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Playing tuba after a 25 year layoff
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 12:25 pm
by tubajaredD
Hello Tubenet. I recently purchased my first horn and I have had it for 5 months practicing everyday..scales, sightreading, improving embouchure, and constantly increasing technique. My instructor in the 80s was David Randolph and I was an advanced player in high school.
My teacher is a graduate student of Jim Self...Joe Jackson (USC). He has been fantastic.
I am attending college for the first time @ 45 as an Applied Music major at Santa Monica College. I am soooo nervous and I sometimes feel too old to do this but I can see constant improvement.
Can you Veteran tuba players give me some more advice to ease my nervousness...thanks.
Re: Playing tuba after a 25 year layoff
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:08 pm
by Dan Schultz
I quit playing when I was 22 and resumed at 50. I thought I was pretty good at 22. But... at 66, I now feel I'm a better than I ever was. There's no need to push yourself to extremes or worry. It will come.
(pssst... this is the 'for sale' section)
Re: Playing tuba after a 25 year layoff
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:26 pm
by millingworth
You have posted in Non-Music ‹ For Sale. You might do better in Music ‹ TubeNet.
I returned to the tuba after 50 years and am enjoying it. Have a look at
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=47155" target="_blank" target="_blank for some useful comments.
Mark I
Re: Playing tuba after a 25 year layoff
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 2:29 pm
by The Big Ben
tubajaredD wrote:Hello Tubenet. I recently purchased my first horn and I have had it for 5 months practicing everyday..scales, sightreading, improving embouchure, and constantly increasing technique. My instructor in the 80s was David Randolph and I was an advanced player in high school.
My teacher is a graduate student of Jim Self...Joe Jackson (USC). He has been fantastic.
I am attending college for the first time @ 45 as an Applied Music major at Santa Monica College. I am soooo nervous and I sometimes feel too old to do this but I can see constant improvement.
Can you Veteran tuba players give me some more advice to ease my nervousness...thanks.
I'm 55 and had never played a tuba until I was 50. I played the trumpet and french horn in HS and a little bit in a community orchestra. I'm not in a group but still enjoying playing at home. I have a pile of music and etude books to keep me amused. The closest "real" tuba teacher is about 50 miles away so I haven't taken many lessons but seem to do just fine limping along.
My advice is to try to avoid the 'equipment game'. Get a horn and a mouthpiece, a tuner and metronome and music to play. That, along with a good teacher, should do you for awhile.
Re: Playing tuba after a 25 year layoff
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:23 pm
by tubajaredD
Thank you all for your advice gentleman. And for advice I will post in the appropriate area.

Re: Playing tuba after a 25 year layoff
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:41 pm
by DonShirer
Your'e doing things right, Jared. You have a teacher, and should be able to find ensembles to play with at your college or local community bands. I, too, stopped playing from college graduation until age 72, but I am really enjoying the activity in my retirement. It took some practice, but the lip did return. One thing you might like is to look up orchestral and band scores in a good music library (CA universities ought to be good sources for this) and read through the tuba parts of orchestral and band scores.