What's winning auditions?

Roger Lewis · Post by **Roger Lewis** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:58 pm

may not be the one you actually do the job on. In the audition you are trying to play cleanly and with full sound with a trombone section. Once you are in the back of the WHOLE orchestra, you soon realize that you might need just a little more to balance the 8 basses next to you as well as the trombones and horns. Also, the characteristics of the hall come into play more. You audition either in a rehearsal room or center stage. The projection from the actual position on the stage that you will occupy may be quite a bit different from the other places you played to win the job.

Just an observation.

Roger

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:12 pm

I really don't like the original question's implication that the tuba won the audition. I think the more appropriate question is: "What tubas are the winning tuba players using at auditions?".

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:16 pm

Mark wrote:I really don't like the original question's implication that the tuba won the audition. I think the more appropriate question is: "What tubas are the winning tuba players using at auditions?".

Is that like asking: "What excerpts are the winning tuba players being asked at auditions?".

Alex F · Post by **Alex F** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 3:23 pm

I seem to recall someone mentioning that they won a Tanglewood audition on a Cerveny Piggy? I think Roger Lewis might remember who that was.

finnbogi · Post by **finnbogi** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:57 pm

Scooby Tuba wrote:It would be interesting to know WHO of the living wage orchestra tuba players DOES NOT use a 6/4 of some kind for most of their playing. Can anyone name one?

Paul HÃ¼mpel.

RyanSchultz · Post by **RyanSchultz** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:27 pm

Didn't Ron Bishop use a 3/4 Rudy for a lot of his playing in Cleveland?

JustinLerma · Post by **JustinLerma** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:40 pm

Ron Bishop actually won the job on two CC tubas, but one was REALLY small.

Arkietuba · Post by **Arkietuba** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:14 pm

I think that the really good tuba players are what's winning auditions.

Okay, on a serious note...in my experience it doesn't matter what you play as long as you sound good on it. I've made first chair at All-State on a horn that was made around WW II. There was absolutely no finish left on it, 3 valves but one of the springs was bent and rubbed against the side of the casing, had too many dents to count, recording bell and had leaks...but I made the best sound I could on it and got first chair. Also, I've seen professional level players pick up any horn good/bad and get a beautiful sound out of it. I agree that the instrument could help but it doesn't make you a good player. I recently aquired Ed Owen's horn (made by Sam Gnagey) and it fits me perfectly...great, fat sound, good low register and high register pops right out. I does help me to sound better in the sense that it's fuller than the small, standard model horns I have used before.

finnbogi · Post by **finnbogi** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:14 am

Scooby Tuba wrote:
finnbogi wrote:
Scooby Tuba wrote:It would be interesting to know WHO of the living wage orchestra tuba players DOES NOT use a 6/4 of some kind for most of their playing. Can anyone name one?
Paul HÃ¼mpel.
Oh no, not that easy... Name what he uses, too!

A regular size F tuba, I think it is a Gronitz, but I could be wrong.

In fact, German tuba players generally use F tubas except for parts that explicitly ask for a KontrabaÃŸtuba, in which case they use a B flat tuba.

Roger Lewis · Post by **Roger Lewis** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:58 am

Boston auditions. A prominent West coast player advanced to the finals in the Boston Symphony audition, but was told that his PT6P did not put out enough sound. Another truly great player was there as well on his Hirsbrunner 5/4. There are times when you need a bigger horn to satisfy the committee.

Just an observation.

Roger

ZNC Dandy · Post by **ZNC Dandy** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:08 am

Scooby Tuba wrote:It would be interesting to know WHO of the living wage orchestra tuba players DOES NOT use a 6/4 of some kind for most of their playing. Can anyone name one?

Mike Thornton in the Cincinnati Symphony. Plays an Alexander 163. Its not what I would call a 6/4 tuba. Also finnbogi is right about the European players. Look at the sound guys like Walter Hilgers, Markus Hotzel and Paul Humpel crank out of the F tuba. Its also really impressive to hear the sound that can come out of one of those little Viennese F tubas. Not to mention the British players like Chris McShane or Patrick Harrild.

JB · Post by JB » Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:53 pm

Scooby Tuba wrote:It would be interesting to know WHO of the living wage orchestra tuba players DOES NOT use a 6/4 of some kind for most of their playing. Can anyone name one?

Perhaps someone living closer to Montreal can confirm this is (or is not) still the case, but Dennis Miller used a 5/4 Hirsbrunner for a long time with the MSO/OSM.

Steve Marcus · Post by **Steve Marcus** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 10:56 pm

Does anybody play a PT-7? It would be hard to describe that horn as anything but a 6/4.

quinterbourne · Post by **quinterbourne** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:31 pm

Steve Marcus wrote:Does anybody play a PT-7? It would be hard to describe that horn as anything but a 6/4.

I tried one of those, and man does it suck. True, it is a lot of horn, but you'd be much better off getting a Neptune (or equivalent) for much less money.

*The PT-6 is much more manageable in terms of size as well as flexibility, intonation and clarity... and the PT6 is quite a big tuba!

TubeNet

What's winning auditions?

The horn you win on.....

3/4

You need to look at the .....