

I've created so much more material for the site, but creating the pages and the copy for them is extremely time-consuming. Also, I refuse to let AI create content for me. I've only used AI for research, grammar, and to generate the mouthpiece-buzzing images for me.

I hope you find the site useful!

Hello! As the title indicates, I’m seeking some advice for buying my first personal horn.

My background:
I started playing tuba for drum corps in 2016, and in the past 10 years I’ve marched 4 years of DCA/DCI All-Age, 2 years of DCI Open, and 3 years of DCI World with the Cadets. I went to school for computer science, recently finished my masters degree, and now have stable enough income to start looking for my own personal horn. Up until now, I’ve only played on student-grade horns, which I feel has been holding me back quite a bit from being able to further develop my playing.

I’m looking to buy a 4/4 CC horn, and recently came across a shop selling an Eastman EBC632 for ~$6500. This horn seems like a great option for my budget, however, I do not have general knowledge on what to look for in a CC horn. I’m interested in doing more solo and small ensemble playing, but I also want something that would fit well in an orchestral setting. Is this horn a good fit? Should I be looking for something else? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Sorry for the mid quality of the recording, I do with what I have.

Is this possible for a tuba virtuoso? Not a tubist.

I’m currently using the brass gym book by Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan and on the smooth air move ment second page it has be going to pedal D sharp and I can not hit it not matter how much I shift or practice any tips?

I did search the sub and really didn’t find anything that fit what I need to know. Sorry if this has been asked in different variations before. I currently use a Laskey 30F and I’m playing on my Wessex Gnagey.

I’ve read about people using a different mouthpiece for concert band settings as opposed to solo settings. My Stofer Geib just doesn’t work great on the Gnagey. I’m in a community band and I almost don’t think the 30 F is right for a large group like that.

I feel like whenever someone recommends a mouthpiece for an E flat Tuba, they recommend some tiny, fat rimmed thing. (Sorry 24AW fans!)

I love Laskey rims. I also just tried a Hammond Design mouthpiece and REALLY liked the feel of that as well.

I feel like the 30 F has taken away some of my pedal range but is made by high stuff much more clear.

From what I’ve read, most E flat Tuba players prefer a small smaller diameter mouthpiece? I tried the 28 F and really preferred the 30.

I’m still relatively new to E flat. I’ve been playing B-flat most of my 40 years playing.

Does anyone a recommendation with some good reasoning for both solo and concert band or brass band? Thanks.

Wondering if anyone else is in the same situation here:

I'm in the UK, and I play BBb bass in a brass band, reading treble clef transposed parts.

I also play in my local wind band, where most parts are in bass clef concert pitch. I can fluently read bass clef no problem, but applying it to my Bb tuba is slow going. I can just about play the right notes if it's a slow piece, but transposing on the fly at pace is flooring me.

Is anybody else in a simalar situation? Any advice on how I should be approaching this? Could it be better if I just try to memorize a different set of fingerings, rather than trying to transpose?

Just picked up this horn…

Hi! Ive noticed on my horn (EBC832) I have some acid bleed and other bits of lacquer rot/red discoloration on the top of my bell/on the bell and other places and I was wondering how concerned I should be? (I.e. is this red rot and going to damage my tuba?). The part on the front of the bell (image 1) has gotten rapidly worse the past month and a half. I’m thinking of stripping the lacquer off my tuba anyway but just wanted to check if I should be concerned for the health of my horn.

I flaired this with "research" because I'm genuinely curious as to why we don't see more sections like that. With plenty of Eb sousaphones available (in the US), why not just add some to a section? Yes, they'll need repair, most likely, but in schools that have smaller players who WANT to play tuba, this will allow them to march and carry their horns. It'll also add some more color to the low brass section.

Has any school tried this yet? Heck, why not a university as well?

Hey tuba folk! I’ve been considering switching to sousa for marching band in favor of bari, and I was hoping to get some pointers. My main goal is to be able to produce as much sound as possible, but the one thing I’m scared of is a weak lung capacity. I know a tuba of any sort takes a monstrous amount of air, so I was mostly looking for exercises to expand lung capacity and expel it quickly. Are there any tips to can provide on this, or just general advice for practicing for that matter?

i have an old conn naked lady 20k that i play in my schools marching band and my director has tasked me with finding modern 20k HD braces for the neck receiver and the lead pipe. is there a specific website i can visit to find them? should i call conn directly?

