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In the fine print of the tuba audition sheet for New Hampshire Allstate Band and Orchestra, it says that only Bb tubas can audition. It was no problem for me because I play Bb, but I was wondering why they make that restriction. Anyone have any ideas/thoughts about that? Also, do other states have the same restrictions?

Possibly because they think that they may have Eb tubas try, and don't want to be concerned about range? (I doubt that they are worried about CC or F).

If that was the case, why wouldn't they just say BBb and CC only?

Just Incase: You are sure it says they can only audition right? ....It doesnt just say that above one specific etude or piece because maybe it means only BBb tubas play that specific selection....probably not but maybe. My All state from tbone/euph has one etude for Bass trombone only. (but yes thats different)

In Texas, auditions are behind a curtain. How could they even tell? I seriously doubt that they would actually exclude anyone from auditions because they play anything but a BBb tuba.

Try out on a CC, make it, then on the last rehearsal say, "Oh, I'm sorry, I can't play... I never could read fine print! And what are you "teaching" us about fair play and acceptance anyway? I guess this is New Hampshire, not Massachusetts, right? I mean...

NH auditions are completely visable, but I really doubt that they would pick up on the fact it was a CC. The first tuba in the state plays with orchestra, and 2nd in state plays first chair in concert band. Even though most high schoolers play on BBb , it surprised me that they put restrictions on Concert band, and even more surprised that the restriction holds for Orchestra as well. I play on a BBb so it doesn't really concern me.....but it just was something that caught my attention!

Unless the judge is a tuba player or someone that knows what fingerings you should be using, it's extremely hard to tell if the horn is CC or BBb by just looking at it, and even listening to it.

I think this may be a hold over from the years of a band section that was Eb, Eb, BBb, BBb, like the brass bands. And they want just BBb's in the band. If I were a high schooler in NH and played CC I would audition on CC, play well, and dare them to tell me I couldn't do it.

Think maybe they are providing the tubas? .. as do most high schools?

This is a common syndrome that afflicts mostly conductors (especially those who slept through orchestration class)
I call it:Tuba Transposition Ingorance Syndrome or TTIS
Simply put, its when an individual cannot grasp the concept that tubas do not transpose. The only one exception being brass band music, but that fact should be left out because it only confuses those with TTIS.
I've seen rules like this before from various students in my studio. It stems from committees of directors with TTIS trying to prevent trumpet players from bringing in various keys of trumpets and thus avoid any issues of transposition in rehearsal and/or any unfair advantage. They then make a blanket rule for all instruments. They also hear from somewhere that tubas come in CC, BBb, F, and Eb and include them in this rule.
I once had a tuba major switch to CC, but was forced to play BBb in band because his director did not want him confused by the "transposition". His reasoning was that a trumpet player once tried it and it "messed up his band". The director seemed very proud of this and boasted about his TTIS. From then on I advise my students not tell the director what key tuba they bring to rehearsal, but to make sure that they play it well.

TubaTinker wrote:Think maybe they are providing the tubas? .. as do most high schools?

The only instruments that are provided at allstate are percussion instruments. Everyoen else brings their own horns, or uses their own school's horn if they don't have their own.

I would suggest emailing or sending a letter to the president of the NH Band Directors Assoc., or whoever runs the all state program. Ask him/her if you could audition on a CC tuba, because reason #1, #2, #3, ... (That is, if you want to audition on a CC tuba). There shouldn't be any problems as long as they know that you have the same range as your BBb playing buds and that you do not need to transpose.

Two of the tuba players at South Carolina (or how my yearbook spells it, Carlolina) All State band the past two years have played CC tubas, and no one seemed to mind.

no disrespect taken.....like I said...I play BBb, but the whole thing just caught my attention.

Ask 'em!

windshieldbug wrote:Ask 'em!

I asked my band director and he didn't know.......but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't realize that they made tubas in different keys.

bloke wrote:' sounds to me like just another typical dumb yankee rule.

You mean like the one about no long hair???

Tubist of Time wrote:there was no range issue

Only might be if it was only 3 valves, but then, if they knew what they were talking about, keys + valves would make more sense...

tubaman5150 wrote:... Simply put, its when an individual cannot grasp the concept that tubas do not transpose. ...

I'll bet that this is exactly the reason. And if they know so little about tubas, then auditioning on a CC would not be a problem because they would not know it wasn't a BBb.

For people without perfect pitch, they probably wouldn't know if a person auditioned untransposed, and then couldn't provided transposed parts in that key for performance with the band (once again, treble clef thinking).

In the same vein, they probably have the difficulty of the scales, etc. that they will ask in the audition worked out beforehand. And if they only know a little, a Db scale is easier fingering on a BBb than a CC, etc. I would imagine that they only have one set, regardless of the instrument. Again, treble clef/trumpet thinking.

From the way I understand this, the audition is to be done on a BBb tuba. I think you can still sneak in a C tuba for a performance.

When I enlisted in the Army band program, for my audition, I paid for a seat for my tuba (the Army paid for me) to fly from Ontario (California) to Monterey to go to Fort Ord (now Cal State University, Monterey Peninsula). I took my Mirafone C tuba because I knew I could do anything with it.

The man auditioning me didn't listen to me. He watched my fingers. He looked shocked. When I used the combination 1, 2, and 5 for a Db/C#, he tried to tell me the fingering was 2 and 3. I then explained, just before he was going to fail me for incorrect fingerings, that I had a C tuba and the fingerings were all different. Since the man had a tin ear, he had no choice but to give me a 100% score--actually he could have failed me!

Does that make sense?