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As a fairly new tubaist ( coming up on One year in November ) I fall in the looking forward to the next community band concert category.

But when I was a Horn player fresh out of school, I was happy to get any paying gig until I got the military band gig. I spoiled that gig by having a elitist attitude. The band level of play wasn't good enough. I didn't mind that fact I was playing in a band, but I did mind the lack of intonation and technical ability of the oldest ( read higher ranking ) members of the band. Hell, even the younger members didn't play at the level I was playing at and it bothered me. I wonder if it was Karma that stepped in and F'd up my chops to teach me a lesson. I'd give allot to be able to play in a group of that level again. Needless to say, I'll never undervalue any group I get the opportunity to play with again.

I do aspire to play at a very high level on tuba. And hopefully afford myself the chance to play in higher quality ensembles paying or not. I'm trying to avoid the "if I had better equipment, I'd be able to take the next step in playing" mentality and just make it happen with what I got, until I can afford better equipment.

For me, it's about the music. I know that sounds trite at best and self-aggrandizing at worst, but it's true.

When I go to a rehearsal, I often walk in grumpy and stressed from work. At the end of the rehearsal, though, I'm often relaxed, calm, and energetic. I go in introverted, and come out gregarious. I do not measure this effect in terms of a paycheck for a gig.

But it's not my profession. In my profession, the happiness with my work is far more complex, and subject to much more subtle influences. If I played tuba professionally, it would probably be that way in my tuba playing, too. That's a reason I'm happy to be an amateur.

I have played works where my involvement wasn't much more significant than the tuba part to New World, but still derived all those enjoyments. The only time I'm frustrated as a player is when I'm playing music that is unsatisfying, and I don't measure that in terms of the amount of ink in the tuba part. I played in a band in the Dallas area that played a lot of easy schlock that didn't musically challenge me or most people in the group. I never left that rehearsal plotting a way to practice that music. The band I'm in now might not be quite as good, in terms of size and skill, but we play good stuff--lots of orchestral transcriptions, and lots of big-boy music. I leave that rehearsal eager to get it on the practice-room stand, and when life prevents that, I'm frustrated. Every member of the group has to shed like crazy just to work our way up to acceptable, but there's no experience like making a contribution, however modest, to making great music.

Who wouldn't want to play this stuff?

http://www.lcbandinc.org/lcbevents.htm

Rick "who wouldn't do it if it didn't bring satisfaction" Denney

For me it's about performing. When the band is pumping and the crowd is jumping there's no feeling like it.

I don't earn a dime at it. It's an expensive hobby. But the wife is in the dance troupe and it's been something we've done together and mostly enjoyed for the past 12 years. Since I don't get paid to do it and therefore don't look at it as a job I get to just relax and enjoy it, drink the free beer, eat the free meals and interact with the party-goers. I triple on tuba, euphonium and trombone so there's always the challenge to do my best and room to grow. Every year I get a little better. The fact that I can and do improve even though I'm past 60 now helps keep me from feeling my age.

So yes, I consider myself a successful tuber/euphoid/boner. And we're off and running next weekend for another busy fall season.

Prost!

I consider myself a very happy tubist

I usually enjoy my playing be it orchestra, band, quintet, or solo. Making music with a group is a very rewarding experience. In what other field could you get say 100 people working in total unison to produce a result which gives pleasure and enlightens many more people?

I would like to gain more 'paid' gigs, but the main thing for me is making music. From the positive comments frequently receive, I would like to think I am pretty successful.

I enjoy playing in the community band. The tuba section is a good bunch of guys & we're all friends. There are 5 of us and usually most of us are at rehearsals. Most of the year we play some pretty challenging music. The annual fireworks gig is the usual Sousa, Them Basses, etc., but it's still fun. So, to answer the question, do I consider myself a successful tuba player - yeah - 'cause I'm having fun. For me, it's about the music and the fellowship.

Rick Denney wrote:there's no experience like making a contribution, however modest, to making great music.

Rick "who wouldn't do it if it didn't bring satisfaction" Denney

In my opinion, this was the best part of your post, Rick. Whether one plays for pay, or strictly for fun, that is the most important aspect, as far as I'm concerned.

I confess to being a playing w______ or s____. I'll play about anywhere for anything, anytime. Sometimes I get paid, hence the former, whether cash, beer, being given the ride to the gig, whatever doesn't matter; others I don't, and sometimes I'm out a lot on gas or depreciation, hence the latter. Any time I get to play with someone else in the room or audience, whether that/those other person(s) are playing along or just listening, is a good time, and a success in and of itself.

