The Transition.

[guillaumedu]

i learn cc in 2 weak in summer camp
for me it's easy to change to f , cc or Bb

when i learn cc i play in brass quintet and i asked the fingering to trumpet player

[Tom Waid]

I said probably, because most colleges that have music degrees require the students to march at least one year

This is true. But if tuba is your applied instrument and you have been playing C tuba for a couple years. The transition back to BBb isn't nearly as tough. It will be important to maintain both sets of fingerings during marching season.

For what it's worth I've had three high school students switch to CC. The youngest is a ninth-grader. After some initial turmoil they have no trouble playing CC in the concert band and BBb in the marching band.

[KevinMadden]

I took roughly a summer (two months) to move from BBb to CC, and have never looked back. My curve was a bit slow however, I was marhing DCI at the time and was playing a G horn for most of that summer and really didn't have much time to work on the C. Scales in rotations are the best way to do it, maybe a some nice tonal solos too, I believe I was playing the RVW Six Studies in English Folksong as well as the Marcello Sonatas, nice easy to hear tonal works that seat pretty well on a C. Have you just had a concert for your HS band? if you're begining a new program when you go back to school I would say that the C can become your main axe right away. If you're near a concert, you may want to stay on the BBb for a little while while working up the C fingers at home.

[dtemp]

I've always told non-musician friends this about the difficulty of switching from BBb to CC;

"Imagine buying a brand new computer. Now imagine that it came from the factory with every key moved to the right two places."

It took me a winter break to get my fingerings down. Play stuff you already know well on BBb on the CC. It will help break your mental attachment to BBb.

Don't worry about marching band. If you have to play BBb later, it'll come back to you quickly. Like riding a bike.

[Richardrichard9]

Well, I do play in marching band for school, but we only play in two parades, but I also march in <a>This group</a> Which marches a lot, but I am not worried about the marching music, because I have most of the songs memorized on my BBb sousaphone.

In college I plan on majoring in Music Performance, my first choice school is Ithaca, does anyone happen to know what that tuba professor would want me playing?

[KevinMadden]

Well, I do play in marching band for school, but we only play in two parades, but I also march in <a>This group</a> Which marches a lot, but I am not worried about the marching music, because I have most of the songs memorized on my BBb sousaphone.

In college I plan on majoring in Music Performance, my first choice school is Ithaca, does anyone happen to know what that tuba professor would want me playing?

Dave (Unland) does not favor one key over the other..as long as it sounds good!

FWIW, though Dave won't ask you to change, most of the players here do play C. out of 11 Tuba majors there are 4 BBb players, non of them are performance majors.

Do you plan on going straight performance? or doing the 4 1/2 double degree?

[windshieldbug]

For a performance degree, you likely will have to master bass tuba in addition to contrabass. My advice would to be to worry about sound, not key. Your playing will progress rapidly, even more so if you've identified your path and school this early.

I wouldn't try to guess what a teacher will recommend now. If you think that's where you'll end up, ASK HIM NOW (or at least get one of his current students here to ask). But a lot can change over the course of a few years. You may not end up there, or doing that.

I would plan on getting your college horns in college. You'll have a teacher to ask, your playing will be more mature (as will your mouthpiece choices and your sound). Nobody can hear where these things are now, over the net. It's like buying a car by description only, never having seen or driven one.

Go with what makes you sound best, and most comfortable now.

And plan on changing when your playing, ear, and teacher are more in a position to evaluate everything.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

For a performance degree, you likely will have to master bass tuba in addition to contrabass.

Doubtful, at least at the undergraduate level...many (if not most) colleges and universities don't even own an Eb or F bass tuba for students to use.

Unless, of course, you are recommending undergraduate tuba performance majors to purchase a bass tuba during their studies. Not a bad idea, but I don't think it is correct to say you would "likely have to."

Or are we really just that backwards here in the great midwest?

[Richardrichard9]

I have actually been informed (by Kevin) that my 1st choice school has F and Eb tubas, and you have to learn them..

[windshieldbug]

Or are we really just that backwards[sic] here in the great midwest?

Being born in the midwest, I certainly hope not!

(but as bloke points out, you can only experience at most a handful of schools... )

[Todd S. Malicoate]

as bloke points out, you can only experience at most a handful of schools

Point well taken. It's actually very encouraging to think that many schools are offering the bass tubas for their performance majors to learn and work on.

Oh, and BTW, a note about usage of "backwards" from dictionary.com:

Usage Note: The adverb may be spelled backward or backwards, and these forms are interchangeable: stepped backward; a mirror facing backwards. In Standard English, however, the adjective has no -s: a backward view.

So you are correct in correcting my use of "backwards" to mean behind in progress or retarded (the adjective form). I should have used "backward."

This grammar moment brought to you by the number Q...

[pierso20]

Basically it goes down like this......

