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Use the Robert King books (two of them--Vols. 1 & 2). If you can find the Knaub book, it would be so overpriced! The books are virtually identical.

You are going to get lots of good and bad advice here and I feel obligated to offer some more, hopefully good advice. Ultimately, the price of the Knaub book is really a small investment. As a university teacher, I must say that there are personal and pedagogical reasons that teachers suggest a particular book. You can always ask him what his reasons are. I think it would be much more respectful to ask your teacher first before asking the forum. If he is a jerk or just says, "because I said so", then that is another matter, but I think it is best to get his reasons first. You are there to study with that teacher. So, study with him and commit totally to his suggestions as long as they are not dangerous and it doesn't appear that there is anything harmful here. I never questioned any books that my teachers suggested as a student. I still take suggestions from friends and other players about something they find useful, even though I don't formally study with anyone now. Building a library is an important part of our equipment. Now is the time to start building.

The relationship we develope with our applied teacher is probably the closest relationship we make with any teacher in college. You need to cultivate a mutual trust. That teacher is going to probably be the first person you go to for a recommendation when you leave school and if the relationship is good he will always be there for your questions ten years from now. Good luck.

Also, from Pepper, the Knaub "Progressive Techniques for Tuba" is listed as permanently out of print.

Get the Rochut book and learn to read down one octave. Over the years, as a working, free-lance tubist, that skill has been needed. When playing the Ringling Brothers Circus book, many of the parts were for string bass that sounds an octave below the notes on the page. If I had not been trained on the trombone Arban's book and the Rochut, "Melodius Etudes" book reading trombone notation down one octave, I would have been in trouble many times in my career.

Best wishes.

hbcrandy wrote:Get the Rochut book and learn to read down one octave. Over the years, as a working, free-lance tubist, that skill has been needed. When playing the Ringling Brothers Circus book, many of the parts were for string bass that sounds an octave below the notes on the page. If I had not been trained on the trombone Arban's book and the Rochut, "Melodius Etudes" book reading trombone notation down one octave, I would have been in trouble many times in my career.

Best wishes.

And, if you ever decide to double on euphonium you'll already know all the fingerings and be used to reading the music.