Standing to Play Tuba

[smurphius]

Hmm... I hadn't heard of the MW strap before. Do any of the big online retailers sell it?

I agree with some of the previous posts that the audience does want to see the soloist standing. I don't really have a whole lot of use for standing with CC for mainly using it in "sit down" situations, but the F tuba is sooo light in comparison, especially Meinl Weston, so it seems very feasable to do.

Cool.

[EQueg]

I Know several people that play standing using an F tuba, and I usually do myself. My other horn is a 6/4 so that aint happenen!

[Dan Schultz]

Hey,
I have one of those MW harness straps, but I don't have strap rings. At one time I remember that you could get something to make it work. Is it still available? If so, where can I get it?

Bill... use straps and snaps off just about any shoulder bag or soft-side duffel bag to creat attachment points on your horn. Wrap the luggage strap around a bow a couple of times and attach the end snaps to a large key ring. Then... you have a place to attach the M-W harness fittings. Attachment rings can be uncomfortable on some horns. On my Carl Wunderlich (B & S stencil) I remove the lower attachment loop. I use a luggage strap wrapped around the bottom bow to create an attachment point.

[tubatooter1940]

I stood for 25 years as a guitar/vocalist and standing is best for breathing and emoting while playing and singing. I wish I had a tuba stand that would take all tuba weight, let me stand and not let that 24"recording bell catch so much wind that she goes over. I miss jumping up and down while playing. It is so fun unless the reverb in the P.A. driver is the spring type and the bandstand lacks a few braces underneath.
A pair of 5/8" docklines with a sewn-in loop slip knot on the top bow might let me suspend my old King from the ceiling. That could prove to be lots-o-fun. Would not be practical for one-nighter gigs though.

[smurphius]

So, I'm beginning to realize that LOTS of tuba players would love to stand if there were practical ways of doing so?

I'm seriously going to have to try this out for an extended period of time to see if it helps my playing any.

[smurphius]

Not me. I want to sit on my fat *** and take it easy when I can. I stand up all night playing upright bass. That **** gets old quick. I'm older and lazier. Gimme a chair and a tuba stand. I can't always do that at some jobs, so I'm thinking about a tuba strap (dammit!) until I can find that 4v eefer helicon I've been wanting. Doc

Well... lazy *** syndrome can be an issue. But with enough beer, I doubt I will remember I'm lazy anymore!

[chipster55]

When I stand to play my li'l ol' Amati - usually at TubaChristmas - I tie a sousaphone shoulder pad to the bow and clip a strap to it, then sling it on my left shoulder. It works great.

[Rick Denney]

I enjoy standing while playing, if the instrument is small. I have a harness that I made for my Yamaha 621 F tuba, and it's had plenty of experience.

If I have to stand playing a contrabass, I use the Miraphone. It's the lightest of my BBb tubas. It's manageable with just a strap.

The Meinl-Weston harness looks appropriate, but if I was going to stand while playing ala Sumner Erickson, I would devise a separate stand so that my shoulders aren't carrying the weight.

I do breathe better while standing, but that is offset by the greater tension required to manage the instrument. When I attempt it with a heavy instrument, the tension overcomes the breathing advantage.

Rick "who prefers to sit" Denney

[windshieldbug]

Ergonomically, one should have the horn set up so that you can breathe properly, even when the horn is in your lap. Soloists are likely to have a hard time pulling slides, adjusting embrochures, or doing any pivoting while standing.

Personally, I always considered myself like one of the 'cellos; when then orchestra played the National Anthem, I stayed seated and played better for it. When soloing, I was fine seated. It doesn't seem to impair the audience's enjoyment of a 'cello solo, either!

[smurphius]

The factor there though might be that cello players have the great luxury (by neccesity) of hypnotizing their audiences with the strokes of their bow. All we have in that light is wiggly fingers. *lol*

Keeping in mind that recitals are mainly for the purpose of performing music, not dancing and masquarading on stage, the factor of standing and stage presence makes me wonder if the audience is effected. Does standing versus sitting engage the listeners more (by percieving you to be more open to them), or are they going to be engaged only to their amount of attention span (regardless of choise)?

This is always an issue I see too little spoken about in "Stage Presence" type master classes. Everyone just sort of takes it for granted that tuba players and cellos always sit in solo performance, violin players and trumpets always stand. What if those rolls were reversed? Would there be a different perception of our instrument as a solo instrument? A different perception of the soloist?

(I'm egging on discussion, I'm interested. )

[windshieldbug]

As you mention, dancing on stage is just that, dancing. Exaggerated movement of ANY kind is suspect, especially when you are dealing with something as large as a tuba.

I have never worried about communicating with an audience as long as I can project musical intention seated. This does bring up, as you say, though, interesting points, which were never covered in my training.

Stock still is stock dead.

Does the 'cello fraternity have anything which covers this?
Do the trumpets have a "stage presence" protocol?

Interesting point. Take, for example, double-lip clarinet players, who also must sit to perform...

[smurphius]

What if you came out dressed as a pirate, but sit perfectly still while play, and play the most note perfect, musically moving recital of your life?! What would people think!

The more I think about movement, the more I realize how little I do when playing. It's not a concious thing for me, I believe I've just been trained well enough to know better. I agree that there is no sense in moving around to no end. I was reading a book this summer talking specifically toward channeling the movements of your body into the movement of people soul's through your music, something I definately believe is important.

What I take from this still is this: if, hypothetically speaking (humor me), posture were not an issue when playing our instruments, are we to believe that our posture would have no effect whatsoever on the audience or does it help to convey emotion in music. Obviously, this is less of an issue as a good, upright position allows for optimum flow of wind through our bodies, but I wonder.

I guess I'm getting into more psychology than anything else. If posture or the visual aspect of music at all weren't an issue, an audience could just sit in a recital hall and listen to a recording, and should recieve the same emotional feelings as if there was a person standing before them. Going back to what Doc said, I think it is a matter of either making people happy or causing them to feel emotion through listening to music.

What power we have in this world to move people...

[XtremeEuph]

You guys keep bringing Steven Mead to mind....

[smurphius]

You guys keep bringing Steven Mead to mind....

LOL.

smurphius <------ curious college student

I am a 4 valver now!!! This is a great day in Tubenet life for me (as long as my counter doesn't go backwards, which I think has happened before. LOL)

I have to say, all of this just has me anxious to go to the practice room.

I do have a question about that MW harness. From the pictureon WWBW, I can't see too much of it. What type of hook is actually on the harness and how low can it stretch to? I'm wondering whether or not I'd have to rig something up to use with my school's F or if one of the hooks on it might work.

[windshieldbug]

If I came on stage as a pirate

I thought you always did!