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Has anyone ever had any problems keeping your bass tuba and contra chops going at the same time? I have a recital next semester and I am a bit worried about time spent on one horn taking away from the other.

for me,yes.they are two very different instruments with different roles and requiring very different input to work properly.I suggest less time on everything else in your life,and more time on both tubas.Just like weight control and money management-simple,but not easy

It might also be a good idea to play both horns in the recital...

I'm actually doing more pieces on my CC for my master's recital than I am on my F....crazy...and if you asked me last semester if I would do that I would tell you that you were crazy....

but I guarantee that'll keep both horns going....

AVC

Have a daily "warm-up" routine on both horns and do both routines every day that you practice. Even if they are both short, the consistency will help a little bit. When I was playing two horns (no, not at once), I also found it to be important which I played first every day. Hence, it helped me to designate certain days where I would do the very first playing of the day on the F instead of the BBb (usually based on what I had to do later in the day on what horn and how important those things were).

I played trumpet-trombone six nights a week for over 20 years in bar room rock/jazz bands.
If I played and practiced both horns daily (or almost every day), I never had a problem. It took only a month or so to get fully used to both horns.
When I had my valve bone, I could clasp both trumpet and trombone together in my hands and play either one back and forth as quickly as I could move to the other mouthpiece.
These days I play tuba with the occasional trumpet solo. I don't play or practice trumpet enough. Switching to trumpet is a big problem sometimes if my lips are swollen. As I age, trumpet playing more and more often gives me the hiccups.

Dependent on what kind of equipment you're using in your leadpipes: One thing I've found as I've practiced and practiced and practiced as well as having lessons is that keeping the same rim between mouthpieces allows for a LOT more consistancy as well as endurance of chops.

Major manufacturers such as Laskey, Monette, and G&W design mouthpieces that follow along this line of having mouthpieces with the exact same rim. Not to mention Doug Elliott's wonderful interchangable mouthpieces.

Because the length of the horn and possibly the bore size of each is different, there will still be a few things to adjust for but if you continue to work on both horns and aim for consistancy and getting used to the feel between each, the chops thing will become less and less of a problem.

I've tried to alternate practice sessions between horns. Normally I (try) to do three hours a day, so I get three one hour practice sessions a day. One day will be one hour warmup on F, then solo practice on C, then low range practice on F. The next day will alternate, so warmups on C, solo on F, low range of C. Blah blah blah. It's worked so far for me!

Personally I have a hard time losing my Contra chops.


I do find however, after almost any layoff, my high bass chops leave quickly.


I'll really only practice the CC as needed and most of my practice time is spent on bass (whether F or Eb). My low range is pretty much always there (probably from my G bugle upbringing)


Personally I think the biggest factor in maintaining my chops strength is diet, skin care, and time spent on the horn. If my food intake goes south with a lack of protein intake, I have a hard time "recovering" after a hard day of playing. Nitrogen balance is very crucial to muscle recovery.