Do tuba players have short term memory problems?

[eupher61]

there is no evidence that that is an Ab in the sixteenth note sequence. note the key change in the first picture.

[Untersatz]

there is no evidence that that is an Ab in the sixteenth note sequence. note the key change in the first picture.

Oh man, I forgot the key change.........again

What key are we in now???

[deholder]

I had a previous director that was a minimalist when it came writing on the music. He would bark "the composer had given you what you need to play it"

More recently I was told it was a sign of professionalism. I tend to mark breathes, awkward passages and the like. But every note?
I think the player and their ability level probably drives what is marked.
On a unrelated note, I always have a bit of pride when I can play something that the previous guy had written up or down to make it easier. I always say to myself,

[hup_d_dup]

there is no evidence that that is an Ab in the sixteenth note sequence. note the key change in the first picture.

Oh man, I forgot the key change.........again

What key are we in now???

Did you bring a pencil? Please mark your part. Let's begin once again at 44. Mind the key change. Expressivo. 1,2,3,4...

Actually the two pictures are from different pieces. Although you can't see the key signature the second one is in F. So whatever else you say about the calligrapher at least the fingerings are correct.

Hup

[Untersatz]

Actually the two pictures are from different pieces. Although you can't see the key signature the second one is in F. So whatever else you say about the calligrapher at least the fingerings are correct.Hup

Hup, I'm sorry if I offended you........perhaps I got a little carried away with the "short term memory loss" thing

[imperialbari]

I really like the sixteenth notes the best alternating between Ab & Bb
Why someone would need to write the fingerings on the other 3 sets???

Interesting fingering for that alleged Ab. Old Bavarian tuba?

[Conn 2J CC]

The worst case of fingerings being written in on every note of a Tuba part I played happened my senior year in high school. I was handed a two page part with a lot of notes, and all the fingerings had been written in by a previous player - all large numbers, in un-eraseable blue ink - and 47 of them were wrong. It was the only copy of the part available, so I was left having to ignore all that dribble the whole time we played that song, since I wasn't going to re-copy the part by hand (this was the late 1970s - no music software).

Later as a band director myself, I eventually refused to allow students to write in letter names or fingerings on their music, except in rare instances. Those who did had to erase them, because they too consistantly wrote in mistakes. And, they would only look at what they wrote in, play rhythms with the "glorious" (sarcasm highly intended) "play it by ear" method, and not look at the music itself. I forced them to face reality - that's wasn't reading music, that was only reading their "crutch". Eventually, they had no choice but to see the truth (and their peers who weren't writing anything in backed me up on this). They became much better musicians for it.

As for "rare instances", it was okay to write in alternate fingering reminders, like a Clarinetist writing "L" on a third space C to play it left handed because it was followed by a fourth space Eb that had to be played with the right hand. The nice part - most students didn't leave those marking there. They eventually erased them.

[opus37]

What I find mildly annoying about music that has fingerings written on it is the markings are most often for a BBb tuba. I play an Eb.

[Untersatz]

What I find mildly annoying about music that has fingerings written on it is the markings are most often for a BBb tuba. I play an Eb.

Brian, as an accomplished Eb tuba player.........you should have learned by now how to transpose BBb fingering markings
to Eb fingering markings