Considering taking up tuba

[euphdude]

My brass band is considering a run at NABBA next year for the first time in nearly two decades. Our band director has asked if I would consider joining the Eb bass section. I'm fluent enough in Bb treble that playing the Eb part shouldn't present a problem for me. The main thing that has me debating about whether to take the plunge for an instrument and custom mouthpiece is .....whether or not a mouthpiece with a large bass trombone rim and tuba cup/shank is a reasonable option to play Eb bass tuba. I'm first and foremost a euphonium and bass trombone player, and I plan on continuing to play these instruments on a weekly basis regardless of what I do with a tuba. My director suggests that I should definitely use a proper tuba mouthpiece, and any sort of hybrid setup should be avoided. I'm extremely sensitive to mouthpiece rim changes and I'm taking the position right now that if I must use a traditional tuba mouthpiece, I'm not making the jump. I know many of you double or even triple instruments with different sized rims but that is not me. Many of you will say just use a regular mouthpiece and play both instruments daily. My schedule as an amateur musician does not afford me that luxury and I need a setup that I can pick up and play straight away with minimal adjustment. Right now I use my Yamaha Doug Yeo sized rim for everything (they are all excellent Doug Elliott setups except for my Yamaha Doug Yeo mouthpiece)....small bore tenor trombone, large tenor bone, bass bone, baritone, and euphonium.

So, do any of you guys have experience with using say, a Doug Elliott bass trombone sized rim with a proper tuba cup and shank? If so, what were your experiences? For those of you that don't have that experience (I'm guessing that will be most of you) what would you do in my position?

[tuba.bobby]

Have you done much changing rims? Because in my experience its something you need to get used to. I had trouble when i first took up Euph but i am now playing Tuba, Euph/Bass Trombone, Tenor Trombone, Ophicleide, Baritone horn and ive also done gigs on Tenor (alto) Horn. The thing is youve just got to get used to them i have found. The more you do it the more insensitive you become. I know you said you dont have the time luxury to pursue both, but you must practice Euph at home right? So practice Euph at home and leave the Tuba for the Band Room. Or is there not some way of managing the practice you do do to fit in tuba in the middle? Warm up on your euph, do whatever your regime requires but then allow for fifteen minutes Tuba on a proper mouthpiece before warming down on Euph again.

Thats my experience

[b.williams]

I concur with tuba.bobby. The more you play tuba the easier the transition will be. I played euphonium and trombone for years before being forced to play BBb tuba (Sailor, grab that tuba and get on the bus. You are now a tuba player ). Gradually I worked it into my daily routine. From the start I used a proper mouthpiece on tuba (BBb). Now I don't think much about what my embouchure is doing when I switch from mouthpiece to mouthpiece. I focus on sound and playing in tune. I think Eb tuba might make for a smoother transition because it is closer in size to the euphonium.

[TubaRay]

Let me preface my comments by saying this is simply my opinion. I am not stating that somehow it is fact.

I am, since 6th grade, a tuba player. I have learned to play all of the band instruments(to some extent). I can perform pretty well on euphonium, and with the exception of not having a lot of slide technique, I can also do trombone. Playing the other instruments is doable, although I prefer tuba. But, here is the most important thing: They are different instruments. In my opinion, trying to play them with (more or less) one mouthpiece is not the way to go. They are different. Let your brain wrap itself around that concept and I believe you will do just fine. There are exceptions to this, but from what I have observed, those who attempt to blend the two rarely are successful in the sound department. And, sound is huge when it comes to playing tuba.

[oedipoes]

I use a Denis Wick SM3 on my euphonium and Tilz WH -B2 on BBb tuba in brassband.
Different instrument, different mouthpiece.

[Donn]

Our band director has asked if I would consider joining the Eb bass section.

Tell him "no". When you have the time and inclination to take up the tuba, then would be the time to do it.

My small shank Eb tuba mouthpiece is a Denis Wick 5, cup diameter 30mm - a half mm wider than the largest bass trombone rim I see on Doug Elliott's site. I have stuck a 1 1/2 G clone on that tuba (a little Italian job with 3 top valves), and found no potential in it whatever (and the DW 5 on bass trombone was even worse.) I personally think it's a bad compromise - the rim that comes closest to working for both will be ill suited to both.