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This weekend I went to an IGSMA contest with my son's middle school band. One of the bands from another school had one Tuba and three electric bases. Does this offend anyone else? Or am I an old fuddy duddy who expects the Tuba part to be played by Tuba players with maybe one string base when there is a string base part but not electric bases unless that is what the composer wrote the part for.

I have seen the same thing in HS Marching bands that "supplement" the Sousaphones with electric bases in the pit section. Is this a trend? If so when did they start Tuba/Sousaphone section with electric bases?

Middle school?

I'd say that anything the band director can do to get kids that age interested in music is a positive thing. If the kids are learning music theory and actually reading music to play the electric bass, then great. Maybe later they'll pick up tuba or other brass.

If not, then they'll have learned an instrument that actually has more potential for earning money than the tuba.

Kudos to the band director(s) who have broadened their programs to include instruments that will attract the kids into it. Maybe it will lessen the band geek image, popularize their programs and avoid cut backs.

sinfonian wrote:If so when did they start Tuba/Sousaphone section with electric bases?

The high school I attended was marching an electric bass in the mid to late 80s. This was not to supplement the sousaphone section as there were roughly 10 players at that time.

SR

SRanney wrote:

sinfonian wrote:If so when did they start Tuba/Sousaphone section with electric bases?

The high school I attended was marching an electric bass in the mid to late 80s. This was not to supplement the sousaphone section as there were roughly 10 players at that time.

SR

Yeah, but the kids at Walton High scaled tall buildings in a single bound, too.
I think adding electric bass to tubas is fine. It fills out the bottom sound. As long as they play in time and in tune, it's all good.

PLEASE:
electric bass


electric base

Electric Bass

Use of an electric bass in concert band -

Sick and wrong!

lgb&dtuba wrote:Electric Bass

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bill

I think electric bass is fine, though I would agree that fewer bass and more tuba would be better! There are more and more beginning band books that are including a specific book for electric bass. My guess is that this trend is due to more and more middle schools having jazz band and no orchestra program. The jazz band will always have a supply of bass players and more kids are brought into the band program.

Just my $.02.

I take great exception to the gentleman who says electric bass in concert band is "sick and wrong." Actually, an electric bass is now a vital element of any band program. Two examples:

1) In high school in the 70's, we had several arrangements of popular hits and medleys that actually had a separate electric bass part written into the score. Because I had studied and learned to read such in junior high jazz band camp, I got to play them when nobody else could, and I taught my successor, who is now assistant conductor of that same high school.

2) A friend of mine has developed Parkinsons, and can no longer hold a brass instrument steady (originally trombone on the #1 call list in Chicago, retired to southwest Missouri). But he can sit with an electric bass in his lap and read tuba parts, and from his extensive experience knows how to make it blend so the section sounds better with him than without him.

Is this thread a complaint about kids joining band? I'm sure if we kick them out they'll find something to do with their time.
Peace,
ASG

I'm surprised that no one has commented on what I consider the most troubling aspect of the original post - that the concert band used three electric basses.

Using more than one electric bass at a time is a recipe for disaster - very minor intonation issues are "amplified" dramatically.

When I took electric bass lessons in high school, my teacher and I were both pretty good players. Regardless of our abilities, we both just had to grit our teeth and endure the pain when we played together on technique development exercises. There really just isn't any way to make more than one electric bass sound good when played together.

As an aside - Bloke, you're right: those older Fender bassman amps are priceless.

iiipopes wrote:I take great exception to the gentleman who says electric bass in concert band is "sick and wrong." Actually, an electric bass is now a vital element of any band program. Two examples:

1) In high school in the 70's, we had several arrangements of popular hits and medleys that actually had a separate electric bass part written into the score. Because I had studied and learned to read such in junior high jazz band camp, I got to play them when nobody else could, and I taught my successor, who is now assistant conductor of that same high school.

The 'reading music' part is the really important thing with the electric bass (and all guitars). Guys have told me that they can learn enough to 'get along' in an afternoon on these instruments and then add things later. But they limit themselves when they don't know how to read music. IMHO, guitar instruction should be an element of all school music programs. I think that someone who can play a hollow box and understand all the types of chording and can read music 'knows more about music' than I do because I really don't understand how the chords go together. Besides, the ability to play the guitar (even just to strum along on campfire tunes) is a real lifetime skill that is valuable.

