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I recently attended tubachristmas at Houston, and this might be my last. The majority of people there were doing what they could to sound good, but there were the 2 or 3 ruining it with blatting and blasting at the wrong tempo. Am I a grinch?

I wouldn't call you a grinch. Anyone who takes playing seriously would find that sort of things objectionable. I simply would refuse to let them spoil the entire experience for you.

It would bug the heck out of me if they were capable players trying to mess it up on purpose, if it was beginners who really couldn't do any better I would enjoy it. Are you a grinch? I don't think so. Peace. ASG

For what it's worth, the director at the Tulsa event was aggressive at correcting wrong playing of any kind (wrong notes, sloppy entrances or tempo) during the rehearsal and was constantly emphasizing the importance of good tone. That might be something that can done when there are only about 25 players, but not when there is a big crowd. That might be one advantage of a small group. There weren't any obviously bad players that I could hear. I think everyone was either a band director, a student, or a player in a church and/or community band. However, had there been a dufus who wondered in and started blatting, I think the director would have told him to stop or at least would have tried to embarrass the player to get him to pipe down.

This seems to be a problem at most large TubaChristmases. I've seen kids' band directors back them down, but college kids with blastitis often keep on and on and are impervious to dirty looks.

I always like to take a young student of mine along... then they can ask (out loud) "why do they sound so bad?" That usually fixes 'em.

Unfourtunately, I did not get to do Nashville TubaChristmas today. We have a quartet of trombone playing dads who carol at our kids' daycare centers. Today was the ONLY day we could put it together. Oh well, when I retire my wife and I are going to drive across the country playing TubaChristmases. Perhaps I will see you all then.

If you will read the goals written at the front of the TubaChristmas book, I think you will immediately see that you are not a grinch. There are 5 goals; 4 of them emphasize musicianship. The 5th one says to invite others; but even it still has a note about musicianship: "Take pride in your instrument, play well ..."

I think our conductor had it right. He stated multiple times that it was our goal to convince the public that these are instruments capable of beautiful music.

... but maybe a Chring (in the best sense!)

maybe a Chring

From:

http://www.ortosia.se/page.php?group=6& ... %20Ortosia

"Chring cushion" i.e. heating cushion with wheat

We were inside where it warm. No heating cushion needed. But the traffic getting to the mall was a mess.

I've played in many tuba christmas concerts over the last 30 years mostly in the Denver area. The concerts currently draw about 400 players. Over the years I have tried to spend my time in rehersal sitting next to a very young player or in a group of high school players and I have found that you can lead by example and many times get the blatters to tone it down and start playing nicely. Getting a verbal interaction going with the blatters never hurts either (and I don't mean that you should be instructing them or correcting them). One of the great things about tuba christmas is that young and old and good and bad players can be in the same group and learn from each other.
Merry Christmas, Phil

There is definately an advantage in a SMALL TubaChristmas! I played the Rockland County (NY) on Sunday and only 17 players showed up. Most of the young folks played second tuba (only one "senior" player in the section). Along with me on first tuba was a gentleman named Carl...didn't catch the last name and two young'uns named Alan Baer and Chris Hall. I don't think there were any euphs under 25 or so and the section included Dr. Noreen Baer as well as my wife. There was a concerted (ouch!) effort to play MUSIC ...not just make loud noises. Many thanks to Larry (Z Tubadude) for a great afternoon.

Paul Truszkowski

Yeah you're a grinch and so am I.

Don't do tubaXmas....went once; it wasn't too bad, really, but I got to the mall where we were to play, there were NO parking spaces within a quarter mile, and I went home.

But I am grinch-like in the groups I play in; all is well until I get good enough on the instrument to listen to what is going on around me (not claiming to be "good" just "good enough" to give 1% of my ears to listening)...and then I start to get grumpy and whiney and a few other of the seven dwarf names. Then I take up a new instrument. I think oboe is next...that should take a good long while before I morph into a grinch again.

MA

Gotta watch this grinch thing. There is a natural tendency to weed out the weakest players but acting on it can result in bad morale and insecurity among those who think they may be next.

Gotta watch this grinch thing. There is a natural tendency to weed out the weakest players but acting on it can hurt morale and cause anyone who may be next to feel really insecure.

The guiding principle of life: What Would Bart Simpson Do?

SplatterTone wrote:The guiding principle of life: What Would Bart Simpson Do?

BIORW (Blame It On Ralphie Wiggums)

"Tuba Christmas" actually played a small part in God opening my mind to the truth about th is pagan holiday.

Years ago I was so very into Christmas. Even though I'm a Jew, we celebrated in my family with some sort of supernatural drive that to this day I can't think why we did that.

I attended two "Tuba Christmas" events in Los Angeles, and had a bad time at both. The first was at the music center, where we were all crushed on the stairs of the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. I got two dings on my horn from the experience and remember being hot and uncomfortable the entire time. I also remember my ears hurting afterwards from the intonation problems and the blasting sousaphones.

THe second one I attended was a few years ago in Glendale. THat one was way more comfortable, but I still had the problem of headaches after the event. I began to question the meaning of some of these "Christmas" songs we had been playing, and began researching the holiday.

What I found was astounding. THat Christmas had absolutely no roots in Christianity at all. THat it came from pagan origins. No wonder I always felt so strange about the whole thing.

I'm so happy now that I stay away from it now. It contributes to my happiness immensly not having to be involves in a stressful and made up event.

So I guess I can say to you all. I'm "Baa-Humbug" and loving it.

Tuba Christmas is not jsut about the music and sonding good. If your goal is to produce the Wilder tunes as well as you can then get 4 or 5 good players together and play them. I have even been paid to play them in a small group and after several gigs we sounded very good. Tuba Christmas is at least partially about sharing our music with our fellow tuba players. For those of us that have often only played orchestra and quintet gigs there is usually just one of us and playing with other tuba players is a treat. I have had the most fun and rewarding experiences sitting next to a grade school player and trying to show them what they can sound like and trying to share the magic that comes with playing.
Merry Christmas (tuba and otherwise), Phil

What is all this nicety nice hogwash. Tuba players should be more like players of the the Great Highland pipes. They don't tolerate nothin' and they get respect, and they are in parades, and they get to wear neat skirts.

I should add: without underwear!