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I hold my tuba in my lap when playing. I have found that the tuba occasionally slides on my pant legs, which changes my embouchure and then I have to hold the bottom of the tuba with my left hand, which takes my left hand away from my 1st and 3rd slides. I get frustrated and all worked up when the horn slides in my lap.

In trying to solve this issue, I purchased a Roc-N-Soc Throne so that I could adjust the vertical height of the seat making my legs level. Tuba still slid.

So in a desparate measure, I bought a roll of black "no slip drawer liner" at Wal-Mart and a pair of 36" black shoe strings. I cut a piece long enough to cover the bottom and up the tube towards the top bow, then tied it on by wrapping the shoe strings around the horn. Okay, yes it looks bad. But, it was functional and that is what matters. The horn did not slip but stayed in the one place that I put it when I set it in my lap.

I think that I saw a guy 20 years ago with a piece of leather wrapped on his bottom bow. This must be what it was all about.

The Roc-N-Soc Throne is a great throne, but I probably don't need it now although I suppose that I'll hang onto it for gigs where I have to take my own chair. It is very supportive but comfortable to sit on with no tail bone pain.

I want to find out if anyone sells such a product similar to what I have described that would fit the rounded contour of the bow without puckers in the drawer liner.

gm

how about the stuff they use under area rugs to keep them from sliding on hard wood floors?

Getcha a piece of shelf liner. Wal-Mart usually has it in black so it will match your tux. Cheap! A roll will last you two or three lifetimes. No need to wrap it around your bow. Just put it in your lap.

geomiklas wrote: So in a desparate measure, I bought a roll of black "no slip drawer liner" at Wal-Mart and a pair of 36" black shoe strings. I cut a piece long enough to cover the bottom and up the tube towards the top bow, then tied it on by wrapping the shoe strings around the horn. Okay, yes it looks bad. But, it was functional and that is what matters. The horn did not slip but stayed in the one place that I put it when I set it in my lap.

I also use that stuff. I love it, it's just so convient and it's only like a dollar a roll.
I don't tie it to the tuba , it seems to stay put on my leg. Also I sewed one of those to the back of a piece of vinyl leather for the upper bow. It looks good, gives adequate traction, is confortable, protects the lacquer (I think,) and is dirt cheap.

Go to Dycem.com and order a reel of the blue comfort reel whatever it is called. That stuff solved all my slippage problems and it last for years.

You should just take Giddings & Webster's advice and don't wear pants.

A lot to tuba players around Seattle use those sticky pads designed to hold cell phones on your car dash. Here's an example: http://www.amazon.com/Handstands-Jelly- ... 467&sr=8-2

Lederhosen work for me

A piece of leather of the shape and size of your choice, unfinished side down, will work well. It will give a little padding as well if it's thick enough. Won't mar the bottom bow. Should pretty much last forever.

tubatom91 wrote:how about the stuff they use under area rugs to keep them from sliding on hard wood floors?

That's what I use with my Rudy 5/4 (after toobist suggested it to me) - works perfectly Local carpet store gave me an offcut for free.

I solve this by not putting my tuba on my pants to begin with. I use the BBC Tuba stand.

sinfonian wrote:I solve this by not putting my tuba on my pants to begin with. I use the BBC Tuba stand.

Or play sousaphone!

sinfonian wrote:I solve this by not putting my tuba on my pants to begin with. I use the BBC Tuba stand.

I used to use a Tubassist, and presently own a DEG stand. I just love to set my horn in my lap. Afterall, the leadpipe is set at the correct height and I don't want to schlepp another item to the gig. Lumping loads of gear is bad enough when I'm doubling on electric bass.

Tubaing wrote:

sinfonian wrote:I solve this by not putting my tuba on my pants to begin with. I use the BBC Tuba stand.

Or play sousaphone!

Only if I were playing a stand up / wandering / strolling gig. Definitely not for a sit-down gig.

geomiklas wrote:

Tubaing wrote:

sinfonian wrote:I solve this by not putting my tuba on my pants to begin with. I use the BBC Tuba stand.

Or play sousaphone!

Only if I were playing a stand up / wandering / strolling gig. Definitely not for a sit-down gig.

How about a marching tuba?

Tubaing wrote:

geomiklas wrote:

Tubaing wrote: Or play sousaphone!

Only if I were playing a stand up / wandering / strolling gig. Definitely not for a sit-down gig.

How about a marching tuba?

uh.........

NOT !

In Wind Ensemble, the other tuba player and myself use two of the percussionists' drum thrones as make-shift tuba stands. We are both somewhat tall, and it works pretty well.

read the OP...he HAS the shelf liner stuff, wants to know if any is available that fits around the bow better.

My answer: Cut it so that the ends are angled in such a way that it won't pucker.

If you want to tie it to the horn with no pucker, try this:

Tie it on the horn as is. Take a fine point sharpie, and draw lines where the puckers are. Start at the point of the pucker and draw outward. When you take the stuff off of the horn, you should see that the lines make a series of v's along the edge of the liner. cut out those v's and lash the cuts together (close the v's) with heavy nylon thread. It should now conform to the bottom bow of your horn.

It would be similar to the bottom diagram:

http://forum.wordreference.com/attachme ... 1143173226

I fold up a black standard terry cloth dishtowel. Works great, and it helps keep the horn clean, mops up the occasional water drips, and in a pinch I can throw it over the bell for a decent mute.

Used to use shelf liner, but would still suffer from eventual creep. I mostly stick to the modified drum throne these days, but what now rides in my gig bag as backup is a piece of yoga mat. Thick, comfortable, and seems to give in less to creeping than the shelf liner I used.