I gotta admit, though, the first time I saw a marching band with an electric bass with a cart following with an amp and battery, I thought it was a little weird but, again, I'm a guy who decided to try to be a tuba man at age 50 when I had never played one before so my moral judgement needs to be questioned...

We dragged my grandson to a local high school football game. The home team band numbered about 20 with no tuba and one kid who could really pound it out on bass guitar. Overall they sounded good. They didn't march at halftime but the other school's large band did. The visiting tubas did a four tuba unison blast thing that was impressive with tuba power.
We liked both bands.
Our football team was as undermanned as was the band so we left after the halftime show to avoid witnessing the inevitable stomp.

Uncle Buck wrote:I'm surprised that no one has commented on what I consider the most troubling aspect of the original post - that the concert band used three electric basses.

Using more than one electric bass at a time is a recipe for disaster - very minor intonation issues are "amplified" dramatically.

When I took electric bass lessons in high school, my teacher and I were both pretty good players. Regardless of our abilities, we both just had to grit our teeth and endure the pain when we played together on technique development exercises. There really just isn't any way to make more than one electric bass sound good when played together.

As an aside - Bloke, you're right: those older Fender bassman amps are priceless.

First of all, I don't agree with the intonation issue. Second, I think you could substitute most any instrument in the space where you wrote electric bass and it would ring true to someone.
My opinion (as always)
Peace.
ASG

Hey The Big Ben -- Thanks. Indeed, with my reading, I have done, still do, and anticipate doing well into the future accompanying everything from friends, to my son's scouts, to church on a weekly basis on a variety of instruments depending on the season and what's needed.

The fundamental of all this is a few good years of piano. I can't play Chopin, but if you say here is a part, make it work for (date) for (name the instrument, performing group and context) I can make it happen.

How does this all relate back to the one tuba and three bass guitars? By definition. As the bass guitarists become more facile in reading their bass clef parts, explore interests in other instruments with them. When told at age 8 that I would be starting piano lessons, it was great, but even greater when it was explained to me that by learning how music works on a piano I would be able to enjoy other instruments as well or better as I got older.

So, if there is a problem with the three bass guitarist keeping in tune, make sure their instruments are set up and adjusted properly for tuning and intonation, then split the parts just like Eb/BBb tuba parts. If one of them is a 5-string, let him take that lower octave on the last note. If they can learn to make three electric basses blend, they can learn to blend with anything!

Oh, yeah -- regarding bloke's Fender Bassman amp: if it was the classic 1959 4X10, in great untinkered with shape, then it is worth probably a few thou, but you can get the exact same reissue with better reliability for @$1500. "Priceless?" Probably not. If it is a later whiteface, tan, blackface or silverface, then it is worth less, but a decent amp. I keep a 50-watt silverface "export" model that has the voltage switch in the back for domestic and overseas use instead of the extra socket for accessories. As a good head that has needed the filter caps replaced, it's worth a few hundred.

Greg wrote:Of course we were all just assuming that the band was playing "Big Bottom" by Spinal Tap. Why else would they have three basses?

Speak for yourself. I was under the impression that it was either that or not in band because they hadn't started on any other instrument. Hence my comment about dividing up the tuba parts.

Well, if e-bass is good enough to cover the bass line for a concert band, why not some guitars to cover horn and clarinet parts? Maybe a few keyboards for the rest.

Where do you draw the line?

And yes--I've witnessed a couple of middle-school bands here with e-bass and no tubas. I think it sounds terrible. Better to use bari sax.

I can hear the Holst Suite in Eb now--<b>BOING BOING BOING BOING BOING BOING....</b>

eBass, eMail, eBay,

Where will it all end?



(... and I just got a Google ad for Clarinets and Saxes, thanks to you, Chuck! )

windshieldbug wrote:eBass, eMail, eBay,

Where will it all end?

Obviously at the e-nd.