Suggestions to spice up recitals...

[Matt G]

I've heard the tuba and harpsichord deal before done by a very fine player.

You need to have a small F tuba that you can tiptoe with and you will never play above mezzo-forte. It is an interesting sound, but the piece I heard (a Bach Flute piece) just didn't sound right. While it may have been for harpsichord, it was also for flute, which balances better.

Playing different horns for different pieces is fine, and I think that the folk stuff would be cool too, but it needs to be tested and evaluated by as nuetral of a third party as you can find.

I do agree that just one thing besides the go-sit-in-front-of-a-piano-on-a-black-chair-wearing-a-dark-suit-or-tux-and-play-the-same-old-sh!* can do wonders to make a recital memorable. All in all, it has to be tempered in regards to the audience who is coming to hear it.

[Z-Tuba Dude]

....I know this smacks of "entertaining" the crowd.

There is nothing wrong with "entertaining the crowd"!

We, as tubists, are fighting two battles, simultaneously.

One battle is to be champions of our literature, playing it as much as possible, while encouraging more music to be written.

The other battle is even more fundamental; to convince people that the tuba is truly a worthy solo instrument. Because of the nature of much of our original tuba literature, this goal is sometime undermined.

If the "contemporary" nature of the composition being performed for the audience, is not pleasing to them, an unelightened audience will have trouble deciding whether it is the music that they don't care for, or whether it is the instrument itself. Playing music on the tuba, that the audience LIKES, will go further to enhance the tuba's image (which is part of the genius behind the idea of TubaChristmas).

We of course should play original compositions too, but it doesn't help us until the tuba is first accepted for itself, by the general public. (That may take a while, however.....)

[Anterux]

We of course should play original compositions too, but it doesn't help us until the tuba is first accepted for itself, by the general public. (That may take a while, however.....)

I think original compositions in a "contemporary style" that explores sounds and gestures uncommon to other instruments (or just "uncommon"), with a good sense of musicality, is often very pleased to any audience.

Of course, some hits could be welcome to make first contacts.

Therefore, variaty of repertoire can be wise.

about arrangements of flute and keyboard (any keyboard) to tuba and keyboard (any tuba) must be well choosen because some harmony problems (chord inversions due to the transposition of the solo part) can alter (sevierly in some cases) the original sense of the harmony. choose them carefully.

sorry for my english

[tubatooter1940]

A real pro has a show in some form.Besides the music there are many other things we can do to relate to the audience and "entertain"them.
I agree with Doc that unusual instrumentation can add a lot.Experience a musicians power of personality when he may visit with the crowd between tunes.If you can get the musical selections and the humor appropriate to the crowd, sucess can be within reach.
Put together any ensemble of instruments you please and get your butts down to the old folks home. Learn ten or so tunes and play at the local elementary schools-any time of year-not just Christmas.These are some of the greatest audiences to play for.Okay so they don't pay you any money,but thier appreciation and live feedback can be invaluable.If you can entertain the very young and the very old and make them smile you just might be on your way to a sucessful sound that will sell.
tubatooter1940

[dtemp]

A fellow tuba player and myself tried to "spice up" a piece for a studio recital by feeding a silent brass mute from a tuba and running it through effects/loop pedals and then an amp. It really was excepted quite well. We used this on a piece that I arranged, but I think using it on a "standard", either tuba specific pieces or otherwise, might keep butts in the seats and eyes and ears on the stage. I consider my school to be pretty conservative as far as 20th and 21st c. music acceptance, so the fact that this was liked made me feel pretty good.

Just a thought.

[Highams]

I use different vintage euphs from my collection in all my recitals, the most being 5 in one 40 minute concert. I also took the time to explain the differences. If you have a good voice use it, the audiences like to hear you talk (briefly).

www.euph9.freeserve.co.uk/recitals.htm

[MartyNeilan]

Well, Doc, you've already seen one of my posters and read about my on-stage antics in my recital thread. But since Baroque was mentioned, I have another suggestion. Around 1993 I played the trumpet part for Bach Brandenburg #2 on F tuba. Still in the very high range, albeit 2 octaves down from the original. Since it was originally written for trumpet in F, on an F tuba all you need to to is use "regular" trumpet fingerings (is there any other kind??) and everything comes out fine. A real showpiece if you can pull it off, and once you get your high chops going it is not as difficulty as one might think. I condensed a piano part from the score, but you could always do it with a chamber orch if you could round up the players. Someday, I hope to pull it off again.