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Bob1062 wrote:What have been your silly moments playing the tuba?

Listening to a trombone player try to play the tuba

The main tuning slide of a tuba I was giving a play test literaly 'fell out' during a community concert this afternoon!

I felt kinda silly the time I was Tubachristmas caroling in 15 degree weather. I was playing the solo of O Holy Night and my valves froze.

I was the ony sousaphone in my high school band (1954-57) and I was on the football team. At halftime I would have to do the marching show with the band in my football outfit. Needless to say, the chicks did not go wild.

During a brief stint as a performance major, I was forced to play wearing lederhosen and also wearing a Santa suit for various tuba events. I felt like an idiot.

times like this...except when the beer is German and the pay is well above adequate.

Fortunately, the knee sox going to the knickers aren't visible.

All the clumsy moving around with a large MTS case.

During football games in high school, it would get so cold that frost would develop on our sousaphones. The dance team sat behind us, so when they were in reach, they would draw and write stuff in the frost.

Much sousa dancing went on as well, as demanded by such a cumbersome instrument.

I was playing the euphonium solo (OK it is a TENOR tuba folks) of the First Movement of Gustav Holst's "Second Suite in F Major" at a concert, and a loose second valve slide blew out and bounced two rows away. I continued with that squawking sound coming up every time the second valve went down until the laughter from the MD and the band forced me to give up. One quick-thinking half of the band continued the part by singing the remainder of the solo, while the other half went looking for the slide. The audience thought we doing a comedy routine and called for an encore!

Also in marching band: a before school practice in freezing weather. In spite of trying to cope with the weather, each of the four of us marching with souzys froze. But here's the kicker: mine froze open. Another guy froze with 1 down. Another guy froze with 2 down, and I don't remember, but I think the 4th guy really did freeze with 1&2 down. So we just kept on, playing what each of us could, as we realized the parts would mostly get covered with only a few truly completely missed notes.

The band director, at break back in the band room, was about to criticize the section until we told him what happened. Then he complimented us for making it work.

Then my "truly wish the ground would have just opened up and swallowed me" moment: high school freshman, my first show. The band lines up around the field, and on cue we start our run-in. I didn't realize how loose a mouthpiece and bits could be. Yes, mine fell out. I had to march the whole show and not play a note. Worse, I was lined up on a solid yard line. So at the end of the show, I put my souzy down, ran back out on the field before the football team got back from the lockers, and started looking for my mouthpiece and bits. They happened to have stayed together as a unit, but had fallen exactly lengthwise on the yard line. A credit to my marching, but with the glare of the lights I couldn't see it. So I'm out there doing the "funky chicken" up and down the yard line until I finally see it, grab it, and run off the nearest sideline as the team is running back onto the field.

Since I grew up in Florida, I can't compete with any of the "frozen horn" stories, but here's mine:

One year in high school marching band... our '94 Aaron Copland show...

The next to last set of our show had the band crossing in an X form, then forming a rising 'sun' shape. The color guard formed the rays of the sun. My spot during the X form was directly in the middle of what would become the 'sun'. It had been raining off and on most of that day, and I slipped and fell... by the time I got up, it was much too late to move to my final position, so I just stood and played the final power chord of our show... right in the middle of our 'sun'.

I never completely kicked the "sunspot" nickname.

At least this happened at a local show, and not during our finals show in Indy at BOA Grand Nationals, right?

windshieldbug wrote:

Bob1062 wrote:What have been your silly moments playing the tuba?

Listening to a trombone player try to play the tuba

listening to our conductor playing the tuba

peter birch wrote:

windshieldbug wrote:

Bob1062 wrote:What have been your silly moments playing the tuba?

Listening to a trombone player try to play the tuba

listening to our conductor playing the tuba

Don't you mean, "Listening to our conductor trying to play the tuba"?

WakinAZ wrote:During a brief stint as a performance major, I was forced to play wearing lederhosen and also wearing a Santa suit for various tuba events. I felt like an idiot.

I have spent so many hours playing tuba while wearing lederhosen that I really don't particularly notice I'm wearing anything unusual. The paychecks I receive for doing that go into my bank account without any embarassment at all. Go figure!

Listening to a trombone player try to play the tuba [/quote]


listening to our conductor playing the tuba [/quote]

Don't you mean, "Listening to our conductor trying to play the tuba"? [/quote]

you make a good point, he did play trombone before he became the conductor.

Walking around with my Reunion Blues Gig Bag and all of its glory on my back. You get some pretty strange looks and many, "What is that?"

Whenever the trumpet or saxophone player gets the credit of being the best player just because they played a solo.

Whenever I’m asked if I had to play the tuba just because I am the biggest guy in the band.

Whenever I’m told that maybe one day I can step up to trumpet.

Audience can sometimes be soooo stupid

But then again....it always makes me laugh about there ignorance

Actually a drum corps moment...

We were performing at a preview prior to our tour send-off, and in the rain (the cats and puppies kind) I accidentally let my weight transfer onto my front foot during a direction change. The drill sequence was right up against the front of the field, and I completely wiped out and slid on my back (contrabass on my belly) into the concert bass drum stand. The drum popped off of it's stand and fell on top of me.

It was right at the end of a tune and right up close and personal with about 500 spectators

I felt a little silly playing the tuba when I switched to a music performance degree.

TubaRay wrote:

WakinAZ wrote:During a brief stint as a performance major, I was forced to play wearing lederhosen and also wearing a Santa suit for various tuba events. I felt like an idiot.

I have spent so many hours playing tuba while wearing lederhosen that I really don't particularly notice I'm wearing anything unusual. The paychecks I receive for doing that go into my bank account without any embarassment at all. Go figure!

Ditto! Note the avatar.