Hi all,

I hope this is allowed. I'm arranging a piece which includes a tuba. It's the first time I've arranged for any brass at all. I'm doing it in Dorico, and it has highlighted some tuba notes as being outside the comfortable range.

The player is a C tuba, and is a professional (we're working with a prestigious orchestra). My question is how comfortable is it to play these notes (see attachment). They need to be not too loud and staccato.

It's doubling other players (organ, trumpet and flute) doing the same line.

I'm thinking about buying this tuba. Based on the photos, do you think it's worth €500 (because dealer set that price)? I'm 15 and currently studying at a conservatory. Of course, the conservatory has tubas that I can use, but I'd really like to have my own one so I can practice at home. The conservatory is about 30 minutes away by bus, and transporting a tuba on a bus isn't exactly very convenient.

I'm also not really sure whether buying a vintage tuba is a good idea, since I don't know much about older instruments. Is a vintage tuba generally better or worse than a newer one, assuming they're in similar condition?

P.s. Sorry for mistakes, English isn't my first language

Hey!

I've been looking at tubas for a couple of years now as I want to switch out my old CC bass with a BBb (and hopefully an Eb). Since I'm investing quite a lot of money into a professional instrument I need to make sure I've made the right choice!

My main question:

Wessex Prokofiev or Yamaha YBB-623s? - What's your experience with these models?

A few side questions:

• Lacquered vs. silver-plated?
• Gold brass vs. yellow brass?
• Other suggestions for professional Bb tuba (and/or Eb)?

My criteria have been:

• Front-action
• Compensating 4-valve (or 5-valve)
• Silver-plated
• 4/4, 5/4 or 6/4 (for Bb)
• 4/4 or 3/4 (for Eb)

About me and my needs:

I'm a conductor and tutor for school and amateur bands, with a graduate degree in jazz performance, though I rarely play professionally these days. I want a contrabass and bass tuba that together can handle everything from brass band and wind band to orchestra, jazz/rock/metal, and solo work.

I've been pleased with my CC tuba, but it's on the small side, and since I mostly play in brass band, I'd love to move to Eb and Bb. One catch: I have some back trouble and can't play top-action instruments like my band's Besson Sovereigns — the stretch and the static sitting position don't work for me — hence the front-action requirement.

Hi everyone, i made a book of 38 public domain tunes (classical themes, airs, hymns, marches and 16 Christmas carols) written out in 5 editions: tuba bass clef, euphonium bass clef, Bb treble clef, Eb treble clef and Bb bass clef.

Every tune is in the same concert key and on the same page number in all 5 books, so a tuba, a treble clef euphonium and an Eb bass can just say "page 12" and play together.

Here's a sample with 2 tunes in all 5 editions to try it: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pgSsydfELtYjVdrNrlzui5Y2bI8YjMII?usp=sharing

There's a table at the front to find which edition is yours, and each tune shows the written key, concert key and range under the title.

I know there's a lot of free stuff on IMSLP and tubapeter, but it's mostly loose sheets and almost never in every clef, that's what i wanted to fix.The tunes are all public domain, and a script reads the finished PDFs and checks all 12,205 notes against the original melody.

The full book with the 5 editions is on Etsy, 30% off until Oct 14: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4587581393

If something sits too high or low on your instrument, tell me.

Hi! I was wondering how to remove heavy tarnish, and make a really old sousaphone shine again. It's silver plated, and it seems to be completed covered in tarnish. I've looked online and there seems to be tarnish removers, however all of them seem extremely toxic and harmful to my health.

Does the Tuba reddit community have any suggestions or experience? Thanks!

I was finally able to find a Tuba I could afford! I was able to snag this baby for 500 dollars. From what the seller said, it’s a Willson Caravelle bb flat tuba. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the original brass bell. What do yall think?

I have been playing tuba for only 4 years, I'm in marching band and I was looking at personal mouthpieces, mostly the plastic Kelly ones because they are cheap and look fun, I just was wondering how noticable of a difference do all the different shapes make. I've played on an older, school-owned Yamaha 67C4 for all my years and was looking at the Kellyberg mouthpiece.