The one thing that I do draw the line on is the stress factor. If the conductor or the circumstances start increasing the stress level, whether it be the perceived need of whatever "standard" it has to sound like (because I'm going to make it sound the best I possibly can in its context of tuning, intonation, style and blend, regardless of the circumstances), or if the interpersonals start getting too out of hand, then there better be something there to compensate for that rise in stress level in direct proportion to the height of the rise. If there is, I'll go for it as long as it's there to go for. If not, I am prone to pack up in the middle of rehearsal and just leave, then and there.

bloke wrote: The more I have been able to fine-tune my equipment, (duh...Rick and Donn) the nicer all of the experiences have become.

Hi! Yes, I have 5 tubas and over a dozen mouthpieces, so I'm happier than a hog in a wallow! I'd of liked to have gotten that York #3 of yours, but better than that, I do have some saxophones too.

Good question. I'm not as happy with my playing as I used to be. I miss more notes than I used to miss. But then again I don't ever have the time to just practice any more. I'm starting to wonder if I can get back to good enough to enjoy just playing again. It used to be fun and easy, now it's work and disappointment. Explains why I'm finally posting instead of just lurking like have over the past decade.

Successful in the sense I've reached the level I'd like to reach??? No, I don't think I'm there just yet.hopefully in a few years I can go back to grad school, and progress further along towards that goal...and earn some extra $$$ at my job for it, too.

The one thing I really do miss is playing in an ensemble. Hopefully I'll be able to look for and join a community band or something soon (once I get a new [to me] car). That will definitely increase my satisfaction level, for sure.

I consider my musical success in other ways. I teach music to elementary, middle, and high school students. I love doing it, and like Wade says, for all the BS I occasionally have to deal with, I wouldn't trade my job for anything. My principal is supportive, my VP is supportive, and my music supervisor is a great guy. All in all I'm a pretty lucky guy, I think.

Scooby Tuba wrote:

TMurphy wrote:My principal is supportive, my VP is supportive, and my music supervisor is a great guy. All in all I'm a pretty lucky guy, I think.

You should buy a lottery ticket! You ARE lucky!!!!

What are you talking about? He's already won the lottery!

Well, let's see. The key word in that question is "successful."

And, of course, how "success" is measured.

For me, I turned a hobby into a career (thinly disguised as an Army guy) and enjoyed it so little that I wound up learning a foreign language fluently, translated documents, drove trucks, ran a supply room (with multiple property books), helped out in the sound room, scouted gigs, wrote letters, developed training schedules, and even played a couple of bugle jobs. On trumpet. Really, really bad trumpet.

Correction - it wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, I just didn't realize how much I needed it.

It wasn't till after I retired when I learned that there is no way in hell I could put down the euph and the trombone.

After retirement, and on my own time apaart from work, I studied the trombone with a well-known orchestral principal player. He helped me in my euph playing as well - duh!

I practiced more than I ever did while active duty - I had to in order to keep up with the really demanding music that Brit-style brass bands play at the top levels.

And I was able to play music that I loved, accurately, well, and with seemingly little effort. Made a few recordings and a few bucks along the way, but nothing to write home to Mom about.

Simply going through that experience made the whole adventure a success, as far as I'm concerned.

Sometimes you don't know what you have till you don't have it anymore. And while I never really "lost it" during those early years, I certainly got distracted and missed some marvelous opportunities.

But things happen the way they do for a reason. Now I'm middle-aged and don't have the lung capacity I used to. But I think I'm a smarter player, wiser certainly, and otherwise know that while I might've gotten away from the horn during a time when I was being paid to play it (some will argue with me about that), the horn never really left me.

I'd call that a success.

Allen "not really a pro anymore, despite the avatar - don't know who put that there" Lawless

My first reaction was 'I've never been paid for it in my life' but that's not true - I got five bucks for a July 4th gig in '63 or '64.
Over the past few years, I've made runs at a comeback - playing on my own - that went nowhere. This spring, I signed up for some lessons and found a couple of community bands. Before June, my last group performance was in 1967. Since June, I've played in 7 or 8 local concerts, going from about 50% participation in the first (totally sight-reading) to 98% in the last.
Am I happy? You bet. I've found a group of folks of a variety of ages who have established a local following and play pretty well...and they let me in! And my wife isn't laughing at me (with me? was I laughing?) nearly as much.
Would I do anything differently? I'm nowhere near as good as I was when I was 18. Maybe take 20 years off instead of 40? You kids at home, don't you try this. If you're at all good and you enjoy the playing (or maybe that's enough), find people to play with and keep at it. It's good to be back.

I've changed a tremendous amount over the years, in what I expect out of playing.

It started out that I was trying to make a living, and trying to be a better player than I was capable of (not yet accepting that the old adage "you can be anything you want when you grow up" was not true.) Not to mention playing in a violin section, which we all know is made up of nervous, twitchy, competetive squeaky types.

