TubeNet

There are a couple of questions here but first some backstory.

Wikipedia Tuba led me to something I vaguely heard about on this site: TubaChristmas. Thought that might just be a Phoenix thing or some such. So imagine my little bit of glee when I realized what it was and that my burg, Vancouver, has one. I'm already planning to have friends attend on a mystery venue basis.

So the web site info reads:

MUSIC: CAROLS FOR A MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS is available at registration for $18.00, (bass clef-C, four part score form) & (treble clef-Bb, two upper parts). Also available (treble clef tubas, Eb/Bb, Salvation Army, British Brass Band players)

Q1: What's a treble clef Bb? Or treble clef tubas for that matter? I've heard of such but how does that work when we all play on the bass clef? (Last I looked.) It can't be practical to play treble clef with a tuba so are we pretending the treble clef is bass? (Like you could do with an Eb tuba & trumpet music I suppose.) Or is the music in a compatible octave? Or is it to be transposed? What gives?

Q2: That info bit states that we get the music the day of at registration. Well, if I get started now, I might be ready for TubaChristmas 2011. (Recall I'm the chap who hasn't played in 40 years. Geez can it really be that long ago? I have to do the math each time to convince myself. But I won't digress to tell you that I am just rocketing through "Essential Elements." Still...) How could I get this music early? Presumably by contacting an organizer, if they are not all back into their suspended animation pods or equivalent.

Merry Xmas,
RBG

Sorry, but I can't explain the different versions of music other than treble clef baritone being for players who learned treble clef, such as trumpet players. Not me.

Check around on the web site for links to Harvey Phillips Foundation, etc. You may find a way to order the music out of season.

TubaChristmas is great for rank amateurs like me. I can hide in the crowd. My tuba playing son found TubaChristmas when he was in middle school about 15 years ago. Since then, at least one of us (him the other (eupher) son, or me, has been to at least one TubaChristmas every year. I hadn't played since high school, 1970.

The large print edition is worthwhile.

The TC music isn't hard. Play scales and basic etudes to build your abilities. I think the music can be ordered ahead of time but I don't think you need to start looking at it until sometime in November. Unless you want to, of course.

Arbeegee wrote:
MUSIC: CAROLS FOR A MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS is available at registration for $18.00, (bass clef-C, four part score form) & (treble clef-Bb, two upper parts). Also available (treble clef tubas, Eb/Bb, Salvation Army, British Brass Band players)

Q1: What's a treble clef Bb? Or treble clef tubas for that matter? I've heard of such but how does that work when we all play on the bass clef? (Last I looked.) It can't be practical to play treble clef with a tuba so are we pretending the treble clef is bass? (Like you could do with an Eb tuba & trumpet music I suppose.) Or is the music in a compatible octave? Or is it to be transposed? What gives?

The treble clef book is for euphonium/baritone players who read treble clef. The reference to Eb, Salvation Army, British Brass Band is that they usually play treble clef music so the tuba part is presented in treble clef with appropriate changes in the flats and sharps to make it work. I play treble clef euphonium so I have that book which has two euphonium parts. I also play Eb tuba, for which I have both the treble and bass clef books, but I find the bass clef book to be easier to deal with since everything else I play on the tuba (albeit an Eb) is bass clef.

So, order what best fits what you play. The ordering site is http://tubachristmas.com/merchandise.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank". Once there, launch the pdf order form. (I would also recommend you get the large print. I am another returnee after a 40-year absence and the larger pages and notes help.)

HTH.

Arbeegee wrote:

Q1: What's a treble clef Bb? Or treble clef tubas for that matter? I've heard of such but how does that work when we all play on the bass clef? (Last I looked.) It can't be practical to play treble clef with a tuba so are we pretending the treble clef is bass? (Like you could do with an Eb tuba & trumpet music I suppose.) Or is the music in a compatible octave? Or is it to be transposed? What gives?

There are no "treble clef tubas". There is music written in treble clef and transposed so that the open bugle of a brass instrument is WRITTEN as (middle)C, G, C, E, G,... This is used (among other places) in British Brass Band and Salvation Army traditions. The idea is that any brass player can pick up any brass instrument and read the music, which has been appropriately transposed so that it sounds correctly.

Elsewhere, tubas and euphoniums generally (note the weasel word) read music written at "concert pitch" - what you see is what you get.

So, Tuba Christmas music is available in "bass clef" (at concert pitch) and "treble clef" (transposed appropriately - for a euphonium it's transposed up a ninth; an octave to get it to treble clef and one more step to move the euphonium's Bb to written C)

Q2: That info bit states that we get the music the day of at registration. Well, if I get started now, I might be ready for TubaChristmas 2011. (Recall I'm the chap who hasn't played in 40 years. Geez can it really be that long ago? I have to do the math each time to convince myself. But I won't digress to tell you that I am just rocketing through "Essential Elements." Still...) How could I get this music early? Presumably by contacting an organizer, if they are not all back into their suspended animation pods or equivalent.

Been there, done that. Work through your favorite method books (I prefer Rubank's). If you can sight-read material in the "Intermediate" book, then you can sight-read the Tuba 2 parts. No need to get the books early - especially since there is roughly twice as much material in the book as you will actually use in the performance. If you play Eb tuba, some of the Tuba 2 part may be too low - but my take on the parts is that you'll still be more comfortable on the Tuba 2 parts the first time around - for various reasons.

