TubeNet

Short article with a brief mention of tuba playing affecting singing.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pb ... 4764570790

Chester Roberts was originally a singer. Bill Bell was a FINE singer. Although I don't know if Harvey Phillips ever performed as a singer, I have heard him sing over a large TubaXmas ensemble; his voice was awsome! I recently worked with two eighth-grade boys just starting the tuba. One had a much better low-register tone than the other; he said it was because he is a singer.
On the other hand, I am often asked not to sing!

Arnold Jacobs sang quite well. In his younger days, he had a beautiful speaking voice. (The difference in the color of his voice is apparent in the earlier and later interviews that appear on the CD, "Portrait of an Artist."

I started out on tuba. Years later, after playing guitar, trumpet and trombone in club bands came the night when all the singers quit and those of us left and two new hires began singing that night. We divided up
the tune list, rehearsed alone over our day off and sang for the folks that very next night. The club manager had serious doubts about us the first few days but by the end of the first week told us he was liking some of what he was hearing. After a few weeks, we had our five part harmony in place and it got fun and our band was better than before.
I used to tell people that brass instruments were the voice I never had until I had to use my real voice. Every member of the band that started singing that night still sings, and well. Our bass player got a contract with R.C.A. Records as a vocalist and the rest of us are all glad we started.

Singing and tuba playing can really benefit from one another.

When I was in my second year at university, I quit tuba lessons since I didn't have time to practise enough to keep making progress. As I couldn't think of quitting music school altogether, I decided to take singing lessons instead - thinking that I could practise in my car, and that I would only need to practise for an hour or so each day.

I found that my singing technique developed faster than my fellow students'; I never had any problems with breathing, I could read music on sight, my intonation was good, etc.
After two years of singing, I started practising "serious" tuba music again, and I found that not only was my sense of melody and phrasing very different (as is perhaps to be expected after two years of legato exercises), but my breathing and hearing had improved a great deal as well.

Although I am not saying that every instrument player should study classical singing, I am quite sure that thinking like a singer is both useful and helpful. The same applies for singers, they ought not to think of themselves as singers, but musicians.