When I migrated to brass, I surely fit in better with the rest of the section, and really enjoyed it much, much more. But I was still stuck in the trying to be better than I was capable of syndrome.

After I developed dystonia on horn, I had to make a major adjustment in my expectations. It was really hard, took a couple years, but in the end....I am much happier now. I got back my horn playing expertise but left behind the uptight attitude. I think in retrospect that perhaps the dystonia was a very good thing that happened to me. If I had not been able to recover, I probably wouldn't feel that way.

Now...I just damn near sold my F tuba because it hadn't seen the light of day for years, and I get invited to play in a TE quartet. It is only just started, but you know what? It is really, really fun, and it looks like it is going to be competent.

So, for today anyway, life is good. I'm thankful that I don't need to make money with music. Back when I did, and someone would invite me to their party just to be the free entertainment, that pretty much pissed me off. I still won't play at anybody's party to be free entertainment, but now no one thinks to ask.

Which is good.

MA

bloke wrote:I have discovered talents in areas other than music, but (again) I would prefer to do well at a few things other than to do "OK" at many things (also avoiding the total life disorganization that "pursuing many things" entails as well).

Heh, heh. I guess that means you are I are different.

Rick "who doesn't mine the total life disorganization that pursuing many things entails" Denney

Rick Denney wrote:

bloke wrote:I have discovered talents in areas other than music, but (again) I would prefer to do well at a few things other than to do "OK" at many things (also avoiding the total life disorganization that "pursuing many things" entails as well).

Heh, heh. I guess that means you are I are different.

Rick "who doesn't mine the total life disorganization that pursuing many things entails" Denney

Good point, Rick.

Perhaps bloke can answer this question:

"Why does pursuing many things result in total life disorganization?"

Hmmm, let's see. My list is short in comparison to many, of that I'm sure, but I've been paid to run copy in a major newspaper, bag groceries, cook food in restaurant and institutional settings, receive goods and store them, play euph, trombone, and really bad trumpet, translate, drive trucks, set up sound systems, and even hobnob with local politicians (should've gotten a Purple Heart for some of those experiences).

These days I manage quality assurance in a small plant that makes medical devices and perform a health and safety function for the plant as well.

Last time I checked, I still get out of bed in the morning the same way I did years ago, I don't drool (at least while conscious), and I still practice on a semi-regular basis.

I don't call that being disorganized at all - well rounded, perhaps (said as he rubs his ample gut).

I think for myself, happiness in music has nothing to do with pay or the quality of the tuba I have or anything like that at all. It's definitely all about the music itself. Maybe since I'm still a student and haven't gotten paid for a real gig my position will change in the future ( ) but I don't think so. Music has always been a comforting retreat from the stresses of everyday life and a neat little obsession too.

BTW, the "Cool beans, I got a new bottle of valve oil!" option made me laugh out loud, since I fall into the tuba stereotype of never oiling my valves. Seriously, I'm still on my first bottle after 4 and 1/2 years. Hey, it's almost empty!

tubalawlisa wrote:
I just finished a J.D., and I plan to start my Ph.D. focusing in theory/ed/arts admin - interdisciplinary.

If I may offer a completely unsolicited piece of advice - don't bother with an "interdisciplinary" Ph.D. It's a contradiction in terms.

It's OK to participate in MULTI-disciplinary research (as part of a team - or even, in extraordinary cases, alone) - but the whole point of a Ph.D. is to acquire *a* discipline.

If you will, imagine an orchestra where every player took an "interdisciplinary" point of view and was equally competent on all instruments...

I'm sure that your plans would make you the first counterexample - but my experience has been that people with "interdisciplinary" degrees have all been frauds.

As I look back on my (checkered) career, I can point to work which has spanned many different fields - but I was a welcome part of those teams because I brought my own "discipline" to the table.

End of rant...carry on as if nothing had happened...

I can honestly say that EVERY time I play the horn; in a lesson, in an orchestra concert, in quintet, in recital, ANYWHERE, I am completely ecstatic!!! Music is about you, and those you touch. Success comes in the personal revelation that you have just done something extraordinary! I am currently playing the Lion King, and I have two short tales that relate:

1. In the tune "Endless Night" there is a three-bar repeated section that goes on for a while. It is a build to a great climax. Some player before me had written in the part "An Endless Night of playing those boring 3 bars over and over!"--Someone needs a nap, and a reality check!

2. After a show, I was leaving the theater with my horn on my back, and a family stopped me. Their daughter who was about 10 years old, wanted to meet someone from the show. I introduced myself to her and she pulled me down to kneel beside her. She gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and said "Thank you for the Lion King!" That, my friends, is success!! To KNOW that you have created magic for someone!