Merry Xmas,
RBG

Tuba 2 part. That must mean there is a tuba 1 part? Are these two tuba parts written on the same staff? (Is the tuba 1 part higher but more difficult, I'm guessing?)

Are the treble clef tuba parts any higher? Where I'm going, of course, is that I am most naturally comfortable right on the bass clef, if not a smidge lower.

And now for a laughable newbie-type question: if the staff above the bass clef is the treble clef, is there a name for the staff that is below the bass clef and represented by "below the line" notes (or whatever they are called, I've forgotten... don't visit there too often.)

RBG

Arbeegee wrote:Tuba 2 part. That must mean there is a tuba 1 part?

Yes.

Are these two tuba parts written on the same staff?

Usually, but not (I think) always) - it varies from piece to piece in the book.

(Is the tuba 1 part higher but more difficult, I'm guessing?)

Higher - generally, yes. More difficult? Hard to say, except that in my opinion it's more of
a "middle voice" that might not be a familiar style. But, yes - higher.

Are the treble clef tuba parts any higher? Where I'm going, of course, is that I am most naturally comfortable right on the bass clef, if not a smidge lower.

The "treble clef parts" are identical - they are just transposed to treble clef for the convenience of players who are already used to reading the music there. If you have never read tuba/euph music in treble clef, then you can safely forget that you ever heard of it - except to avoid buying music printed in treble clef.

And now for a laughable newbie-type question: if the staff above the bass clef is the treble clef, is there a name for the staff that is below the bass clef and represented by "below the line" notes (or whatever they are called, I've forgotten... don't visit there too often.)

nope.

Arbeegee wrote:...TubaChristmas... imagine my little bit of glee when I realized what it was and that my burg, Vancouver, has one.

Vancouver, BC or WA? It it's BC, then there is also one in Victoria. If WA, there are several in Washingotn state and Oregon also.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying the music ahead of time. I think you will want the bass clef, large print.

Going to try to make Tuba Christmas in Alaska in 2011; usually travel to Alaska yearly anyway;love the weather

Mark wrote:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying the music ahead of time. I think you will want the bass clef, large print.

Agree, except...I doubt that reading through the TC book in advance is the most efficient way to prepare for TC.

It's written for performance, not for skill development. There are no "excerpts" (at least in the Tuba parts) that require preparation.

I think that the same amount of time reading through Rubanks Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced I/Anvanced II is much better preparation. And I stand by my claim that "if you can sight read Rubanks Intermediate, then you can sight read the TC book".

Put another way: if you CAN'T sight-read the TC book, then you really need to work with the method books and etudes - reading through the TC book WILL NOT HELP.

Yet another (more general) way of putting it: if you are working on "excerpts" so that you can *play* them, you are wasting your time - you work on excerpts to find the right interpretation, to select from the 5 different ways you can already play them. Otherwise....there are better materials to use to improve your skills.

Working on the pieces to be performed before your skills are developed to the right level is like "teaching to the test". It's a bad idea.

Proof: any elephant room at any TEC. "let no man Ride before his time"

With all respect to Professor Sloan, and not attempting to speak for Mr. Arbeegee, I think having the music to practice on before a performance gets you away from sight-reading your performance. Is one supposed to be able to sight read anything and everything? Before you get to play anything? That certainly takes it to a level way beyond the casual, personal enjoyment, just for fun level of skill that I take to TubaChristmas.

And just let me add that after more than ten years, it is no longer such a sight-reading challenge every time I go to a TubaChristmas event. But I'm not the star by any means.

alfredr, (rank, as in stinking, amateur)

Arbeegee wrote:There are a couple of questions here....
Q1: What's a treble clef Bb? Or treble clef tubas for that matter? ...
Q2: That info bit states that we get the music the day of at registration. ...

The simplest answer to Q1 is that if you are used to playing tuba while reading bass clef, none of that treble clef stuff applies to you; ignore it. Just buy the bass clef book (preferably the large size). If you regularly play in a brass band or Salvation Army band, you know all about treble clef, and you don't need advice from anyone.

This business about all brass instruments reading from (transposed) treble clef so that players can switch among instruments with ease never convinced me. I don't really want to hear trumpeters playing tuba, nor tubists playing trumpet!

For Q2, go to the TubaChristmas web site and order the book in advance. That way, you can get familiar with it well in advance.

Regarding other questions: The Euphonium 1 and Euphonium 2 parts are on one clef, and the Tuba 1 (upper) and Tuba 2 (lower) parts are on another clef. There are a few pieces where each part has its own clef.

The Tuba 2 part is probably what you are used to, musically. You are playing at the bottom of an ensemble. The Tuba 1 part is higher, but not more or less difficult (unless you have a problem with higher notes). The interesting musical challenge is playing an inner voice in the ensemble, instead of the bottom voice.

A few other tips: Most TubaChristmas venues are outdoors. You must have a music stand. Make sure you have enough clips or other means to keep your music from blowing away. In gusty conditions, you may have to keep a foot on the base of your music stand. Also, if you are in a cold climate, consider getting a Kelly plastic mouthpiece. Otherwise, put your mouthpiece in your pocket between pieces, so your lips don't freeze.

Have fun!
Allen