CC tuba is the "norm"

It can make orchestra playing easier with tuning and etc...
note....(it CAN...but doesn't always).

BUT if someone has a BBb horn and plays better and has a better sound than someone on a CC horn, the BBb player will get the job.

But typically CC horns are what college students play on, especially in performance.

Is it required? Of course not. The decision is up to you.

Don't worry about bass tuba issues. Get set on your CC horn or fine tune your BBb horn playing before you make that switch.

I switched from BBb to CC my sophomore year in college and it has been good for me personally. And I recently acquired an F horn and in 3 weeks of it, played in a small ensemble concert. So fingerings really arn't an issue..you just have to work through them.

Make your primary issue your sound and how much you like a horn. I would suggest switch to CC due ONLY to preference in the tuba performance world...(usa anyhow). But it's justa suggestion. You have many years ahead of you. Talk to some profs. and make an educated decision, Good luck!

[MileMarkerZero]

Buy what you sound the best on. If it's a CC, learn CC. If it's a BBb, stay with it.

There are plenty of great BBb players out there.

[iiipopes]

OK, life is not fair. I started out on trumpet in 5th grade. So when I learned to march with a souzy as a freshman in high school, learning BBb fingerings was the big fingering transition for me. When I got to college and played one of their CC tubas, I just added a ledger line to Bb transposed treble clef conventional trumpet fingerings, with the usual 1+3=4 to learn how to use 4th valve, etc.

So, the bottom line, if you're going to be a performance major, you'll have to be equally facile on all fingerings on all pitched tubas eventually anyway, so just dive in and do it.

[Slamson]

Most of my applied students switch to CC when they purchase an instrument. I can only think of two in recent history that have stayed on BB-flat, and they were both music ed majors, but they still play their axes in community bands and whatnot.

I would disagree about the time it takes to REALLY convert to CC fingerings - sure, you can learn a piece of music (or several pieces) in a few weeks, but the real test to see if you're a "CC convert" is in sight reading, when your brain can't remember which set of fingerings to use. That sort of conditioning takes months, maybe even half a year or so.

My biggest fingering challenge is that my Perantucci "F" has a valve carriage that's nearly identical to my 1291, which often confuses my fingers into mistaking one horn for the other.

Ultimately, if you're a performance major, you should have some experience on BBflat, CC, F, and E-flat. Naturally, you'll gravitate to one as your "home" instrument. For most of us it's CC, but good BBflats are out there if you keep your eyes peeled.

[Locky]

Slamson said

sure, you can learn a piece of music (or several pieces) in a few weeks, but the real test to see if you're a "CC convert" is in sight reading, when your brain can't remember which set of fingerings to use. That sort of conditioning takes months, maybe even half a year or so.


Thanks for these words of comfort!

Locky

[iiipopes]

With all due respect, it shouldn't. Last spring when my Besson was in the shop and my Miraphone wasn't quite here yet, I borrowed a CC for a couple of rehearsals, where we happened to be reading some new charts to plan for the spring concert season. I hadn't played one in years at that point. Yes, I missed a few notes, but it truly is like riding a bicycle: just hop on and ride.

I simply prefer BBb. But of course, I'm just a hacker with a day job. If I found a CC that "knocked me out" and was in budget -- I'm always open. And I'd eventually like to budget (not now, sorry WakinAZ, because it's property tax time again) for a small Eb like an older Besson 3-valve comp to play the octave parts on marches which are prevalent in a lot of continental writing, without overblowing or otherwise sticking out of the mix, whether by tone or by intonation. I don't ever see myself in a position to use an F, but, again, if the right one fell out of the sky when the stars were lined up -- I'm always open.

[sloan]

My standard advice on this standard question:

a) don't *switch* to CC. Instead *add* CC to your BBb.

b) if you can't do that...you are not ready to add CC.

c) if you are (going to be) a tuba performance major, you should very quickly be able to pick up a BBb, a CC, an Eb, or an F and "just play it". Again - if this is *hard* then you aren't ready.

d) don't add CC until you *must* - either because someone requires you to do it or because you find a CC that is much better than the BBb you are playing now. Adding CC "just because" is wasted effort - the most important reason being that the longer you wait to do it, the easier it should be!

[jonesbrass]

My standard advice on this standard question:

a) don't *switch* to CC. Instead *add* CC to your BBb.

b) if you can't do that...you are not ready to add CC.

c) if you are (going to be) a tuba performance major, you should very quickly be able to pick up a BBb, a CC, an Eb, or an F and "just play it". Again - if this is *hard* then you aren't ready.

d) don't add CC until you *must* - either because someone requires you to do it or because you find a CC that is much better than the BBb you are playing now. Adding CC "just because" is wasted effort - the most important reason being that the longer you wait to do it, the easier it should be!

I couldn't agree with this post more. Really hits the nail on the head, as far as I'm concerned.