Stepping up to a professional horn

[PMeuph]

http://www.usarmyband.com/tuba/" target="_blank


Go to the conference, try a whole bunch of horns and figure out what works for you and what doesn't. If there was one model of tuba that worked for everyone, we'd all be playing on it.

Use the google search onthis forum, you'll get some better answers than posting a subject thats been asked several times if you look at previous answers.

[EdFirth]

I just wanted to post some observations that I haven't read here so far. First, if you don't have a lot of time on a C you will be learning to play one while trying them out. If you could possibly borrow one for a few weeks your going to be better able to compare. When you do shop for a first C "middle of the road" is a good rule for size. If you get working professionally enough to merit a bigger horn get it then. The same for your bass tuba. If you want to stick your toe in the water for a few years and see where it takes you Cerveny Piggies can be had for relatively little money and are good horns. Mirafone 186 and 188 as well as the rotary model Meinl Westons. Piston wise it gets pretty pricey pretty fast but some of those Conns (52 54 56J) are quite good. And if you can play a bunch at one place you may find an excellent Miraclone for cheap. It's always better to play them before buying if just because it's expensive to ship them back and try to get your money back. A conference is a good place to try a lot of horns but most likely there will be lots of others doing the same thing. In the same room. Someplace like Dillon's or Baltimore Brass are very good because it should be just you, whoever is helping you, and the horns you are trying. Since you are looking to go pro, you might also consider keeping your Bb.If you like it a lot. I know it's a financial stretch but if you want to recoup most of your original investment you have to wait for the retail price to go up. And as a pro, there are situations that are easier on Bb.Lastly, you are at the beginning of your working years. The music business is melting away faster than the polar ice caps. Most jobs pay low or not at all and late when they do.Players desperatefor work undercut each other keeping wages down. I think the best deal out there is a Regular military band. You go to the school for six months, get two years of theiry etc in that time And you learn bass. If you're going to try to make a living at it don't overlook that. Then you go play full time for a couple years and make decent money. And they supply the horn so you get lots of time to see how different ones perform in groups. The best of luck to you. Ed PS you also get the GI bill

[bort]

Related thought -- I'm not really sure where this notion of "musician as a prosperous career" came from. Throughout history, artists of all kinds have typically led lives of struggle and poverty, even some people who are now household names were unknown during their time. Yes, life and the way we consume art has greatly changed in the past 100 years. But during that time, people have also started to value art less, or at least very differently.

As many people have said here before, music isn't a career you pursue because you think it would be fun. It's something you pursue because it IS what defines you, and that you couldn't possibly do anything else. That's why people put up with the struggle involved to be musicians and attempt to make a living out of it.

That said, don't let this stop you from pursuing a dream. If you don't do it now, you never will. And really, if you don't make it and don't start your "real" career until your late 20s, it's not the worst thing in the world. Go all in, try it, and see what you can do. And have a backup plan.

[bort]

Totally agree. I think you used better words to make the point I was getting at.

In terms of a backup plan, I don't think it necessarily has to detract from what you're currently doing, as much as setting a milestone and having some ideas about what to do if you need to move on with your life in another direction. I think too many people have it set in their minds that you MUST start your career at age 22 and see it through for the rest of your working days. That's what I did, and while it worked out just fine, I have many colleagues that are 20 or 30 years older than me who had MUCH different career paths to get where they are right now... and admittedly, had jobs that were much more fun when they were in their 20's.

[Jay Bertolet]

As many people have said here before, music isn't a career you pursue because you think it would be fun. It's something you pursue because it IS what defines you, and that you couldn't possibly do anything else. That's why people put up with the struggle involved to be musicians and attempt to make a living out of it.

^^This!

It is critical that you make this decision with full knowledge of what you're getting yourself into. Even in my day, an era of relative booming activity in the music business (lots of professional orchestras, full time salaries, recording money, etc.), we had a saying you've heard before. You don't do it for the money, the fame, or the chicks. I often feel a real kinship between deciding to be a performing musician and the choice to become a priest. It is a calling. It is something that takes everything you have to even have a chance at being successful. Without total commitment and dedication, regardless of possible consequences, you have very little chance of being successful. Ironically, nowadays, priests are paid better.

Before you take the extraordinary step of upgrading your horn, do yourself a favor and wait. Take a deep breath. You don't have 2 things right now that are essential to making a successful choice. You don't have a tuba teacher, someone that is knowledgeable about what horns are out there and has significant experience with how they play (I consider myself extremely qualified to help students select horns and I haven't played half of what's out there, such has been the recent expansion of available products). Having that person to guide you through the process and help you select the right match is really important because they provide something it would take you years to accumulate on your own: experience. Second, you don't have the experience playing on CC tuba yourself. CC tubas can play very differently that BBb tubas. Not knowing those differences can make it very difficult to choose wisely. Let's not even talk about the money yet, that is way further down the line than you are currently.

Be smart. Gather a lot of experience playing the types of horns you're interested in. Keep an open mind, you never know which tuba will be a great match for you. Put in some serious time studying with a top flight teacher and learn what exactly is involved in pursuing a performance career and what kinds of equipment might help you along that path. You'll know when the time is right to start plunking down your cash for the horn that you need to take the next step. Good luck!

[swillafew]

Listen to Jay.

[TubaSteve]

[quote="GregTuba79 Good luck, and don't listen to the trolls who can't figure out the fingerings of a CC horn and have to bash them every chance they get. They are usually amateurs who probably don't even know half of their B-flat scales yet anyway. Congrats on 2 seasons of DCI.. [/quote]
Nice post! Trolls? I just reread the posts, and didn't find any posts bashing CC horns. I will now step aside and get out of the way of the select "professional's" who are qualified to answer a question.

[hbcrandy]

Listen to Jay.

Jay, more sound advice cannot be given.

Be ye aware that the live music business is rapidly declining in the United States. I tell all of my students at the Maryland Conservatory, have a backup plan as a safety net. Look what happened to Karl Wallenda when walking a tightrope without a safety net . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQtPMG5dv6Q

[WC8KCY]

Sound advice, buying a $10k horn right now will never pay for itself. Buy a cheaper horn and learn bass guitar to make yourself more valuable.

The $300 electric bass, $60 amp, and $200 speaker system I had during my college years paid for themselves many times over...and I was turning many bassist jobs away, even in remote Upper Michigan.

[Donn]

Look what happened to Karl Wallenda when walking a tightrope without a safety net .

hm, yeah - Karl Wallenda died on the job - at the age of 73, after a fantastically successful career as probably the most famous tight rope walker then or since. If that's an example to the rest of us, I think the moral of the story might be more inspirational than cautionary!